Sixteen years of fieldwork, R&D, and innovation in computer control interface design convince the authors that action is needed to help individuals with severe physical disabilities benefit from rapid advances in access technologies and to promote inclusion in the classroom. The MultiSCAN 2000 project will develop and fieldtest software designed to provide an interesting and engaging series of training activities to teach much needed scanning skills to students who require this mode of computer access to facilitate successful integration in the regular classroom. Following a comparative analysis of computer switch interface capabilities and software with built-in scanning requirements, the prototype MultiSCAN 2000 software will be reviewed by a national panel of experts in single-switch applications and demonstrated thoroughly in the field. Given evidence of scientific and technical feasibility in Phase I, a series of fully featured switch training software activities and a manual for teachers and students will be produced in Phase II emphasizing clear concise training strategies to assess students' level of functioning and promote single-switch skill development beyond cause-and-effect and simple scanning toward more powerful, abstract, multifunction access technologies.Summary of Anticipated Results and Implications:Fully developed in Phase II, the MultiSCAN 2000 software, manuals, training strategies, and teaching materials will be widely used by classroom teachers, early intervention specialists, rehabilitation professionals, speech/language pathologists, and physical and occupational therapists seeking to facilitate computer access and cognitive skill development of children and adults with congenital or acquired disabilities. These materials and methods will also benefit parents and children in homes with access to inexpensive computers and mass information utilities such as America-on-line. These products will be marketed nationally through an existing distributor network.
