Assistive and Emerging Technology for Students with Sensory Disabilities

Andrew Cioffi/Kirsten BehlingPresented at PTI, June 2014

Introductions• Andrew Cioffi– Assistant Director, Disability Services– Adjunct, Neag School of Education,

UConn• Kirsten Behling– Director, Disability Services– Adjunct, Neag School of Education,

UConn

Overview• Day ONE– AT/ET for blindness and low vision

• Day TWO– AT/ET for deafness and hearing loss

• Day THREE– Current and coming access issues

Day TWO: Deafness and Hearing Loss

• Part ONE: Overview– Overview and definition of disability– Determining accommodations

• Part TWO: Technology– Hardware and software options– Mid-tech, low-tech, mobile options

• Part THREE: Accommodations– Examples of accommodations to supplement AT– Determining what is reasonable and implementation

• Part FOUR: Alternative Format Materials– Overview and Considerations of Alt Texts– Delivery and access

PART ONE - OVERVIEW

Things to consider for PART ONE

What is the difference between Deafness and Hearing Loss? How might access and accommodations vary?

What information should be gathered during the intake? Prior to the intake? How important is the documentation vs. the student’s first hand reports?

What types of assistive technology might be necessary in the classroom? Outside of the classroom?

Definition of Disability

Definition of disability

IDEA definitions of Deafness and Hearing Loss• Deafness: a hearing impairment that is so

severe that the child is impaired in processing linguistic information through hearing, with or without amplification.

• Hearing Loss: an impairment in hearing, whether permanent or fluctuating, that adversely affects a child’s educational performance.

Definition of disability

Types of Hearing Loss– Conductive: Source of hearing loss relates

to the structures that “conduct” sound– Sensorineural: Source of hearing loss

relates to the structures/functions that “transmit” sound

– Mixed: A combination of conductive and sensorineural

Diagram of Ear/Hearing Loss

http://www.entdr.com/hearing_loss.html

Key Considerations

Effects of hearing loss in the classroom

• Certain sounds seem too loud• Difficulty following conversations when two or

more people are talking• Difficulty hearing in noisy areas• Hard to tell high-pitched sounds (such as "s"

or "th") from one another• Problems hearing when there is background

noise• Voices that sound mumbled or slurred

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003044.htm

Academic Tasks• Portions of tests,

quizzes, exams, etc.

• Note taking• Participation• Group work• Videos• Demonstrations• Other multimedia

• Online/hybrid work that includes videos and other multimedia

• Experiential learning

• Career Education• Etc.

Areas Outside of the Classroom

• Perspective visits• Daily living• Housing, dining, recreation• Clubs and organizations• Extra-curricular activities• Hallmark events

Determining Appropriate Accommodations

How to determine what is appropriate?

• Documentation– Audiologist report (including

audiogram or audiometric report)–Medical evaluation–Neuropsychological evaluation– Psychoeducational evaluation– School report/accommodation history

• Demonstration

Determining Appropriate Accommodations

Intake– History and nature of disability– History of access and accommodation– Learned skills, coping strategies, and mitigating

factors– Current AT/AT service knowledge and usage; other

applicable tech– Identification of in-class and outside-the-classroom

needs– Identification of current resources– Accommodations and expectations (student and

family)– Transparency – Interactive process

Determining Appropriate Accommodations

• Determining what is reasonable– For both AT and AT services• Interactive process!• Who provides what?• Student makes request; DS provider

determines what is reasonable• Demonstrations, when appropriate• Plan for delivery and implementation

Interpreting an audiogram• http://www.babyhearing.org/hearin

gamplification/hearingloss/audiogram.asp

PART TWO - TECHNOLOGY

Things to consider for PART TWO

How does the technology differ from deafness to hearing loss?

How does the introduction of AT services impact service delivery? What might be reasonable timelines for service requests?

What additional training and resources may be necessary for the DS provider, student, faculty, other staff, etc?

AT Hardware examples

• Assistive Listening Devices (ALDs)– Personal amplification systems: OVERVIEW

• Hearing aids, BAHA• Cochlear implants • FM system • TV system• Infrared• Induction loop

– Classroom amplification systems• Other Large Area hearing devices (infrared, FM

included)

Hearing Aids

Hearing Aids

FM System

FM System, TV System

IR, Induction Loop

AT Hardware Examples• Alerting devices–Watch/clock– Baby monitor– Door bell/knocker– Emergency detectors– Phone (amplified ringer, etc)–Weather alert

Alarm Clock/Bed Shaker

AT Hardware Examples• Communication devices– TTY or TDD– Captioned phone –Web cam– Person to person (text messaging,

writing, proprietary devices

TTY, Caption Phone

AT Hardware Examples• Other– Smart pen– Smart board– Caption mic– iCommunicator

iCommunicator

AT Service Examples

• Interpreting– ASL– VRI

• Captioning– CART– C-Print

• Relay services

Video Remote Interpreting (VRI)

CART

Software Examples• Closed Captions/Open Captions• Computer/mobile alerts• Desktop/mobile accessibility

features• Communication software (Face to

Face, Skype, etc.)• Speech-to-Text

Mobile apps

• FaceTime• Skype• Purple

Communications• Calendar• BioAid• uHear• TooLoud?

• SoundAmp R• Fring• DeafNote• ASL Dictionary• CapTel• Subtitles• TapTap

PART THREE - ACCOMMODATIONS

Things to consider for PART THREE

How might the accommodations for deafness and hearing loss compare/differ? How might in-class accommodations compare/differ from outside-of-the-classroom accommodations?

How important is accommodation history for determining what is reasonable and delivery of services?

What additional steps need to be taken for implementation of AT with students who are deaf or hard of hearing? What type of timeline may be necessary?

Remember who we are working with

• Remember that two students may have similar or identical hearing profiles, but different access/accommodation needs. There can also be considerable variation in the functional hearing of an individual who is hard of hearing

• Access and accommodation needs– Academic – Note taking, participation,

multimedia, online/hybrid, group work, etc.– Non-academic – Daily living, campus life,

extra-curricular involvement

Examples of appropriate accommodations

• Use of Computer/AT in-class/labs/on exams

• Interpreter/Captioning service

• Note taker/Copies of class notes

• Use of audio recording device

• Preferential seating• Extended time on

coursework/exams

• Proctored exams (in some cases)

• Captioning/Descriptive audio

• Housing• Evacuation list• Priority registration

Determining what accommodations are reasonable for a specific student

• Student request• Intake process– Nature of disability– History of accommodation

• Determination of need• Interactive process– Defining what is reasonable– Managing preferences

• Follow up and check in process

Who Provides What• DS Provider: Access and Accommodation

– Auxiliary aids – AT and AT services/training– Access to “place of public accommodation”– Accessible course content– Etc.

• Student and/or Third Party: Daily living– Personal, transportation, and medical devices/aids– Services animals/training– Communication training (i.e. sign language)– Etc.

Methods for implementing appropriate accommodations

• Intake, evaluation• Accommodation history• Accommodation letters• Determine what tech/training the student

already has/uses• Determine appropriate tech/service• Determine who provides what • Software installs, hardware loan (agreement)• Training (Student, staff, faculty)• Scenario planning (faculty advocacy, AT usage

in class and/or on exams, etc.)

PART FOUR – Accessible Content

Things to consider for PART FOUR

What materials or media might need to be prepared and delivered in alternative formats?

What types of technology or service are

necessary to produce such ‘alt texts’?

What are some considerations and best practices for accessibility of course materials?

Definition of Alt Text• Alternative formats:– Alternate formats usable by people

with disabilities may include, but are not limited to, Braille, ASCII text, large print, recorded audio, and electronic formats that comply with this part.

» Webaim.org

Content to Consider• Multimedia e-Texts• Publisher provided online content with

videos• Faculty generated course casts• Movies, videos, animations, etc., with

sound• Music, other audio only sources• Language lab• Any other course related and/or

extracurricular materials

Formats of Alt TextsWhat is provided to the student• Multimedia files– Captioned videos– Captioned supplements to e-Texts– Transcriptions and/or descriptions of

multimedia content– Descriptions of audio only content

Materials Preparation• Insourcing vs. Outsourcing– Captioning costs– Resources (time, staff, infrastructure)– Turnaround time– Setting policy

Questions, Comments, Discussions

Photo URLS• Hearing Aids: http://hearingaidprices.info/brands-hearing-aids/ http

://funnyoldlife.wordpress.com/2010/02/11/deaf-not-old-and-boring/ http://hearingcareblog.com/2012/10/30/hearing-aids-as-a-fashion-statement/

• FM System: http://hearinginstitute.ca/2013/08/08/fm-systems-part-3/ http://www.comfortaudio.com/us/users/users/keep-up-better-now/

• TV System: http://hifiheaven.net/store/Sennheiser-Set-830-TV-Wireless-Stereo-TV-Assistive-Listening-System

• Induction Loop: http://www.ampetronic.com/How-do-loops-work• Alarm Clock: http://www.ampetronic.com/How-do-loops-work• TTY, Caption Call: http://www.start-american-sign-language.com/tty.html

http://www.apsu.edu/alumni/caption-call• iCommunicator: http://

www.nydailynews.com/news/money/company-software-helps-deaf-people-communicate-speaking-world-article-1.271545 http://assisttech.info/equipment/eq_voxrec_soft.htm

• VRI: http://www.deafservicesunlimited.com/index.php/video-remote-interpreting-vri http://ititranslates.com/blog/when-should-you-use-video-remote-interpreting

• CART: http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2012/06/fewer_court_stenographers_as_n.html