*** 9710548 Woltosz This Small Business Innovation Research Phase II project from Simulations Plus (parent company of Words Plus) addresses the need for students with a variety of disabilities to be able to conduct laboratory experiments in the physical sciences. The project builds on work carried out during the Phase I effort, as well as on work supported by Words Plus after the completion of Phase I, to develop efficient computer simulations of laboratory experiments that can be run by severely physically disabled students with minimal motor input. The ability to experience firsthand the results of simulated experiments and to control the setup and operation of those experiments will enable students to assume the role of active participants as opposed to being limited to their current role as spectators. This new opportunity should motivate more such students to take a lively interest in the sciences. Being a scientist can be an ideal occupation for those whose brains function well, but whose bodies prevent them from participating in activities requiring more physical proficiency. Professor Stephen Hawking, world famous theoretical physicist of the University of Cambridge in England (a Words Plus user since 1985), is a clear example of a severely physically-disabled person who is making major contributions to science through a single switch interface. Software that can be run by the physically-disabled can also be run by able-bodied students. Whereas the ability of many disabled students to participate actively in the sciences would seem to require the use of simulation software, the use of such software in the education of all students is also projected to be of growing importance. It will enable all students to augment their experiences via personal computer, providing expanded learning opportunities by allowing simulations of situations that are infeasible to present to students because of cost, safety, or other complexities in a traditional laboratory environment. ***
