I’m writing today about a bundle of powerful free applications that facilitate and enhance access in multiple ways.  This one’s an extra special set of resources that should be available everywhere.  Please help spread the word.

AccessApps is a suite of 41 free applications that can be downloaded and then run  directly from a USB memory stick on any Windows computer.  This means that anyone who needs these programs can use them anywhere–in the classroom, at home, at work, or wherever.

The list of applications is extensive, and it includes Open Office for word processing, programs that provide reading and writing support, visual support applications, accessible browsers, multimedia tools, and much more.  I’m not yet familiar with all the programs, but the ones I do know are of high quality.  I look forward to exploring the applications that are new to me.

Three download options are available–the entire suite of 41 applications (739 Mb), a ‘Lite’ selection of 20 (64 Mb), or ‘Pick n Mix’ where you choose exactly what you want.  I downloaded the ‘Works’, and that took a little over 2 hours.  It then took considerable time to extract all the files from the downloaded zip file and then copy them to my memory stick.  Once installed on the memory stick, everything functions flawlessly.

AccessApps has been developed, and is now distributed, by RSC (Regional Support Centre Scotland North & East)  They have also very helpfully made available tutorial videos that walk you through the process of downloading the applications and installing them on a USB flash memory stick.  Extensive text documentation is available in several formats–from the website, and on the memory stick itself.

The entire suite requires at least a 2 Gb memory stick, but a 4 or 8 Gb stick would be better because it would allow for storage of a significant collection of personal files along with the programs. Here’s what the user interface, or the memory stick’s ‘Start Menu’, looks like.