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When the iPad debuted two years ago, there was lots of talk about whether people beyond the iPhone and Mac faithful would use such a thing.

But it became very clear to a particular group of people - advocates for those with autism spectrum disorders - that the device could be a new tool for communication and education in that community, something perhaps even Apple didn't foresee. Some autism-related apps aid conversation between parents and children, while others help with learning words or social skills.

Plenty has been written about the new iPhone 4S, with its voice-controlled virtual assistant Siri, and about iOS 5, its software.But in writing a book about both, I stumbled across an amazingly thoughtful feature that I haven’t seen a word about: something called AssistiveTouch.

The advocacy organisation Autism Speaks estimates there are hundreds of apps built for use on iOS devices, specifically for autism. A search of the Apple iTunes store brought more than 580 autism-related apps, while an Android Market search for autism apps yielded about 250 results. "The more we dig, the bigger the rabbit hole is and we're starting to think tech is a really big key for how we can develop therapies quickly," said Marc Sirkin, vice president of social marketing and online fundraising for Autism Speaks. However, the organisation is cautious about the iPad's popularity. Its quick ascent means no one has actually studied which apps are of therapeutic benefit. Sure, Sirkin said, parents may hear anecdotal stories of apps completely changing a child's life, but there is no measurable proof yet that the apps really work. "The challenge with iOS apps is a lot are developed by well meaning parents but under no guidance with autism experts," Sirkin said. "For us, it brings in questions as an evidenced-based organisation and we're starting to ask: Does any of this actually make any difference... the danger is that the iPad becomes a really expensive toy." But some parents are OK without the proof just yet. Eric Tanner, the father of an 8-year-old with autism, said what the iPad really offers is accessibility and hope that a better life is possible for his child.

Braille Institute is proud to introduce ViA (Visually Impaired Apps), a fully accessible app for iPod Touch, iPhone, and iPad.  ViA has been designed to help identify apps that are useful for adults and children who are blind or have low vision, including those with additional disabilities.  Users can easily sort through the 500,000+ apps in the App Store and locate those that were built specifically for, or provide functionality to, the user with a visual impairment.

Library of Congress Braille and Talking-Book Program Releases Book Download App through Apple People who are blind, visually impaired or have a physical disability may now download audio and braille books to their iPhone, iPad or iPod touch, if they are registered with the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS) in the Library of Congress.

Accessibility — also referred to as inclusivity — is all about making the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad work for as wide a range of people as possible. That can include the very young, the very old, people brand new to computers and mobile devices, and also people with disabilities and special needs. With iOS, Apple has added features to specifically help those with visual impairments, including blindness, color blindness, and low vision, with auditory impairments including deafness in one or both ears, physical or motor skill impairments, including limited coordination or range of motion, and learning challenges, including autism and dyslexia. It also includes general features, like Siri and FaceTime which can provide significant value for the blind or the deaf. Many of these features can be found in Settings, all of them can be found on the iPhone and iPad.

New! AutismCares iPad 2 Grant Applications Open! Autism Speaks is thrilled to announce that through the generosity of Sevenly, Wyndham Worldwide, the Geier Foundation, the James Walter Pickle Charitable Foundation, the Agarwal Foundation and Jonathan Izak, 800 schools and financially disadvantaged individuals with autism will receive an Apple iPad 2 with a Kraken A.M.S. case, by Trident Case! iPads will be awarded to financially disadvantaged individuals with autism who are unable to afford an iPad. Applicants must be diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and must reside in the United States.

Steve Jobs also delivered a trademark "one more thing" at this year's WWDC. This time out, it was a new telephony product called FaceTime. There have already been various attempts at this, including the HTC Evo's front-facing camera and third-party video conferencing aps, but FaceTime presents the most user-friendly application of the technology. There is no set up, and it is fully integrated into the OS, making it extremely simple to use.

I want to highlight something that was touched upon in the FaceTime video shown at the WWDC. Not much been written about it, but the example shown had a powerful message to a specific community. I grew up in a home with a blind grandmother. The telephone was one of the bright spots in her life. She could not see, but she could speak and hear things like Books for the Blind, which in those days were delivered on vinyl records. She also spoke to family and friends on the phone. Those conversations were very important to her.

However, for the deaf community, the telephone has no meaning. They can't just pick up the phone and talk to friends and family. Only recently has the cell phone become an important communication tool for them—texting has been a godsend. Face-to-face, they use sign language and facial expressions to communicate. The Apple video demonstrated showed a deaf couple signing to each other from separate locations.

AT Network Training: AT Consideration for School-Aged Children   January 20, 2011: 10:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m.    Click here to join webinar: http://tinyurl.com/atforum7   AT Consideration for School-Aged Children -  Where Do I Start...What Can I Do?   Learn about the laws, requirements and best practices for considering assistive technology for students with disabilities. Training presented by staff from Parents Helping Parents (PHP).   AT Network Brown Bag: Parent's Perspective on AAC Apps   January 26, 2011 10:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m.   Click here to join webinar:  http://tinyurl.com/parentaac     Augmentative and Alternative Communcation apps are abound for use with Apple devices and other smart phones. From a parent's perspective, Shane Nurnberg of the Autism Epicenter will discuss some of these apps, their pros & cons, limitations, etc.   Please email your RSVP, accommodation requests, and questions to: LaCandice@cfilc.org. Thank you for your participation with the AT Network!

The goal of iAdvocate is to share and develop specific strategies with parents for working collaboratively with a school team to improve their children’s education. iAdvocate uses problem-based learning strategies, simulations, and provides contextual access resources to build parental advocacy skills and knowledge. iAdvocate provides parents with both information and most importantly, strategies in regards to their educational rights and getting their child’s needs met. The goal of iAdvocate is to share and develop specific strategies with parents for working collaboratively with a school team to improve their children’s education and to provide the most inclusive and meaningful educational environment for students with disabilities.

One of the best things about Bookshare is that you can take it anywhere you want.  Whether you go on vacation, hang out at a local park, or curl up on a comfy chair at home, you can enjoy Bookshare books wherever you want. This summer, don’t just have fun reading with Bookshare, enter the summer contest and you might win some totally awesome prizes, like an Apple iPad 2! Click here to read the full article

When I heard that Steve Jobs had passed away, I was boarding a train from New York to Philadelphia to visit my son. A friend phoned and then text-messaged me the news before I could read it on Twitter. It felt, I said later, as if someone had torn the hair out of my head. When I did tweet, the first semi-coherent thought I was able to write about Jobs was also about my son: I’m on my way to PHL to see my son, who uses a device Steve Jobs invented to help him talk. He will never know. He will never know.

This post is part Seven of the Special Needs iPad & App Series. Almost from the day the iPad was launched there was an immediate buzz about the special needs apps that were available in the iPad app store. Apple quickly realized that the iPad was perfectly suited to enhancing the lives of individuals with special needs and created a special education section of the app store. Websites and blogs sprung up dedicated to reviewing apps for Assistive Communication, Social Skills, Life Skills,Scheduling and more. The need for the iPad is an obvious one for children with special needs. But what if you can’t afford one for your child, what do you do?

As libraries evolve to meet the needs of their information-overloaded user base, the SirsiDynix development team actively expands its offerings for on-the-go library users. Among this development is the industry-leading SirsiDynix BookMyne™ iPhone application, bringing convenient, social-savvy library functionality into your users’ everyday activities. In addition to providing mobile access to in-demand library information, holdings and services, BookMyne 2.1 offers a myriad of patron-pleasing features including: Barcode scanning capability, so library users can scan the barcode of a book at a bookstore or friend’s home and retrieve availability information on the book at the patron’s library of choice; Social recommendation engine powered via Goodreads, enabling iPhone or iPod Touch users to search library holding for friend-recommended reads; New York Times best seller list cross-referencing, enabling users to immediately cross-check the best seller list with library holdings and place holds remotely; Enhanced account interaction, including the ability for library users to view fines and fees on their Apple mobile device.

To share the story of the emotional journey that his family has taken to come to terms with Sam’s autism, Todd Drezner has made a smart and deeply affecting documentary called Loving Lampposts, which is available today for purchase on DVD, on Netflix, and as a download on iTunes.

Just how bad a mother am I? I wondered, as I watched my 13-year-old son deep in conversation with Siri. Gus has autism, and Siri, Apple’s “intelligent personal assistant” on the iPhone, is currently his B.F.F. Obsessed with weather formations, Gus had spent the hour parsing the difference between isolated and scattered thunderstorms — an hour in which, thank God, I didn’t have to discuss them.