*** 9531291 Lynds This Small Business Innovation Research Phase II project from WesTest Engineering Corporation will develop a standard method of providing computer access to persons with physical disabilities. In recent years the use of personal computers in education has increased dramatically. Because many persons with physical disabilities are not able to use a keyboard or a mouse, it is difficult to provide them with equal access to this education. A variety of devices have been developed which provide an alternate means of controlling computers, but their usefulness is seriously compromised by the lack of a standard method of providing computer control. Since 1991 when the Personal Computer Memory Card International Association introduced the PCMCIA bus, the technology has enjoyed widespread application, but it remains technically immature. To WesTest Engineering Corporation, the existence of the PCMCIA bus technology, which uses credit-card-sized interface devices, represents an opportunity to grapple with the challenging problems that must be solved in order to use the bus for an important new purpose: To standardize computer access for persons with disabilities and to allow individuals to choose one or more modes of access according to what best suits their needs. This project will develop software interfaces which will allow personal computers to be controlled through the PCMCIA bus. A family of interface devices will also be developed. Standard software drivers will be developed and documented in an open standard. These drivers will be provided to both the computer industry and manufacturers of assistive technology. This project will develop computer interface devices which are smaller, more portable, less expensive and provide greater functionality than any product currently available. These advantages over currently available devices will assure the economic viability of the products. Establishment of the proposed virtual software architecture for altern ate access specification will set the standards for this type of device and will enable the development of alternative input devices in general. ***
