EarthWalk’s labs are benefiting students with disabilities and learning difficulties, providing them with equal access to Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). In the United Kingdom, the University of Bath launched an Assistive Technologies Initiative pilot program for nearly 400 enrolled students with disabilities or learning difficulties such as dyslexia.

This pilot initiative employs EarthWalk’s SmartCart™ mobile labs, which provide a platform for a stimulating and effective learning environment for the students. Included with the rugged eBuddy™ semi-rugged laptops is a range of software that converts spoken words into written text, assisting students with manual dexterity difficulties to produce written work.

Students with visual impairments use software that 'reads' text on a screen or in a book and recites it back to the user through headphones. Because of EarthWalk’s unique solution with recharging battery bays, the students can use the laptops continually throughout the school day, with no down time due to recharging batteries.

The equipment that was purchased from EarthWalk includes a pool of 64 eBuddy semi-rugged laptops and three SmartCart32™ mobile labs, complete with BatteryBay™ charging drawers. This EarthWalk mobile learning environment allows staff managing the loan system to replace and charge the batteries, and restore settings before the laptops are loaned out during the next time frame. Once the students borrow the laptops, they use the computers wherever they wish on campus. They can check e-mail and surf the Internet using the University of Baths wireless network, or log into the central computer system through one of the many available data access points. Students can also store personal settins, such as voice recognition patterns on USB memory drives, (meaning they can transfer their personal settings between laptops every time they borrow them).