Make The iOS Device Accessible

By: Carmen Willings
teachingvisuallyimpaired.com

iOS devices are wonderful tools for allowing students to access information, music, videos, books and more. For universal accessibility in the iPod, iPod Touch (32GB & 64GB); iPhone 4S (16GB, 32GB, 64GB); iPad2 (3G service 16GB, 32GB, 64GB) turn on the following features by going to "Settings", then selecting "General", and "Accessibility":

Basic Multitasking Gestures

• Press the home button once when an app is open in order to return to the home screen. This will not close the app, but will "minimize" it.
• Swipe up to reveal the multitasking bar. This is also known as the App Switcher.
• Swipe left or right to move between open apps.

Voice Over

When the iPhone is used with the VoiceOver, it will operate differently than without. 

• To turn the iPhone on, hold the power button in the top right of the phone for 2 seconds and then release. In about 15 seconds, the unlock screen will appear. VoiceOver will announce the time. If you do not touch the screen within 10 seconds, the screen will lock again. 
• To unlock the screen after the time is announced, drag 1 finger up from the Home button in the bottom middle of the device. VoiceOver will announce "slide to unlock" and "slide or double tap". Use 1 finger to double tap on the screen to unlock it. When the screen is unlocked, you will be at the Home screen.
• To navigate the main home screen, drag 1 finger around the screen to hear what is under your finger. To activate the item you wish to use, double tap on it with one finger.
• To adjust the volume in VoiceOver, use the volume up and down buttons on the left side of the iPhone when the VoiceOver is talking. You can silence VoiceOver any time by using two-finger touch on the screen. 
• To silence the iPhone, switch the silence switch on the top left edge of the iPhone toward the back of the phone, allowing you to still feel the vibration if the phone rings. 
• To answer a call, double tap with two fingers on the screen. This action will also end a call. 
• To place a call, activate the phone app. VoiceOver will announce "blank phone number." Drag 1 finger on the screen until you find the number and then double tap on the number. If the phone has Siri, you can also use Siri to dial a phone number or a contact.
• To use Siri, hold down the Home button until you hear an ascending double beep. Speak an instruction and Siri will give you a response. To dismiss Siri, press the home button. 
• To move between screens of apps, use three fingers to flick left or right. You can also return to the home screen at any time by pressing the home button. 
• To activate an app, use 1 finger to drag around the screen to locate the app. When the desired app is located, double tap on the screen to activate the app. Once in the app, drag 1 finger around the screen to explore the app. To exit the app, press the home button. 
• To allow a person who doesn't use VoiceOver to use the iPhone, you will need to enable VoiceOver in  Triple Click. When Triple click is activated, press the home button three times to turn VoiceOver on or off. Activate Triple click by going to settings, general, accessibility, Accessibility Shortcut and then selecting VoiceOver. 
• To mute VoiceOver for privacy, use a 3 finger tap twice on the screen. This will turn VoiceOver speech on or off. This also creates a blank screen so other people will not be able to read or see what is on the screen. ​

Siri

Siri is Apple’s intelligent assistant. It helps you complete everyday tasks. Hold the home button and when prompted ask a question or request help. Siri can send messages, place phone calls, schedule meetings, and even turn on and off VoiceOver, Guided Access and Invert Colors. And because Siri is integrated with VoiceOver, you can ask where the nearest gas station, restaurant, or other location is and hear the answer read out loud.

Speak Screen

If you have a hard time reading the text on your iOS device, use Speak Screen to read your email, iMessages, web pages, and books to you. Turn on Speak Screen and swipe down from the top with two fingers, or just tell Siri to Speak Screen and have all the content of the page read back to you. You can adjust the voice’s dialect and speaking rate and have words highlighted as they’re being read.

Dictation

Dictation lets you talk where you would type. Tap the microphone button on the keyboard, say what you want to write, and your iOS device converts your words (and numbers and characters) into text making it easy to type an email, note, or URL — without typing at all.

Zoom

Zoom is a built-in magnifier that works wherever you are in iOS, from Mail and Safari to the Home and Lock screens. It also works with all apps from the App Store. Turn Zoom on for full screen or picture in picture mode, allowing you to see the zoomed area in a separate window while keeping the rest of the screen at its native size. You can adjust the magnification between 100 and 1,500 percent and access multiple filter options in either mode. Double tapping with three fingers zooms in 200%, and you can adjust the magnification between 100% and 500%. This creates 20pt to 56pt text. While you’re zoomed in, you can still use all of the familiar gestures to navigate your device. Additionally, Zoom works with VoiceOver, allowing the user to see and hear what’s happening on the screen.

Font Adjustments

When you activate Larger Dynamic Type, the text inside a range of apps in iOS 8 including Calendar, Contacts, Mail, Messages, Music, Notes and Settings, and even some third-party apps, is converted to a larger, easier‑to‑read size. And you can choose bold text to make the text heavier across a range of built‑in applications.

Invert Colors and Grayscale

If a higher contrast or a lack of color helps you better see what’s on your display, iOS lets you invert the colors or enable grayscale onscreen. Once you set your filter, the settings apply system-wide, even to video, so you get the same view no matter what you’re seeing.

AssistiveTouch

iOS devices are remarkably intuitive and easy to use. And AssistiveTouch lets you adapt the Multi-Touch screen of your iOS device to your unique physical needs. So if you have difficulty with some gestures, like pinch, you can make them accessible with just a tap of a finger. Or create a custom gesture. And if you have trouble pressing the Home button, you can activate it with an onscreen tap. Gestures like rotate and shake are available even when your iOS device is mounted on a wheelchair. And iOS devices also support a number of third‑party assistive devices that help you interact with your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.

Guided Access

Guided Access helps people with autism or other attention and sensory challenges stay focused on the task (or app) at hand. With Guided Access, a parent, teacher, or therapist can limit an iOS device to stay on one app by disabling the Home button and limit the amount of time spent in an app. You can even restrict access to the keyboard or touch input on certain areas of the screen. So wandering taps and gestures won’t distract from learning.

Speak Screen

We all learn in different ways. Some of us learn better when more than one sense is engaged simultaneously. If you have a learning disability like dyslexia, Speak Screen can help with reading. Turn on Speak Screen and swipe down from the top with two fingers, or just tell Siri to Speak Screen and have all the content of the page read back to you. You can also have words highlighted as they’re being read, so you can follow along. Even the voice’s dialect and speaking rate can be adjusted to suit your needs.

Dictionary

Say you’re reading an article on astronomy and are stuck on some terminology. Just look it up — dictionary definitions are integrated into iOS. Get quick access to definitions and commonly used phrases to help with spelling, pronunciation, and grammar.

Safari Reader

For some students, navigating the web can be a sensory overload. Safari Reader reduces the visual clutter on a web page by removing distractions. It strips away ads, buttons, and navigation bars, allowing you to focus on just the content you want. And Safari Reader works with Speak Selection and VoiceOver, to provide auditory reinforcement for what you're seeing.

Braille Display & Braille Commands

​Braille display can be used with the iOS device. Many Bluetooth wireless braille displays work right out of the box with the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. I have created a two-page printable list of common braille commands for VoiceOver navigation. You are welcome to print it for easy reference.

Product Suggestions

Although I'm not sure you could completely replace an electronic magnifier (CCTV) for a student, the SHARKK Apple iPad Keyboard is an AWESOME device with great potential to act as a portable CCTV! It features a Bluetooth Keyboard Case with a stand that rotates 360 degrees. It can be positioned to lay flat above a page or tilted. The case is a ClamShell which provides some protection. With a magnification app, this has great potential!

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TVI's Guide Complete Set Bundle + BONUS Resources

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TVI’s Guide to Teaching the ECC: An Activities Based Curriculum for Teaching Students who are Blind or Visually Impaired
The TVI’s Guide to Teaching the ECC is a digital pdf available for download. It is designed specifically for fellow itinerant Teachers of Students with Visual Impairments (TVI’s), and consists of over 400 activities and topic areas of discussion for instructing students in the Expanded Core Curriculum. The activities are age-neutral and multi-sensory and therefore can meet the needs of the broad range of students served on an itinerant caseload serving. The activities can be individualized to the students various learning modalities and scaffold in order to challenge students but ensure success. Select those activities that align with the student’s learning objects based on the student’s unique visual needs and academic and developmental level. In addition to the core activity areas, each of the 32 Thematic Units incorporates additional unique ECC concepts and skills providing you with a years’ worth of activities. These units are cyclical and can be used repeatedly to help students build on prior knowledge and develop a deeper understanding of concepts. Each unit includes suggestions for activity adaptation associated with the unit. These include lists of objects, possible community-based experiences, environmental print, poems, children & young reader books, children's songs, pop culture songs, movies, and websites.


In addition to the book, the following two supplements are included:
·      TVI’s Guide to the ECC Concept Checklist
·      TVI’s Guide to the ECC Activities Checklist


For complete product details and additional images, visit the TVI's Guide product page.


TVI's Guide to the ECC Product details
·      Digital pdf download: 346 pages (11 pt font)
·      Publisher: Teaching Students with Visual Impairments
·      Author: Carmen Willings
·      Language: English


Visual Efficiency & Near Magnifier Fluency Worksheets: TVI's Guide to the ECC Grab and Go Supplements
The Near Magnifier Fluency Worksheets is a Grab and Go supplement to the TVI's Guide to Teaching the ECC. This workbook is a pdf download that can be printed on demand for use with students. It contains five different types of worksheets for developing visual motor skills and near magnifier fluency skills particularly with the use of a video magnifier. As a companion to the TVI’s Guide to the ECC, the worksheets correspond to each of the 32 ECC Thematic units. The worksheets, along with a list of environmental print for each thematic unit, are designed to help students refine their visual motor skills while reinforcing ECC concepts presented in the thematic units.  


For complete product details and additional images, visit the Visual Efficiency & Near Magnifier Product Page.


Visual Efficiency & Near Magnifier Fluency Worksheet Details:
·      Digital pdf download: 210 pages
·      Publisher: Teaching Students with Visual Impairments
·      Author: Carmen Willings
·      Language: English


Thematic Keyboarding & Braille Fluency and Maintenance Worksheets: A TVI’s Guide to Teaching the ECC Grab & go Supplement
The Thematic Keyboarding & Braille Fluency and Maintenance Grab and Go ECC worksheet packet is a print on demand workbook that contains worksheets in print and simulated braille to use for data collection. Present the student with a hard braille copy and use the worksheets to document accuracy and fluency in reading braille. As a companion to the TVI’s Guide to the ECC, the worksheets correspond to the ECC Thematic activities presented in the curriculum guide. These word lists and sentences will help the student refine their keyboarding or braille reading skills while bridging ECC concepts presented in the thematic units. Although the lists and passages can be produced using a manual braillewriter, you may also copy and paste the passages into any braille translation software for quick production on an embosser. They may also be entered into a typing program such as APH’s Talking Typer to build keyboarding fluency.


For complete product details and additional images, visit the Thematic Keyboarding & Braille Fluency & Maintenance Product Page


Thematic Keyboarding & Braille Fluency Worksheet Details:
·      Digital pdf download: 338-page print and simulated braille worksheets
·      Publisher: Teaching Students with Visual Impairments
·      Author: Carmen Willings
·      Language: English


Thematic Vocabulary Cards and Checklists: Grab & Go ECC Supplement
The Thematic Vocabulary Cards and Checklists Grab and Go ECC supplement is a 446 page pdf downloadable print on demand workbook that includes 2940 vocabulary card on 3 1/2" x 2" templates divided by each of the 32 Thematic Units along with a checklist of each unit words in print and simulated braille. As a companion to the TVI's Guide to the ECC, the vocabulary cards correspond to the ECC Thematic activities presented in the curriculum guide. 


Additional Use:
Teachers of Students with Visual Impairments can have a extremely varied caseloads. It is possible to go several years without having a student on your caseload who requires braille instruction. Like other skills, if you do not practice your braille regularly, it is easy to lose those skills. Use these checklists and cards to maintain your braille skills. Fold the checklist along the line dividing the print from the braille. Choose to either read the print and produce the word in braille using a braillewriter or read the simulated braille and decode it. Finally, these vocabulary cards and checklists may be used with family members or peers who are interested in learning and practicing the braille code.


For complete product details and additional images, visit the Thematic Vocabulary Cards & Checklists Product Page


Thematic Vocabulary Cards and Checklists Details:
·      Digital pdf download: 446-page print on demand resource
·      Publisher: Teaching Students with Visual Impairments
·      Author: Carmen Willings
·      Language: English


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Lotto Cards
The LOTTO Cards Grab and Go Supplement includes 37 theme related unit cards along with activity suggestions that support activities within the TVI's Guide to Teaching the ECC.


On My Way File Folder Cards
Print and use these cards to represent locations the student may visit that are related to the current thematic unit. Use these with the On My Way File Folder Game outlined in the TVI's Guide to Teaching the ECC p. 27.

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