On Fri, Nov 21, 2008 at 9:33 AM, Rafael Enrique Ortiz Guerrero <<a href="mailto:dirakx@gmail.com">dirakx@gmail.com</a>> wrote: <div class="gmail_quote"><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;"> Hello Lately in OLPC-Sur mail list there has been discussions about working with kids with hearing discapacities especially i like one  experience in Itagui Colombia: <a href="http://inclusion.semitagui.gov.co/index.php?title=Portada" target="_blank">http://inclusion.semitagui.gov.co/index.php?title=Portada</a> other professors in Uruguay are also interested in these matters But my doubt here it's about if are out there studies, thesis, or academic dissertations about how GUIs can  have an impact in child's or persons with disabilities not just censorial but also learning disorders. Are there specific studies related to Sugar? IIRC this was previously discussed so any links or pointers are welcomed My intention is to give this feedback to professors on Colombia and Uruguay.</blockquote> <div> David Wallace, who is a quadriplegic, points out the need to enable touch without skin and that disability access is a hardware design issue not just a software issue: <ul><li>need for an input pad that doesn't require using a finger, a dual touch pad that responds to both finger and stylus</li> <li>need for a track-point pointing device on the XO</li><li>need for a key-modifier program to hold the shift, alt, fn keys while hitting another key ('sticky-key' software that emulates two or more finger presses on a keyboard)</li><li>need for a push for accessibility guidelines or standards in hardware design</li><li>Voice recognition software thats good for dictation may not be great for software control, and vice versa</li> <li>plugging in a trackball to a laptop defeats the purpose of the compact, portable nature of a laptop</li><li>attempts have been made to develop "touch pencils" but they have not been successful</li></ul>Read these blogs by David Wallace for more detail: <a href="http://lifekludger.net/2007/06/10/lifekludger-with-the-olpc/">Lifekludger with the OLPC</a> <a href="http://lifekludger.net/2008/06/14/the-touch-barrier-accessibility-and-usability-issues-around-touch-technologies/"> The Touch Barrier</a> <a href="http://lifekludger.net/2008/11/16/revisiting-touch-on-the-olpc-xo-laptop-and-hardware-access-design/">Revisiting touch on the OLPC XO laptop and hardware access design</a> </div></div>