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PDAs can be of use to many people with or without disabilities. The following is a look at the functional uses of a PDA in an educational setting. In other words the following list of uses could be beneficial to people with a whole range of disabilities (or none).
The following is a look at the specific ways in which a PDA may be used as an assistive technology device in an educational setting
Taking the following examples of functional difficulties:
The following application types can be useful for those with short term and working memory problems:
The following application types can be useful for those with time management and organisational difficulties:
The following application types can be useful for those with difficulties with writing skills and structuring thought processes:
The following application types can be useful for those with problems with spelling and grammar:
The following can be useful for those with auditory / visual impairment or processing deficits:
The following can be useful for those with concentration (including tiredness and fatigue) or attention difficulties:
The following can be useful for those with difficulty in multitasking and physical coordination or dexterity:
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PDAs have the potential to provide a portable, flexible platform for providing, Personal Information Management, computing support and access electronic materials.
However when accessing the usability of a PDA the user should be quick to realise that a PDA is not a laptop. Attempting to use a PDA as the primary computing tool would soon result in frustration and inefficiency in both time and effort. For example trying to use a PDA to do the post-production stages (spell checking, large scale word processing and publication design) of a publication would be most efficiently be done on a desktop computer. In order for a PDA to be used to its full potential the user must have regular access to a host computer (whether personal or networked) on which to conduct synchronisation for backing up data etc.
It is fair to say that for people who already own PDAs or those considering purchasing one, the huge market of PDA models and software can be extremely confusing. There are literally thousands of applications available with hundreds of permutations of combinations of PDA and additions that are possible. This means that the generally users are not aware of the range of software (and hardware) that is available that might make a PDA more accessible or aid their function difficulties.
The use of a PDA as an assistive technology has barely been explored in the mainstream educational sector. The expertise of the operating systems or software and their accessibility features within the educational or supplier infrastructure does not at present exist. Though TechDis is working with many parties on improving this.
PDAs have been given out in various studies of their usability in different universities. Though from reading their report little or no though has been put into what would happen if a user within their test group had a disability. With the arrival of the Special Educational Needs Act (SENDA) consideration has to be made for student with disabilities.
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In the wars of the PDA, the limitation of the operating system (and available software) of a device is the key factor.
Both Palm and Pocket PC now offer powerful platforms that offer great functionality. These advanced functions include:
Why choose a Palm PDA then ?
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Economic reasons are a key factor in why a student, University or local education authority might buy a particular PDA. So when considering which OS to choose remember that for most users Pocket PC based PDAs come with nearly all the software the average user would use. Palm PDAs come with as a shell platform with the basic PIM applications and a word processor, spreadsheet application (newer Palms are bundled with Documents-To-Go or Quick Office). Though the cost of Pocket PC PDAs are between approximately £180 and £500, the average Palm costs range from as little as £75 right up to £350. The need for the advanced functions offered by Pocket PC's must be weighed up against the simplicity and economics of a Palm.
When considering the overall cost of a PDA the user must take into account the cost of additional memory storage cards (these are becoming increasingly inexpensive e.g. 1gb SD Card @ £40, late 2005) , peripheral keyboards (that are essential for anyone intending to to use a PDA to take notes) and third party shareware software.
This paper does not go into which model of PDA you should choose, nor what combination of software would be most suitable for an individual user. It only seeks to highlight the issues of accessibility of the PDA handheld devices and what peripheries or software could be added to enhance the PDAs functionality as an assistive technology.
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In the process of this project we have learned a lot about various issues surround the use of PDAs that it is not included in this paper.
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A few ideas for using PDAs as an assistive technology:
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