15th July 2005 FLOSSIE Conference

Open Source Assistive Technology Software

OATS

Simon Judge & Steve Lee

15th July 2005 FLOSSIE Conference

Today’s OATS

• About the OATS Project• FLOSS software and the OATS project• Assistive Technology• Why OATS?• What will the OATS project deliver?• Some examples

15th July 2005 FLOSSIE Conference

OATS::Project Details

• Who are we?– Consortium

– Volunteers

• Project History

ACT

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OATS::Project Concepts• FLOSS - Open Source Software

– FORGE• New OATS (developing FLOSS)

– Repository• Wild OATS (existing FLOSS)

• Assistive Technology– Special Needs (AAC, EC, SEN etc)– Computer access– General good Human Computer Interaction

(HCI)

• Users!!!!!!

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OATS::FLOSS

• Hackers scratching a personal ‘itch‘• Cool generic technology• Can be removed from users and design• Users often need to be technical• Recreate existing tools, not new needs• Fragmented into many projects

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OATS::FLOSS

• Many projects like OpenOffice and Firefox now meet users needs with excellent features and support

• Ideal for innovation and customising to individual needs

• Community and user participation• Rapid development and prototyping • Did anyone mention low cost?

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OATS::FLOSS & Users

• Good design and Innovation • Transparency • Reliability • Individual solutions to sometimes complex

needs (even with universal design) • Low Cost• All software not just AT • Ask for what they want and get involved

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OATS::FLOSS & Developers

• Enable developers to 'scratch another's itch’

• Could soon be their itch too • Easily available and usable to more

users

• Innovate and share innovations.

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OATS::Assistive Technology

• AT software market is growing• However it is ‘specialised’• Small Market• Innovation limited• Box fitting – not enough tools• Lots of interested individuals across

sectors

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OATS::Benefits

• Open Source offers an alternative model for developing AT software

• Well suited to encourage:– Strong collaboration with users– Innovation– Customisation

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OATS::Benefits

• An AT focus for all FLOSS development• Individual projects and shared• Interested parties contributing together • Many skills solving user requirements• Focussed, flexible and custom solutions• More users with transparent access• Transport AT to new horizons

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OATS::Outcomes

• Website!– ‘All’ Open Source AT software in ONE place– Easy to use searching and browsing for

software– Links between developers and users

(forums)– Technology transfer from research– Full range of development tools in Forge

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OATS::Outcomes

• Software!– Home grown OATS and existing OATS– Resources (e.g. Meldreth Manor?)

• Standards– Usability– Installers– Structure of software– Data transfer– Resources

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OATS::Example->Dasher

• Innovative On Screen Keyboard• ‘Emerged’ from research into other

topics• Development team of PostDoc students• Variants on a theme being developed…• http://www.inference.phy.cam.ac.uk/dasher/

DEMO

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OATS::Example->AutoHotKey

• Existing OATS… • Designed for automating tasks• Allows you to remap the keyboard, run

a sequence of events– Alternative Mouse Keys– Customisable & Free ABC keyboard!– Customisable & Free Joystick to Mouse– Link with SHOOT for free voice commands– Lots of potential for new resources

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Sound Check

Source: http://yngwie.org/gallery/Japan%202001/7-14-soundcheck.jpg

Counting by PowerTalk http://fullmeasure.co.uk

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OATS::Example::PowerTalk

•Lucky moment when ‘scratch’ met ‘itch’.•Code simplified with FLOSS tools.•Significant effort on non-code extras.•Requirements and solution guessed.•Popular but needs community input.•Unexpected educational uses.•OATS Project will help PowerTalk grow.http://fullmeasure.co.uk

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OATS::Summary

• OATS – providing a new model for software development in the AT field

• Encouraging innovation• Allowing users to be heard• Single place to go for OATS software

and resources

(one more example of free resources that could be OATS… PLAY)