ADAPTIVE COMPUTER USE FOR A PERSON WITH VISUAL IMPAIRMENT

A single-subject research design that used multiple baselines across behaviors compared traditional adaptations (eg, the use of readers) to adapted computer technologies for typical reading activities performed by an adult with severe visual impairment A Macintosh IIci(TM) equipped with software that translated information displayed on the monitor into synthesized speech was paired with a page scanner and optical character recognition software to convert scanned images of printed text into computer documents. These computer technologies were applied to three reading behaviors: proofreading of word-processed documents, reading of printed research articles, and reading of common printed materials such as letters and instruction sheets. The findings demonstrated that the use of adapted computer technology, rather than traditional methods, increased the subject's reading efficiency and frequency. The increased functional independence that occurred as a result of the computer technology improved the subject's patterns of adaptation in reading-related tasks and improved the quality of her life.