Introduction

'What are the issues for a person with a disability who wishes to use a PDA to the fullest extent in an educational setting?'

This report is targeted towards students, teachers and educational technology specialists in order to help them understand the practical issues of Personal Digital Assistants, also known as Palmtops or Handheld PCs. (The acronym PDA will be used throughout to describe this type of device.)

The team's main focus is on accessibility and usability issues related to the functionality of PDAs and the way those with disabilities may find the devices helpful or difficult to use due to the way the devices are designed.

The PDA is the technophiles' latest fancy. This would appear to be for many reasons, not least because they are much more portable, economic and, indeed, cheaper than a notebook or laptop. However, it should be noted that before proceeding through this document the reader realises that in the rapidly moving world of portable technologies nothing remains static and what is discussed and illustrated here will soon be overtaken by some other micro technologies!

Nevertheless, as the report unfolds it is hoped that readers will be able to answer such questions as:

Are PDAs useful to students with specific disabilities in education?

In what specific ways can disabled students gain a benefit from the use of a PDA as an assistive technology device?

• What can a PDA do? What additional hardware and software is required?
• What are the usability and accessibility issues of PDAs?
• What are the usability and accessibility issues of the software and additional hardware?
• In what innovative ways can PDAs be used to assist the processes of teaching and learning?

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Links within the section

Overview of a PDA
Generic Features
Accessibility and Generic Features
Disability and Generic Features