CogLink is e-mail software designed for use by people with cognitive disabilities. It comes with “automated” training and unlimited access to help-desk staff. At the time of this writing, there is a one-time cost of $49; there are no continuing subscription fees.
CogLink was designed based in part upon a longitudinal study using participants with cognitive disabilities. A separate Web site, Think and Link, details the related research. It was conducted by The University of Oregon and was sponsored by The National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research.
I look forward to reviewing the “automated” training, especially the video-based tutorials. There is one about how to use a mouse, one on how to use a keyboard (not touch-typing) and one on how to use the CogLink e-mail software. They were developed using instructional techniques of task analysis, errorless learning, chaining and practice repetition. Perhaps I will be able to use these videos as models or as reference points when developing the video tutorials for the future Clear Helper Web site.
I have just purchased CogLink for evaluation. A subsequent, related posting will follow. No endorsement is intended or implied for CogLink.
Note: The Email Standards Project may be of interest to readers. It “… works with email client developers and the design community to improve web standards support and accessibility in email.” At the time of this writing, its Web site contains reviews of over a dozen e-mail clients.