iPad and Disability
Reams of text have already been written about the ‘amazing’, ‘magical’ iPad but it something else to use it as a disabled person. Macs have always been reasonably disability friendly, having text-to-speech built in and unparalleled ease of use. However the iPad brings together hardware and software accessibility in new and exciting ways.

Many disabled people do not have the strength or endurance of their healthy counterparts. For my own part, I am now so weak that holding a book and turning the pages is beyond me. Even though a copy holder made it more possible, the clumsiness of manipulating the book made it a real effort. But this morning I finished a free electronic copy of “The Three Musketeers” on the iPad. The only effort required is to tap the screen. Although it is customary to use the fingers, a user in America whose finger tips turn inward says she uses a third party stylus to use the iPad. Either way, the iPad is a liberating device for people who cannot do ordinary everyday tasks because of physical disability.

Of course, the iPad is lighter than many books, especially the large print versions that I seem to need nowadays. While you cannot zoom in on the iBook pages, there are two text sizes and I found I could read the larger one without glasses. It is also lighter than the calendar we are issued with at college and here is my real reason for buying the iPad – the Calendar app. It took me a bit to learn how to use it – it was so simple that I overlooked obvious touch points while looking for obscure items like menus which previous software taught me to use. However, once you free your mind and take a few stabs at the screen, things move and you learn some of the simplicity itself that makes up the software.

Another great thing for disabled people is that once you have managed to purchase the iPad so much of the really fun stuff is free. The iBooks mentioned above, thousands of books ready to download. Games, utilities, lectures from iTunes University which cover the gamut of human expression and experience – all this freely available. Adobe has a lovely little free app that allows drawing in fine detail if required. There is no need to connect to another computer and downloading and installing apps is simplicity itself. It brings so much of the outside world, which can be difficult for a disabled person to navigate, right into their reach.

Disabled children are particularly advantaged with an iPad. Many must spend long hours in bed, where other amusements such as TV do not satisfy and games just take too much effort. The iPad allows complex games such as Sudoku ($2.49) to be played with a minimum of effort. Harbour Master is a free download but I find it takes too much energy. Removem 2 is fairly challenging but doesn’t take too much effort. For the very young, “The Cat in the Hat” ($3.99) is a delightful example of reading development possible with the iPad. I hope that there are many such apps created. There are parental locks available so as to make the iPad safe for small children to use. Alternatively, you could just switch off the wireless connection.

One of the criticisms of the iPad is that its screen is too bright to be an eReader. As soon as I purchased my iPad I also bought an anti-glare screen cover and a molded rubber case for it. I drop things and spill things and splash things so I took immediate precautions to protect the iPad from my life. (It’s been 10 days and I haven’t dropped it yet!). The iPad also has a brightness setting which I immediately scrolled down to the lowest setting. Having taken these precautions, the iPad’s brightness has not been a problem.

The initial cost of the iPad is high – mine was $759 plus $60 for the covers mentioned above. Also it is not very useful without an internet connection, because although many things are free, they must be downloaded. That said, it still is an amazing and magical tool for those of us who are limited in our ability to interact with the world.