I've spent the last few weeks looking at various resources
on the internet with regard to physical disabilities, intending to present
the best ten. I was initially looking to only include those websites that
were geared towards physical disability and the arts, but when I realized
there were not enough informative, stimulating sites in this vein, I decided
to focus more on adaptive technology and educational resources. By the
way, you'll notice there are a few more than ten sites reviewed on this
page. I included what I felt to be the best the internet has to offer so
far.
The websites mentioned on this page are some of the
most inclusive, informative and interesting sites I have yet to discover.
Many sites will include a list of links. Often the same links will be mentioned
at various other locations. If a site is mentioned fairly regularly, it
usually is worth the effort to take a look at the page. It just may turn
out to be the exact type of information you are looking for! Please feel
free to contact me .
The first two sites, SERI,
Special Education Resources on the Internet, and Pitsco's
Launch to Special Education Resources are wonderful resources for anyone
who needs to find information on Special Education, Disabilities and Adaptive
Technology. They provide gopher and search information as well as list
numerous websites where one can begin to become more educated on the special
education subject of choice.
Of course, you really can't have a list without contributing
to the pc war of the 21st Century so I have included both Apple
and IBM's resources.
I tend to favor the Apple site, probably because I am a proud Mac user,
but I find their site to have more of a 'community' feel to it. I like
the idea of a children's
area but I do not like the title of the page (Convomania: The Hangout
for Sick and Disabled Kids) so I emailed the webmaster. I said perhaps
a better title would be 'Convomania: The Hangout For Kids Who Are Sick
or Disabled'. It still is a GREAT area for children and their families.
Speaking of families, Family
Village is another wonderful community based website.They refer to
themselves as 'A global community of disability-related resources'. Although
mental retardation was the sites' initial focus, it has grown to encompass
all disabilities. This site is a true virtual community. Take a look!
The next four websites are more clearly geared towards
Adaptive Technology, an area that I am finding myself becoming more intrigued
with on a daily basis! Assistive
Technology On-Line Home Page, and Adaptive
Computing Software Project are two excellent resources for Adaptive
Technology information. I really like the way that the latter page is divided
by categorized disabilities and provides a search format and information
for a browser with magnification functions. EASI,
Eaqual Access to Software and Information is also a good site for teachers
as it includes K-12 resources. I also like the fact that it includes information
on creating accessible websites.
I found myself looking at sites from the point of
view of a person with various disabilities. When I began putting this page
together, I was very conscious of colors, text and font size. I wanted
the information to be easy to access and readable. I've included The Assistive Technology Educational
Network of Florida's website quite simply because it is an excellent
site in all aspects and should be a model website for all other states.
One area that I'd definitely like to see improve in
its on-line presence would be The Arts in Special Education. I'm amazed
at the lack of information out there. I guess if I'm not adding my own
information I shouldn't complain. I'll throw in these three sites but just
for posterity!
Seriously, they are good sites. I, being an art teacher,
want to see GREAT sites!!
The last website in my review is called The Mining
Company, which is a rather large site that serves many varied interests
on the internet. Their Special
Education site is an imformative area for teachers and prospective
teachers. For the ambitious student/teacher, The Mining Company is looking
for someone to be an internet guide for their special education area. Click
here for more information.
I hope this review on internet resources for people
with physical disabilities and Adaptive Technology has been an enjoyable
experience. See you on the net:-)
Since you're already here, why not look at my home page
I believe all the typos are gone now, Barbara!!:-)
