In Conclusion....

I have thoroughly enjoyed this course.  I had no idea there was so much AT available! It's unfortunate that budget cutbacks in this province will, without a doubt, prevent a lot of this AT from entering our schools.  However, something as relatively inexpensive as a IPhone of an IPod Touch would certainly go a long way. Once question I had throughout the course was:  What happens when a diverse learned decides that he/she wants to enter University of community college, but may not be able to without alot of AT (expensive) in place? And, what if they are unable to work during the summer month because of their impairment, how will they ever afford it?  Well, I did some digging and this is what I found...

There are two separate programs; a provincial program, and a national program.  Both offer a variety of supports, including:  note taking, tutoring, educational assistant services, test accommodations, alternate formatting services, and a wide variety of assistive technology. In addition, on each campus in Nova Scotia, there is a Disability Resource Facilitator to help with the entire process.

From the province if Nova Scotia, this is what is available...

Provincial Access Grant

To be considered for the Provincial Access Grant, you must submit a Nova Scotia Student Loan Pre-Study Report. This form is used to confirm your income during the pre-study period and to update your sources of income while you are in school. Until this form is processed, your Nova Scotia Student Loan, grants, and additional Canada Student Loan may not be issued.

Funding for the Provincial Access Grant is limited; therefore, you should submit your Nova Scotia Student Loan Pre-Study Report to the Nova Scotia Student Assistance Office as soon as possible.

You can access the Pre-Study Report here to file your Pre-Study Report electronically through the Nova Scotia Student Loan website.

For more information on the Nova Scotia Student Loan Pre-Study Report go to the Student Loans pre-study report information page or see the Nova Scotia Student Assistance website, www.studentloans.ednet.ns.ca, or call 424-8420 in Halifax, 1-800-565-8420 toll-free within Canada, or 424-2058 TTY

How do I apply?

By applying for a Canada/Nova Scotia Student Loan as a student with a permanent disability, you automatically apply for this grant. Be sure to complete and submit your Pre-Study Report as explained above

What will I get and when will I get it?

If you are eligible and funding is available, you will receive this grant in one of two ways.

• You could receive an additional cheque made payable to you if you have unmet financial need after receiving the maximum student loan and any other eligible grants. 
• You could receive notification that the eligible amount of this grant was paid directly toward your student loan, reducing your debt. This will happen if your financial need was met with other grants and student loans.

What is the maximum grant?

The maximum grant is $2,000 per year if you are attending university and $1,000 per year if you are attending college. (Note: Funding for this grant is limited.)

Do I have to pay back the grant?

No. This grant does not have to be repaid. However, the grant is considered taxable income, and a T4A form will be issued to you.

If you withdraw from courses or your program, this could affect your grant.

How will this grant affect my student loan?

This grant may be paid in addition to student loan money or may be used to pay down your loan. Therefore, it will not affect the amount of student assistance you are eligible to receive. Withdrawing from courses or your program could affect your grant.

And from the government of Canada, this is what you may be eligible for...

Canada Student Grant for Students with Permanent Disabilities

How do I apply?

When you apply for a Canada/Nova Scotia Student Loan as a student with a permanent disability, your eligibility for this grant is automatically assessed. If you are eligible for the Canada Student Grant for Students with Permanent Disabilities, your need for grant funding will be determined before your need for loan. Click here, for Canada/Nova Scotia Student Loan Information and how to apply.

What will I get and when will I get it?

For Example: if your assessed need is $10,000 the $2,000 Canada Student Grant for Students with Permanent Disabilities would be issued before your need for loan is determined.  If your assessed need is only $1, you will receive $2,000 Canada Student Grant for Students with Permanent Disabilities and no loan.  If you are studying more than 23 weeks, the grant will be issued in 2 equal disbursements.  The first disbursement will be issued at the start of your program and the second disbursement half way through your study period.  If you withdraw within the first thirty days of the program, the grant will be converted to loan.

What is the maximum grant?

The maximum grant is $2,000 per year.

Do I have to pay back the grant?

If you withdraw from your program within the first thirty (30) days of the program, the grant will be converted to loan. If you withdraw after the first thirty (30) days of your program or continue as a student in your program the grant will not need to be repaid.

Click here, to find out what you need to do if you withdraw from courses or your program as it could effect your grant.

How will this grant affect my student loan?

This grant is part of the money you will receive from student loans. For example, if your need is assessed at $10,000, the first $2,000 would be grant money and will not have to be repaid. Therefore, you would owe only $8,000 as a student loan. Withdrawing from courses or your program could affect your grant.

VoiceOver for IPhone

The same VoiceOver screen reader made popular on the Mac is now a standard feature on iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, and iPhone 3GS. It’s the world’s first gesture-based screen reader, enabling you to enjoy the fun and simplicity of iPhone even if you can’t see the screen.

What makes VoiceOver on iPhone truly remarkable is that you control it using simple gestures that let you physically interact with items on screen. It’s easy to learn and fun to use. Instead of memorizing hundreds of keyboard commands, or endlessly pressing tiny arrow keys to find what you’re looking for, with VoiceOver, you simply touch the screen to hear a description of the item under your finger, then gesture with a double-tap, drag, or flick to control the phone.

VoiceOver delivers an experience unlike any screen reader you’ve ever used before. Traditional screen readers describe individual elements on the screen, but struggle to communicate where each element is located or provide information about adjoining objects. This contextual information is very important but typically filtered out by other screen readers. For example, “off-screen” models used by traditional screen readers to represent applications and web pages intentionally strip away contextual information and describe web pages as a list or menu of items. But with VoiceOver on iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, and iPhone 3GS, you’ll experience something entirely new.

Because VoiceOver works with the iPhone touchscreen, you interact directly with objects on the screen and can naturally understand their location and context. So, when you touch the upper-left corner of the screen, you’ll hear what’s in the upper left corner of a web page, and as you drag your finger around the screen, you’ll learn what’s nearby, providing an amazing new sense of context and relationship between the items you hear. For many, VoiceOver on iPhone will provide, perhaps for the first time, a true sense of how things appear on screen, not just descriptions of what they are.

You’ll hear descriptions of every item on the screen, including status information such as battery level, Wi-Fi and cellular network signal levels, the cellular network provider, and time of day. It even lets you know when the display changes to landscape or portrait orientation, and when the screen is locked or unlocked.

The speaking rate is adjustable so you can set it to a speed that best suits your listening ability. VoiceOver uses distinctive sound effects to alert you when an application opens, when the screen is updated, when a message dialog appears, and more. And, when Voiceover is talking, the volume of background sounds and music is automatically lowered, “ducking” under the voice, so you can clearly hear what VoiceOver is telling you.