Discover Screen
Reviewers: Debra Hultgren, E.O. Smith High School
Storrs, Connecticut
dhultgren@eosmith.org and
Jessica Dybdahl, graduate, E.O. Smith High School
Discover Screen from Don Johnston http:\\www.donjohnston.com
Available in Mac or Win CD ROM versions with single through 1000 user licenses;
Price $199.00 for a single user.
Evaluated on a PC in a school computer lab and on a dell latitude laptop.
System Requirements: Win 95 or higher with minimum 16MB RAM, Pentium processor
and 28 MB hard disk space or MAC minimum 7.5.3 or above, 8 MB RAM, and a 68030
processor with 6 MB hard disk space
Date Reviewed 7/15/01
Rating: A+
Discover Screen by Don Johnston has made the difference between total dependence on adults and complete computer independence for recent high school graduate Jessica Dybdahl. Jessica reviewed this software both as a student who needed a keyboard alternative and as a consultant on technology and the user with a disability. Jessica has a physical disability that restricts the use of her arms and hands. She was frustrated by having to dictate for others to type and by her own difficulties accessing a standard keyboard. She needed software and hardware that enabled her to work at an adapted size table from her wheel chair or on her tray. At home she needed to be able to work from her bed as well.
This talking on-screen keyboard allows the user access to most commonly used software through a vast menu of "on-screen" keyboards which can be activated with a mouse or mouse alternative. The program includes a choice of speech voices to match student's preferences and needs, a graphics library and also recorded sounds in male and female voices. Pull down menus allow for many customized features to match the physical as well as cognitive abilities of the user. Keyboards can be customized to control the number of keys to be used as well as the size of the individual keys. Keys can be color coded and symbols, pictures, letters or numbers can be used to meet the learning objective. Discover Screen also includes setups that when "attached" will automatically open for the user when an application is launched. This allows for easy access to internet web sites that require attachments like "Adobe Acrobat Reader" for example. The program can be adapted to a wide range of ages and ability levels.
In Jessica's case, after trying a variety of different input devices, a Joystick Plus from INFOGRIP provided her with the control she needed to have when working from both her wheel chair tray and her bed. Prior to finding Discover Screen, other assistive technology products either required the assistance of another adult to set up or adjust when problems occurred. Jessica is able to control all aspects of the program with easy to use preference menus. For example, she needed to control the repeat rate so she had time to move her cursor to the next key without triggering the same key twice. Additionally, Jessica color coded certain frequently used keys like the space bar and the return key and the vowels. With preferences entered, Jessica if virtually independent in using applications like Microsoft Word, Power Point, and Excel. She can independently access the Internet all through her joy stick and the interface of Discover Screen.
Jessica indicates that Discover Screen is generally dependable and highly consistent. However she comments, "I have experienced some difficulties whenever a new piece of software is installed on the computer. Some applications appear to corrupt some of the Discover Screen files and I have had to reinstall those files from the CD." Additionally, it appears that the MAC version of Discover Screen does allow for adjustments in the size of the keyboard on the computer monitor. Jessica has not been able to do this with the Windows version. "For me," Jessica further comments, "the speed at which I can produce written words could be increased with the addition of a word prediction component."
Despite the few minor problems, Discover Screen has proven to be a tool that will make it possible for Jessica to be the independent adult she needs to be regardless of her physical disability. She envisions being able to meet both academic and personal goals through the use of this well designed software along with her joystick and laptop combination. Jessica will be using Discover Screen for her academic work when she attends Eastern Connecticut State University this September