Page 307 - Handbook of Electronic Assistive Technology

296 HANDBOOK OF ELECTRONIC ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY

is not an integration system, but by providing more options for computer access this tech-
nology opens up to more people the ability to control the range of functions that a com-
puter can provide.
Tablet Technology for Assistive Technology

Another development was the acclaimed ‘paradigm shift’ of smartphones and mobile
computing (McNaughton and Light, 2013). While not directly adding to the ability of indi-
viduals to integrate, this rapid improvement in computing devices that were designed to
be used away from a desk had obvious advantages for AT and the ability of individuals to
control multiple functions in multiple environments.
The journey of these devices as an AT and integration tool has been complex. The fun-
damental design of the operating systems, the expansion of the number of operating sys-
tems in popular use and the ‘democratisation’ of the software delivery method through
app stores have had, and continue to have, both advantages and disadvantages.
The iPod, one of the first of the new generation of mobile computing devices, was
launched with an operating system designed entirely around the concept of touch con-
trol and minimal physical buttons. Initial releases of the device took little or no consid-
eration of accessibility or individuals with alternative access needs. Apple addressed this
in 2009 with the release of VoiceOver, essentially the first accessibility framework for iOS.
From this point Apple has adopted a markedly different direction of travel in incorporat-
ing accessibility functions into its operating system, which will be discussed later in this
chapter.
The introduction of the iPad created a significant new market for AAC and other AT
apps, while also providing additional integration challenges as the initial operating system
did not allow for mouse-like devices (e.g., eye gaze) and other accessibility features.
Android systems, with their less restrictive approach to app development and approval
and open source operating system, also created a range of challenges. Android allowed for
the development of apps and hardware with more integration potential. Examples of this
4
3
are the Click2Phone and Tecla. Android also supported existing mouse-based devices to
control them. However, the sporadic nature of the development of the Android operating
system did not allow for a consistent accessibility framework to emerge and so users may
find some apps totally inaccessible.
As these operating systems have matured so has their attitude to integration and acces-
sibility and they provide potential to move accessibility and integration toward a new inte-
gration paradigm – that of the mobile device as the personal controller. A prime example
of this is Apple’s move to ‘bake in’ physical access settings for switches, and more impor-
tantly the quiet launch ‘platform switching’ – which allows a user to swap their control
method between Apple devices independently. This vision is similar to the work carried

3 http://housemate.ie/.
4 https://gettecla.com/.