iPad: For Disabled, A Miracle

As millions of people discover Apple's new iPad and find new uses for it, experts say it may be the disabled who find IPads the most useful of all.

Said one expert, "Say you have somebody who's had a stroke, for example, and they wake up and they can't communicate. Instead of buying a 5,000-dollar communications aid you take out your iPad and download an app and -- bam! -- they can communicate," he told AFP.

Health and medical experts say anyone who is a stroke victim, is autistic or has cerebral palsy, and many others with a disability may find the iPad makes many parts of life much easier.

Said another expert who works with disabled people, "great platform -- small, inexpensive, a lot of power, a long battery, [and applications] offer the opportunity for just tremendous, unprecedented innovation. The really key part is that it's a development platform that allows people to be creative. That's where the power comes from."

iPad: For Disabled, A Miracle
yahoo

Most people view the iPad as a slick multi-media entertainment platform, but Gregg Vanderheiden, a university professor, sees other potential uses for Apple's new touchscreen device....The Trace Center helps people who are unable to speak and have disabilities to communicate and Vanderheiden is one of a number of researchers and others excited about the iPad as a relatively low-cost communications tool.

iPad: For Disabled, A Miracle