Kate Morrison

Kate Morrison

  • Age: 6
  • Media use at home – Type: Tablet
  • Media use at home – Frequency: ★★★
  • Current use assistive technology: Tablet, Grid 3, Big Mack switch
  • Diagnose: Polymicrogyria

Kate is a happy child born with a rare cerebral malformation called Polymicrogyria. This rare disease affects severely her motor and cognitive skills. Altough she can’t sit or stand on her own, she loves to play with her friends at school. In home, she loves watching cartoons on the tablet. Kate is starting to learn using the tablet to communicate.

Capacities to support

Kate as an intellectual delay. She understands simple instructions and words. Complex sentences or tasks are difficult for her.

Advice for Assistive Technology: 

Kate can’t speak or read. Despite not being able to read, she can identify images and communicate through them.

Advice for Assistive Technology:

Big Mack switch

Description The BIGmack is a simple communicator that has lots of uses! Record up to a 2 minute message and press the large activation surface for playback. (source: https://www.ablenetinc.com/bigmack/) Manuals – online support Where to find & pricing https://www.ablenetinc.com/bigmack/ Indicative price: $ 135.00 Instruction/information video

Grid 3

Description Grid 3 is a complete communication solution that enables people to have a voice, control their environment and live more independent lives. It’s designed for anyone with complex communication or access needs and includes a wide range of resources that you can control with touch, switch, eye gaze and pointing devices. You’ll find grid […]

Tobii Dynavox Communicator 5

Description The Tobii Dynavox Communicator 5 is communication software that converts text and sybols into clear speech and offers computer and phone access, plus control of the home environment. It offers flexible communication for people with a wide range of language disabilities and can be used with multiple access methods including eye gaze and touch. […]

Type to Siri

Description Type to Siri is a function designed for those who are unable to speak, but it can be enabled by anyone who would like to try typing to Siri instead of speaking to Siri. (source: https://www.macrumors.com/how-to/type-to-siri-ios/) Manuals – online support Where to find & pricing iPhone, iPad and iPod: Settings > General > Accessibility […]

Tobii Dynavox ALL

Description The Accessible Literacy Learning (ALL) Reading Program is designed to teach basic reading skills to non-verbal students and is accessible through touch, eyegaze, and scanning.The ALL Reading Program teaches the six foundational skills of reading: 1) Sound-Blending: build words by blending their component sounds2) Phoneme Segmentation: break words down into individual sounds3) Letter-Sound Correspondence: […]

Kate can’t speak or read. Despite not being able to read, she can identify images and communicate through them.

Advice for Assistive Technology:

Due to her cerebral malformation, kate has a lot of difficulties to control her head and limbs. Her movements are incoordinated, and it is very difficult for her to regulate the direction of movement and hit the right shortcut or image of a touchscreen, by herself.

Advice for Assistive Technology: 

Due to her cerebral malformation, kate has a lot of difficulties to control her head and limbs. Her movements are incoordinated, and it is very difficult for her to regulate the direction of movement and hit the right shortcut or image of a touchscreen, by herself.

Advice for Assistive Technology: 

Big Mack switch

Description The BIGmack is a simple communicator that has lots of uses! Record up to a 2 minute message and press the large activation surface for playback. (source: https://www.ablenetinc.com/bigmack/) Manuals – online support Where to find & pricing https://www.ablenetinc.com/bigmack/ Indicative price: $ 135.00 Instruction/information video

Permobil Compact Joystick Lite

Description The Compact Joystick Lite provides a light force, reduced throw option in a compact package making it ideal for chin control applications. It also includes ports for remote on/off and mode functions.Windows Speech Recognition makes using a keyboard and mouse optional. You can control your PC with your voice and dictate text instead.(source: www.permobil.com/en-au/products/accessories/drive-controls/permobil-compact-joystick-lite) […]

Eye control

Description The eye control function makes it possible to control the computer screen with eye gaze. This means, when you are reading, you can move from page to page using the pupils of your eyes. Manuals – online support Where to find & pricing Start Menu > Settings > Ease of Access > Eye control […]

Mini Joystick with Push

Description Four switches are activated by moving the joystick in four directions. The fifth is activated by pressing down on the joystick shaft. Two tips included: flexible rubber and hard plastic. Tactile and auditory feedback. (source: https://www.ablenetinc.com/mini-joystick-with-push/) Manuals – no manuals available Where to find & pricing https://www.ablenetinc.com/mini-joystick-with-push/ Indicative price: 355 dollar Instruction/information video – […]

Big Red

Description The Big Red switch provides a large 5-in/12.7-cm activation surface that activates with 5.5-oz/156-g of force. When activated, the user experiences tactile and auditory feedback. The Big Red switch is the best choice for individuals with visual impairments and/or physical disabilities that require a larger target area. Included are red, blue, yellow, and green […]

Kate’s fine motor skills are affected. It’s very difficult for her to open her hands and manipulate objects like a joystick or a mouse, due to her incoordination.

Advice for Assistive Technology: 

Chester mouse

Description A small computer mouse with no scroll wheel, about half the size of a standard mouse with one large green button that serves as the left-click. Helps young users or anyone just learning mouse skills understand what the left button does on a mouse without the fear of opening menus, etc. (source: https://www.ablenetinc.com/chester-mouse/) Manuals […]

Big Mack switch

Description The BIGmack is a simple communicator that has lots of uses! Record up to a 2 minute message and press the large activation surface for playback. (source: https://www.ablenetinc.com/bigmack/) Manuals – online support Where to find & pricing https://www.ablenetinc.com/bigmack/ Indicative price: $ 135.00 Instruction/information video

Eye control

Description The eye control function makes it possible to control the computer screen with eye gaze. This means, when you are reading, you can move from page to page using the pupils of your eyes. Manuals – online support Where to find & pricing Start Menu > Settings > Ease of Access > Eye control […]

Clevy keyboard

Description The Clevy Keyboard is an attractively designed keyboard, designed to help teach writing and keyboard skills to young children. Its design also makes the Clevy Keyboard very suitable for keyboard users with a wide array of special needs. (source: https://clevy.com/products/clevy-keyboard) Manuals – no manuals available Where to find & pricing https://clevy.com/store-locator Indicative price: 99,5 […]

Kate’s fine motor skills are affected. It’s very difficult for her to open her hands and manipulate objects like a joystick or a mouse, due to her incoordination.

Advice for Assistive Technology: 

Chester mouse

Description A small computer mouse with no scroll wheel, about half the size of a standard mouse with one large green button that serves as the left-click. Helps young users or anyone just learning mouse skills understand what the left button does on a mouse without the fear of opening menus, etc. (source: https://www.ablenetinc.com/chester-mouse/) Manuals […]

Big Mack switch

Description The BIGmack is a simple communicator that has lots of uses! Record up to a 2 minute message and press the large activation surface for playback. (source: https://www.ablenetinc.com/bigmack/) Manuals – online support Where to find & pricing https://www.ablenetinc.com/bigmack/ Indicative price: $ 135.00 Instruction/information video

Eye control

Description The eye control function makes it possible to control the computer screen with eye gaze. This means, when you are reading, you can move from page to page using the pupils of your eyes. Manuals – online support Where to find & pricing Start Menu > Settings > Ease of Access > Eye control […]

Big Red

Description The Big Red switch provides a large 5-in/12.7-cm activation surface that activates with 5.5-oz/156-g of force. When activated, the user experiences tactile and auditory feedback. The Big Red switch is the best choice for individuals with visual impairments and/or physical disabilities that require a larger target area. Included are red, blue, yellow, and green […]

Xbox Adapted Controller

Description The Xbox Adapted Controller is primarily designed to meet the needs of gamers with limited mobility. It is a unified hub for devices that helps make gaming more accessible. It can be perfectly used as a hub/switch to connect alternative buttons for general computer use. Almost any input signal from the computer can be […]

Libra 90 IONE

Description The iOne LIBRA 90 is an ergonomic trackball device. It has an 51mm opto-mechanical trackball, three standard mouse buttons for control, high reliable micro-switches, removable wrist pad and a ps/2 and USB-adapter. (source: http://shop.ione-europe.com/product_info.php?language=en&products_id=20) Manuals – no manuals available Where to find & pricing http://shop.ione-europe.com/product_info.php?products_id=20 Indicative price: 29,90 euro Instruction/information video – no videos […]

She gets frustrated easily when she can’t grab a toy or complete a task that she wishes for.

Advice for Assistive Technology: 

Simplify Start Menu

Description Turn notifications and messages from apps off. Manuals – online support Where to find & pricing Steps:1) Press and hold a tile.2) Select more > Turn live tile off. Free Instruction/information video

Animation/ background

Description Minimize visual distractions by turning off animations, background images, and more. (source: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/make-it-easier-to-focus-on-tasks-0d259fd9-e9d0-702c-c027-007f0e78eaf2#:~:text=Minimize%20visual%20distractions%20by%20turning,under%C3%82%20Simplify%20and%20personalize%20Windows) Manuals – online support Where to find & pricing Start Menu > Settings > Ease of Access > Display > Simplify and personalize Windows Free Instruction/information video

Display preferences

Description The Display pane of Accessibility Display is used to make items on the screen easier to see and read, and to reduce motion on the screen. Options Mac:1. Invert colors: change how content is displayed on your screen.2. Reduce motion: stop or reduce the movement of elements on the screen.3. Increase contrast: increase the […]

Focus assist

Description Focus assist allows you to avoid distracting notifications when you need to stay focused, and is set by default to activate automatically under certain conditions. (source: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/turn-focus-assist-on-or-off-in-windows-10-5492a638-b5a3-1ee0-0c4f-5ae044450e09) Manuals – online support Where to find & pricing Start Menu > Settings > System > Focus assist Free Instruction/information video