ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY

Misti Hatcher Gentle

ED505

November 1, 2014

ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY (AT) IS ANY TOOL THAT HELPS STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES DO THINGS MORE QUICKLY, EASILY OR INDEPENDENTLY. IT CAN BE ELABORATE AND EXPENSIVE OR SIMPLE AND LOW-COST. ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY SERVICES ARE SUPPORTS FOR USING ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY DEVICES, SUCH AS ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY EVALUATIONS, EQUIPMENT MAINTENANCE, TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, DEMONSTRATION OR TRAINING.

ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY CAN PROVIDE ACCOMMODATIONS, MODIFICATIONS OR ADAPTATIONS MADE TO THE ENVIRONMENT, CURRICULUM, INSTRUCTION, OR ASSESSMENT PRACTICES. AS INCLUSIVE SCHOOLS BECOME THE NORM, CREATIVE CURRICULUM DESIGN MAY DEPEND ON ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY.

A STUDENT WITH POOR VISION MIGHT USE ENLARGED TEXT. A STUDENT WITH MOTOR DIFFICULTIES MIGHT USE AN ENLARGED, SIMPLIFIED COMPUTER KEYBOARD. A NON-VERBAL STUDENT CAN BE THE “CALLER” FOR A GAME OF “RED LIGHT/GREEN LIGHT” BY USING A TALKING SWITCH. A STUDENT WHO CAN COMPREHEND HISTORY AT THE 6TH GRADE LEVEL, BUT CAN READ ONLY AT THE 3RD GRADE LEVEL, MIGHT READ A TEXTBOOK WITH THE HELP OF A COMPUTER THAT SCANS AND READS TEXT. THE FLEXIBILITY OF ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY ALLOWS A TEACHER TO BUILD TOOLS AND MATERIALS THAT ADDRESS STUDENTS’ STRENGTHS AS WELL AS THEIR WEAKNESSES.

FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES THAT INTERFERE WITH THEIR COMMUNICATION, LEARNING, SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS OR ACTIVE PARTICIPATION, ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY SUPPORTS THEIR PARTICIPATION IN LEARNING EXPERIENCES IN THE LEAST RESTRICTIVE ENVIRONMENT. ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY CAN BE THE LIFELINE THAT INCREASES A STUDENT’S OPPORTUNITIES FOR EDUCATION, SOCIAL INTERACTIONS, AND MEANINGFUL EMPLOYMENT.

LAWS REGARDING ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY

LawsThe Federal government recognizes the potential of assistive technology for students in the 1997 reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which mandates that assistive technology devices and services be considered for each child with a disability.

LAWSThe 1997 amendments reflect a shift in focus about the use of assistive technology. Rather than being perceived as just a rehabilitative or remedial tool, assistive technology is reflected in the student’s Individual Education Plan (IEP) as a method for general curriculum access.

LAWSThe IEP must include information about a student's current abilities and how his or her disability affects involvement and progress in the general curriculum. The IEP must also include the program modifications and supports the school and teachers will provide to help a student’s involvement and progress in the general curriculum.

LAWS REGARDING ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY

LAWSThe Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act require schools to provide assistive technology for students with disabilities, if it is needed to assure equal access or remove barriers to programs and services.

HEARING IMPAIREDHearing assistive technology systems (HATS) are devices that can help you function better in your day-to-day communication situations. HATS can be used with or without hearing aids or cochlear implants to make hearing easier—and thereby reduce stress and fatigue. Hearing aids + HATS = better listening and better communication!

VISION IMPAIRED• Assistive technology programs that run on off-

the-shelf computers can speak the text on the screen or magnify the text in a word processor, web browser, e-mail program or other application

• Stand-alone products designed specifically for people who are blind or visually impaired, including personal digital assistants (PDAs) and electronic book players provide portable access to books, phone numbers, appointment calendars, and more.

• Optical character recognition systems scan printed material and speak the text. Braille embossers turn text files into hard-copy braille.

LEARNING DISABLED

SPEECH SYNTHESIZERS, TOGETHER WITH SCREEN REVIEW SOFTWARE,ENABLE THE USER TO HEAR TEXT ON A COMPUTER SCREEN SPOKEN ALOUD.WORDS ARE SPOKEN IN A COMPUTERIZED OR “SYNTHETIC” VOICETHROUGH A SOUND CARD INSTALLED EITHER INSIDE OR OUTSIDE THECOMPUTER.

COMPUTERS WITH PRINT-RECOGNITION SOFTWARE THAT "READ" TEXT ALOUD,SPEECH RECOGNITION SYSTEMS THAT TURN ORAL LANGUAGE INTO WRITTEN TEXT,TALKING CALCULATORS THAT ASSIST PEOPLE WITH MATH DIFFICULTIES, ANDSOFTWARE THAT PREDICTS AND EDITS WORDS FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE PRONE TO SPELLING DIFFICULTIES

Tools for people with learning disabilities can be as simple as highlighters, color coding files or drawers, books on tape, tape recorders, calculators or a different paper color or background color on a computer screen. Complex or high-tech, assistive technology devices include:

“

”

MAN IS STILL THE MOST EXTRAORDINARY COMPUTER

OF ALL.

-JOHN F. KENNEDY

PHYSICALLY DISABLED

• For students who have severe physical disabilities and cannot use a keyboard, mouse or IntelliKeys, there are devices such as the SmartNav 4. This AT device allows a student to move the mouse by moving his head slightly. A virtual keyboard is on the screen that allows the student to enter text or navigate on the Internet. This device is ideal for students with spinal cord injuries, muscular dystrophy, and other special needs (naturalpoint.com). Another device is the gooseneck switch. It is a switch that allows the student to use a computer with the use of his head. The switch can be used in conjunction with a software program such as Kenax that allows the student to type by simply hitting the switch with his/her head.

ASSISITVE TECHNOLOGY CAN BE VERY EFFECTIVE IN HELPING STUDENTS IMPROVE THEIR FUNCTIONAL ABILITY IN THE CLASSROOM. WITH THE ADVANCEMENT OF NEW TECHNOLOGY, STUDENTS WITH PHYSICAL DISABILITIES NOW HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO PARTICIPATE AND BE EDUCATED IN THE REGUALR EDUCATION SETTING. WHILE EACH STUDENTS NEED IS DIFFERENT, AN ASSESSMENT MUST BE COMPLETED TO DETERMINE WHICH DEVICE IS BEST SUITED FOR THAT STUDENT. EDUCATORS AND STAFF SHOULD BE AWARE OF THE TYPES OF SOFTWARE DEVICES AVAILABLE SINCE TECHNOLOGY IS CHANGING AT A RAPID PACE.

OTHER ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY DEVICES

OTHER DEVICES AND AIDS FOR STUDENTS

Vision impaired:• Large print books

• Books on tape

• Magnifying glass

• Slate and Braille stylus

• Stereo headphones

• Adapted paper with raised surfaces

• Color blind aids

• Computer with speech output

• Glare reduction screens

• Screen readers

• Voice output software

Hearing impaired:• Hearing aids

• Signaling devices

• Pictures, photographs and objects

• Communication boards

• Amplified phone system

• Headphones

• Closed captioning television

• CD-based books

• Telecaption decoders

• Vibrotactile systems

Learning impaired:• Highlighting tape

• Post it notes

• Picture schedule

• Written schedule

• Social stories

• Picture supported directions

• Color tabs ( help find materials)

• Hand held computers

• Text reading software

• Single word scanners

RESOURCES:www.afd.org

www.asha.orgwww.fctd.info/resources/teachlaws

www.ncld.orgwww.ncrel.orgwww.ndrn.org

www.parentcenterhub.orgwww.sc.edu

www.teachthought.com