1.2.14+Identify+methods+that+can+be+used+to+improve+the+accessibility+of+systems

= **Sip and Puff** = The Sip/Puff solutions are ideal for people who have limited or no motor capability to operate switch activated devices, including computers, augmentative communication devices, adapted toys, environmental control systems and devices accessed or controlled by scanning. Sip/Puff technology is also popular for wheelchair navigation. For people affected with severe motor disabilities, manipulating a standard switch can be difficult, tiring and in some cases impossible. With Origin Instruments Sip/Puff offerings users can easily activate and have control over devices through a simple "sip" and/or "puff" into a mouth tube. 

=Voice Recognition= Voice Recognition software (speech-to-text) allows users to speak into a microphone and software on the computer translates the voice to text.

= = =Text-To-Speech=

Speech synthesis is the artificial production of human speech. A text-to-speech (TTS) system converts normal language text into speech; other systems render symbolic linguistic representations like phonetic transcriptions into speech.



= Keyboards = There are various different types of braille keyboards that the visually impaired use:
 * There are standard keyboards that have braille letters on the keys
 * But most commonly you get the chorded braille keyboard such as electronic braille note takers. These keyboards do not have a separate key for each letter. There is one key for each dot of a braille cell. To type one letter, all of the keys that correspond to the dots in that letter are pressed at the same time. The brailler or notetaker advances to the next letter after the keys are released. A spacebar is located below the main keys.


 * [[image:http://www.freedomscientific.com/fs_support/documentation/PAC_Mate_41/Documentation_CD_Folders_and_Files/User_Documentation/PACMate_Owners_Manual/BX400/PACmate-BX400.gif width="278" height="151"]] || [[image:http://www.a2i.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/brlcover.jpg width="271" height="159"]] ||

=Trackball=

A trackball is a pointing device consisting of a ball held by a socket containing sensors to detect a rotation of the ball about two axes—like an upside-down mouse with an exposed protruding ball. The user rolls the ball with the thumb, fingers, or the palm of the hand to move a pointer. Compared with a mouse, a trackball has no limits on effective travel; at times, a mouse can reach an edge of its working area while the operator still wishes to move the screen pointer farther. With a trackball, the operator just continues rolling, whereas a mouse would have to be lifted and re-positioned. The trackball buttons may be situated to that of a mouse or to a unique style that suits the user.

People with a mobility impairment use trackballs as an assistive technology input device. Access to an alternative pointing device has become even more important for them with the dominance of graphically-oriented operating systems. There are many alternative systems to be considered. The control surface of a trackball is easier to manipulate and the buttons can be activated without affecting the pointer position.