Dyslexia and the Use of Assistive Technology

Assistive Technology

Any Device that helps Someone

What is Assistive Technology?

Assistive Technologies involve the use of a 'technical aid', which in the international standard ISO 9999:1998 is defined as: ‘Any product, instrument, equipment or technical system used by a disabled person, especially produced or generally available, preventing, compensating, relieving or neutralizing the impairment, disability or handicap

Who uses ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY

• In the previous definition of Assistive technology it was described as a product or system used by a Disabled Person

• But how can a Disabled Person be described

Defining Disability

• Its difficult to define because it is a complex multi dimensional concept

• There are various definitions espoused by advocacy groups, the medical profession, legislators, international agencies

• Traditionally the medical view where disability is viewed in terms of disease,an abnormality , a personal problem held sway.

Assistive Technology Systems

• How Assistive Technology is deployed and the world in which exists is described is dependent on how disability is described, on what process is followed in matching a person with suitable technology and on what personal and environmental factors impact on this

Kinds of AT

• Low Tech

Walking Stick

• Medium

Hoist

• High Tech

Environmental Controller

Context of AT• People with Disability

• Inclusive Design is good Design

• Everyone Benefits

What to do with Computers

• Lots

• Computer Major Assistive Technology

• Greater Accessibility- More Inclusivity

• Social, Economic and Legal Mandate

• Have to Be Accessible

Role of AT in Activity Performance

• So what does AT do.

• In terms of Activity, what contribution can AT make to the overall performance of the activity.

AT devices are many and varied in terms of their application .

• Reviews of AT databases such as Abledata and Eastin (refs) show that AT devices have application in many environments, such as the Home/Local Environment, the Community, in Education and employment and for Leisure/Social/Recreation.

• Furthermore AT devices vary considerably in terms of their functionality and what they can contribute to Activity Performance (Ref)

Different ways AT can contribute to activity performance.

• 1: AT can perform that activity autonomously.• Example robotic vacuum cleaner.• 2: AT can perform the activity semi-autonomously.• e.g. standard vacuum cleaner• 3: AT can facilitate the performance of activity by

removing one or more barrier to that activity.• For example if products are out of reach then we can

use a mechanical grip

• 4: AT can enable the performance of an activity by adapting the environment in which activity is performed. e.g. Having lower work surfaces can facilitate performance of kitchen based activities for a wheel chair bound person.

• 5: At can be used to restore or establish capacity within an individual with respect to Activity Performance.For example an automatic can opener could provide someone with the ability to open cans and bottles, thereby allowing them to participate in food preparation.

Categories of Assistive Technology

• Assistive technology may be high or low tech. High technology includes devices which incorporate electronics or microchips to perform some function.

• Low technology does not require a power source. An example of high technology is a computer. An example of low technology would be a pair of eyeglasses or a hand operated reaching device.

Categories of AT• Hard technology is technology which is tangible versus soft technology

which cannot be seen. An example of hard technology is a calculator. An example of soft technology is a computer program which assists with cognition, decision making, and concept formation.

• Appliances are examples of AT which do an entire task alone. Tools, on the other hand are AT’s which assist an individual in task performance.

• Adaptive/assistive technology is used to help an individual versus rehabilitative/educational technology is used to teach an individual. (Cook & Hussey, 1996; Trefler & Hobson,1997).

• Minimal technology, i.e. a wrist support for eating, supports an individual in task performance whereas maximal technology performs a task for the individual, i.e. a robotic arm feeding an individual.

Role of AT

• From the preceding discussion it is clear that the term AT encompasses many many different kinds of technologies which impact on the AT user in numerous ways. For example we have technology, such as a robotic vacuum cleaner (ref) which can perform a task relatively autonomously to wall mounted handles and grips which of themselves do not perform any task but do facilitate the performance of tasks by enhancing the environment in which the task is performed .

• Similarly technology such as artificial prostheses do not perform a task by themselves but restore bodily structure and capacity to the individual which in turn enable the individual to perform some activity .

• Some technologies , such as a pencil grip, impact positively on the objects involved in the task or activity.

• Yet other technologies such as audio alarms provide extra functionality to task objects which provide process information for task monitoring.

AT as Intervention

• The roles different technologies play reflect to some degree, different intervention strategies which someone like an OT can make to increase occupational performance.

1: Adapting the Task

• When the Task method is altered the same task objects are used in the same environment but the method of performing the task is altered to make the task feasible given the persons circumstances. Examples of this kind of intervention, include one handed techniques (ref) for tasks normally requiring two hands e.g. one handed dressing or typing.

• Mastering one handed methods require the capacity to learn and practice is a necessary component of this process.

2: Adapting the Environment

• This intervention emphasizes selecting and implementing an environment that enables the person to perform with current skills and abilities (Dunn et al)

• Examples of environmental adaptation include making changes to a home , to facilitate a wheelchair user perform every day activities. For example a bathroom could be adapted by the provision of a higher toilet to facilitate easier transfers, grab bars introduced for standing pivot transfers and recessed plumbing and drawers for easier access to the sink. (ref)

3 Prevent Barriers to Task performance

• Therapeutic interventions can prevent the occurrence or evolution of barriers to performance in context.

• Family members could be trained in a hierarchy of assists, for example verbal cues, that can help maintain the remaining skills that a person with a progressive dementing illness still has.

• (Rogers et al 2000)• Of particular interest to this dissertation is the role assistive technology can

play.• Technology can help prevent barriers resultant from discrepancies in task

requirements and personal capacity. Consider a standard keyboard.• If someone with poor targeting abilities is repeatedly hitting two keys at once

, then a key guard can prevent this difficulty by placing raised borders around each key button, which make it impossible to hit more than one key at a time.

4 Create an Environment to Enhance Performance.

• This therapeutic choice focuses on providing enriched contextual and task experiences that will enhance performance.

• Examples of these environments, include playgrounds which have soft surfaces and safe equipment which allow children to climb and swing and slide and push to the limits of physical activity without an enhanced risk of injuring themselves.

• Another example is a garden with raised flower beds (ref Holms et al)which allow ,say wheel chair users, tend to the plants and enjoy the experience and rewards of gardening.(Ref?)

5 Restore /Establish Capacities

• There are many examples of therapeutic intervention which will restore/ establish capacities.

• A physiotherapist may suggest a regime of exercise in order to build up muscle tone and strength.

• A speech therapist may work out a series of vocal exercises to improve articulation.

Technology too can provide functional capacities

• Augmentative communication devices such as the Message Mate 2.0 provide means to deliver speech output for communication purposes.

• Indeed many AT devices fulfil similar roles of proving functional capacity, across the domains of AT products such as Communication, Activities of Daily Living, Work, Leisure, Education and so on.

• The level of functionality and the potential role AT can play and how this impacts on CPN modelling of activity and AT intervention is obviously a key concern of this work and will be elaborated on in then next section.

Message Mate 20Message Mate 20

AT and Dyslexia

• There are many products available across many categories to help those with dyslexia

• The following category listing from the online resource Dyslexia .com gives and indication of the breadth and diversity of available products

Product Listing from Dyslexia.com

• A – Assessment Software

• B • C

– Carry Cases – Colour & Visual Stress Software-Hardware – Concept Mapping Software – Cross Curricular Software

• D – Dictionaries & Spell Checkers - Portable – Dictionaries & Spell Checkers - Software

• E – Ergonomic Accessories – Ergonomic Keyboards – Ergonomic Mouse/Trackball

• F – Furniture

• G – GADGETS & EQUIPMENT

• H • I

– Input Devices - Keyboards etc

• J • K • L • M

– Media and Consumables – Medical Hardware Products – Medical Software Products – Music & Audio Applications

• N – Note-Taking Hardware Solutions – Note-Taking Software Solutions – Numeracy Software

• O – OCR & Scanning Software – Office & Productivity Applications – Other Hardware

• P – PDA Accessories – Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) – Portable Scanners & Pens – Portable Word Processors – Printers – Punctuation & Grammar Software

• Q • R

– Reading Software – Reading Support Hardware – Recorder Accessories & Microphones

• S – Scanners – SOFTWARE – Speech Recognition Accessories – Speech Recognition Software – Spelling Software – Study Skills Software

• T – Text to Digital Talking Book Software – Text to Speech Software – Typing Tutors Software

• U • V

– Visual Impairment Support Hardware – Visual Impairment Support Software – Voice Recorders

• W – WARRANTIES – Warranties for Digital Voice Recorders – Warranties for PDAs – Warranties for Peripherals – Writing Software

Product Listing from Dyslexia.com

• A – Assessment Software

• B

• Lexion – – Lexion combines extensive, tailored literacy exercises and in-depth assessment suitable for use with a wide

range of pupils with specific learning difficulties– This assessment and literacy training package is based on one of ...

– Learn More and Buy

• Lucid Ability – – Lucid Ability is a computerised system for assessing verbal and non verbal abilities– The tests are both enjoyable and stimulating for children and each test automatically adapts to the child’s

individual ability level. The tests – Learn More and Buy

• Lucid Baseline – – Assess skill and ability levels of "new intake" children.– CoPS Baseline is accredited by QCA and gives an instant picture of the skill levels and ability ranges of

"new intake". It identifies strengths and limitations. The four ... – Learn More and Buy

• Lucid CoPs – – Diagnostic screening for children of all abilities, for ages 4 to 8 years.– A computerised screening system which can accurately predict dyslexia and other learning difficulties in

young children. Lucid CoPS is administered to ... – Learn More and Buy

More• Lucid LADs

– – Computerised screening for adult dyslexia.– LADS (Lucid Adult Dyslexia Screening) is a computerised test designed to screen for dyslexia in people who are 16 and older. It

has been produced by Lucid Research Ltd, the company ... – Learn More and Buy

• Lucid LASS Junior – – Computer based assessment of special needs in literacy for KS2 students.– A computerised, multifunctional assessment system that can be used for on-entry screening, assessment of special needs in

literacy and can also be used to ... – Learn More and Buy

• Lucid LASS Secondary – – Computer-based assessment of special needs in literacy for KS3 & KS4 students– A computerised, multifunctional assessment system that can be used for on-entry screening, assessment of special needs in

literacy and can also be used – Learn More and Buy

• Lucid Rapid – – Identify potential dyslexia in children aged 4 - 15 years.– Lucid Rapid Dyslexia Screening package offers a reliable and accurate method of screening for dyslexia in only 15 minutes.

Extensively tested and based on proven ... – Learn More and Buy

• Lucid ViSS – – Lucid ViSS identifies visual stress that causes reading problems– Lucid's new easy-to-use computerised Visual Stress Screener represents a scientific breakthrough in objective identification of

children, aged 7 to adult, who are

• C – Carry Cases – Colour & Visual Stress Software-Hardware – Concept Mapping Software – Cross Curricular Software

• Cerium Coloured Overlay – – Cerium Overlays are coloured sheets of robust transparent plastic which

can be used for all reading tasks– The use of an overlay has been shown by Professor Arnold Wilkins at

the Medical Research Council at Cambridge to enable ... – Learn More and Buy

• Optim-Eyes 2 Reading Lamp – – Colour-adjustable lamp– Some people find that colour makes a big difference to their reading

comfort. Until now, the only solutions were coloured overlays for the page or wearing tinted glasses. The Optim-Eyes Lamp offers an ...

– List Price (ex VAT): £260.00 – Stock: Yes – Qty: – Add to Basket

• Pocket ReadAble – – Create, use and then move customised colour and font settings to any

PC– This pocket version of ReadAble software will help anyone who finds

particular colours, font styles or sizes uncomfortable to read. Pocket ReadAble enables ...

– List Price (ex VAT): £69.00 – Stock: Yes – Qty: – Add to Basket

• ReadAble – – Alter and manage your computer's colour and font settings.– Reading from a computer screen, with its multitude of colours and fonts,

can be difficult for those people with colour sensitivity and dyslexia - web pages come in all ...

Cross Curricular Software

• ScienceMania KS2 – – Have fun revising Science skills– Suitable material for learning and revising Science makes

ScienceMania a motivational piece of software to help pupils who may struggle to grasp the concepts of this subject. The topics covered ...

• Trudy's Time and Place – – Trudy's Time and Place House teaches important concepts

about geography, directions, mapping and time-telling– The program has been designed to target fundamental

geography and time skills and with immediate and positive ...

• D – Dictionaries & Spell Checkers - Portable – Dictionaries & Spell Checkers - Software

From the above we see that

• There are many kinds of AT for Dyslexia.

• Broad Categories of AT include

• Computer based products

• E-learning Systems

• Scanners and OCR

• Speech based technologies

• Low tech Products

Characteristics of Specific Learning Difficulties

Reading Difficulties and Writing Difficulties are common characteristics of Specific Learning Difficulties:

Others include– Time Management Difficulties– Organisational Difficulties– Visual Processing Difficulties– Auditory Processing Difficulties

LDs and AT

• A specific learning disability (LD) is in most situations a "hidden disability."

• Because there are no outward signs of a disability such as a white cane or wheelchair, people with an LD are often neglected when considering adaptive computer technology.

• However, many people with learning disabilities can benefit from mainstream and specialized hardware and software to operate a computer and further their academic and career goals.

Accommodations

• Assistive and adaptive technology does not "cure" a specific learning disability.

• These tools compensate rather than remedy, allowing a person with an LD can demonstrate his intelligence and knowledge.

• Adaptive technology for the person with an LD is a made-to-fit implementation. Trial and error may be required to find a set of appropriate tools and techniques for a specific individual.

• Ideally, a person with an LD plays a key role in selecting her technology. She should help to determine what works and what does not.

• Once basic tools and strategies are selected, they can be "test driven," discarded, adapted, and/or refined.

Computers and Dyslexia

• The Computer is a powerful Assistive Technology for people with reading and writing difficulties

• It provides amongst many other functions

• Word processing

• Text to Speech

• Speech Recognition

• And Much More

Computer Based products

• Examples• Smart Keyboards• Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs)• Desktop or Laptop Computer

The use of Word Processors

• We can start our description of Assistive Technology within this context with the ubiquitous word processor.

Word Processors

• Computer-based accommodations for Dyslexia may not require specialized hardware or software. For example, a person with Dyslexia can benefit from regularly using built-in word processor features such as: – Spell checking. – Grammar checking. – Font size and color changes.

Benefits

• Word Processors provide an alternative to handwritten expression.

• The use of spell checkers can allow the person with learning difficulties to remain focused on the task of communication rather than getting bogged down in the process of trying unsuccessfully to identify and correct spelling errors.

More Benefits

• Many word processing programs also include tools for outlining thoughts and providing alternative visual formats that may compensate for difficulty in organizing words and ideas.

• Additionally, color-coded text options and outline capabilities present in many word processing programs are useful tools for those with difficulty sorting and sequencing thoughts and ideas.

• Additionally, color-coded text options and outline capabilities present in many word processing programs are useful tools for those with difficulty sorting and sequencing thoughts and ideas

Spelling Alternatives• Phonetic Spelling

People with Dyslexia often spell phonetically, making use of word prediction or spell checking software less useful. Devices (e.g., Franklin Electronic Dictionary ™) or software (YakYak ™) that renders phonetic spelling into correctly spelled words may be useful tools.

• Word Prediction Spelling words correctly while typing can be a challenge for some people with Dyslexia. Word prediction programs prompt the user with a list of most likely word choices based upon what has been typed so far. Rather than experiencing the frustration of remembering the spelling of a word, he can refer to the predictive list, choose the desired word and continue with the expression of thoughts and ideas.

For Dysgraphia

• A word processor can also be used as a compensatory tool for a person with Dysgraphia.

• Use of a keyboard may be a viable alternative for an individual who has difficulty expressing his thoughts via handwriting.

.Programs to Support Writing.

Word Processors Talking Word Processors Spellcheckers in Word Processors Additional Onscreen Wordbanks and Grids Predictive Programs Typing and Keyboard Skills Voice or Speech Recognition Software Portable Word Processors and Writing Aids Making Web Pages Planning Software e.g. Mind Mapping

Concept Mapping

Some individuals have difficulty organizing and integrating thoughts and ideas while writing.

Concept mapping software allows for visual representation of ideas and concepts.

These representations are presented in a physical manner and can be connected with arrows to show the relationship between ideas.

Concept Mapping 2

These graphically represented ideas can be linked, rearranged, color coded, and matched with a variety of icons to suit the need of the user.

Concept mapping software can be used as a structure for starting and organizing such diverse writing projects as poetry, term papers, resumes, schedules, or even computer programs.

Concept Mapping Software • IdeasMap

– – A mind mapping program that integrates with the Textease suite.– Ideas Map provides a structured means of organising, understanding and remembering information in a fun

and imaginative way within the Textease suite of ... – Learn More and Buy

• Inspiration – – Create concept and mind maps for organising, planning and presenting your ideas.– Special Discount offer on single licence only. Available until stocks run out– This powerful visual mapping tool inspires ...

– Learn More and Buy

• Inspiration for Palm or Pocket PC – – Create concept maps and outlines on a Palm or Pocket PC device.– Inspiration for Palm or Pocket PC offers a simple but versatile method of creating, editing and viewing

concept maps or outlines on a Palm or Pocket PC device. Using – Learn More and Buy

• Kidspiration – – Kidspiration helps to develop literacy, numeracy and thinking skills through visual learning making it ideal for

pupils with dyslexia– Kidspiration is used to strengthen word recognition, vocabulary, comprehension and written ...

– Learn More and Buy

• Mind Manager 7 Mac Education – – Plan, organise and present tasks in a single application– Mind mapping is a powerful creativity and production tool using visual methods that can be particularly useful for students and

adults who have dyslexia. Mind Manager ... – Learn More and Buy

• Mind Manager Pro – – Plan, organise and present tasks in a single application– Mind mapping is a powerful creativity and production tool using visual methods that can be particularly useful for students and

adults who have dyslexia. Mind Manager ... – Learn More and Buy

• MindFull – – Simple and flexible mapping program with numerous applications.– Developed specifically for dyslexic users, this mapping program is completely flexible, letting you draw maps in any format.

Designed to be simple and easy to use, ... – Learn More and Buy

• MindGenius Business – – A flexible concept and mind mapping program with advanced exporting and formatting functions– MindGenius is a sophisticated mind mapping program which gives you the flexibility to draw a variety of concept maps and then

export ... – Learn More and Buy

• MindGenius Education – – A flexible concept and mind mapping program with advanced exporting and formatting functions– MindGenius is a sophisticated mind mapping program which gives you the flexibility to draw a variety of concept maps and then

export

E-Learning Systems

• Huge number available

• Typically available based around phonics instruction programs

• Provide Multimedia-Multi Sensory platform for lesson delivery

Kinds of e-learning system

• Computer Managed Instruction

• Learning aids

• Intelligent Tutorial Systems

• Virtual Learning Environments

Typical architecture of a Tutorial System

Kinds of Architecture

• For example The Five Teaching Architectures of Schank et AL

• Simulation-Based Learning by Doing:

• Incidental Learning:

• Learning by Reflection:

• Case-Based Teaching:

• Learning by Exploring

• Other examples

Others

• Learning by example

• Mastery Learning

• Drill and Practice

Common Components

• Context

• Curriculum Model

• Student model

• Instruction Model 

Context

• A context - that is the pedagogic objectives of the system and the environment into which it is to be applied. The context of a programming tutorial embraces the objectives of enhancing the programming skills of the student through a laboratory tutorial session.

•  • Typically this involves the student attempting prescribed

exercises which involve the construction of a program to solve the problem contained in the exercise.

Curriculum Model

A cognitive or curriculum model- which comprises of the subject matter of the application domain of the ITS plus materials and exercises relevant to that domain.

• In the case of a programming tutorial cognitive model comprises of the knowledge involved in program construction including design strategies, construction techniques like divide and conquer, data structures like arrays and error handling.

• Providing assistance in program construction falls is the concern the subsections of AI known as Automatic and Semi Automatic Programming and Program Synthesis.

•  

Student Model

• A student model - in which a model of the students abilities and their current progress are used to make rational responses to the problems they face with the task in hand. This would include a view on the students ability, on the tasks facing them and on their characteristics in dealing with the problems at hand.

Instruction Model

• An instruction model - which comprises of teaching strategies and problem solving strategies for conducting the tutorial. Typically the ITS will base its architecture on the mode of instruction it employs e.g. drill and practice or simulation .

 

Speech Based Systems

• Reading (Speech Output - Text to Speech)

• Speech Input (Voice Recognition)

Reading from the screen• Text to Speech can be useful for students

with an auditory learning style.• Text to speech can be used for reading a

whole range of text documents (web pages, Word Documents and PDFs etc).

• Text to speech can be used in conjunction with OCR to read printed books or papers.

Reading Systems

• An individual who can take in information through listening much better than by reading may benefit from using a reading system.

• These systems allow text on screen (document, web page or email) to be read aloud through the computer's sound card.

• A scanner and Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software (e.g., Freedom Scientific's WYNN or Kurzweil 3000) adds the feature of reading printed text.

Reading Systems 2

• Hard copy text is placed on the scanner where it is converted into a digital image. This image is then converted to a text file, making the characters recognizable by the computer. The computer can then read the words back using a speech synthesizer and simultaneously present the words on screen.

Reading Systems 3

• Reading systems include options such as highlighting a word, sentence, or paragraph using contrasting colors.

• If desired, the reader may elect to have only one word at a time appear on the screen to improve her grasp of the material.

• Increasing the size of the text displayed on the screen as well as changing text color can increase reading comprehension for some people with specific learning disabilities.

Writing on the Screen

• Good Keyboarding skills. • Speech Recognition programs. • Spell Checking. • Word Prediction.

Speech Recognition

• Speech recognition products provide appropriate tools for individuals with a wide range of learning disabilities.

• Speech recognition software takes the spoken word via a microphone and converts it to machine-readable format.

• The user speaks into a microphone either with pauses between words (discrete speech) or in a normal talking manner (continuous speech).

• The discrete product, although slower, is often the better choice for those with LDs because identifying errors can be done as they occur.

Speech Recognition 2

• Making corrections after the fact using continuous speech requires good reading skills.

• Speech recognition technology requires that the user have moderately good reading comprehension to correct the program's text output.

• Because many people with LDs have reading problems, speech recognition is not always an appropriate accommodation.

Scanners and OCR

Scanners

Scanners

• Examples

• Flatbed Scanner

• Roller Scanner

Scanners

• Capture Image

• Translate into electronic format e.g.

• BMP or JPEG

• Typically used in association with OCR software to recognise text

Optical Data Capture: Optical Character Recognition (OCR)

Intelligent Character Recognition (ICR)

Intelligent Recognition

Definition/Concept of OCR

• Gives scanning and imaging systems the ability to turn images of machine printed characters into machine readable characters.

– Images of the machine printed characters are extracted from a bitmap of the scanned image

Definition/Concept of ICR

• Gives scanning and imaging systems the ability to turn images of hand written characters into machine readable characters

– Images of the hand written characters are extracted from a bitmap of the scanned image

OCR and ICR Differences

• OCR is less accurate than OMR but more accurate than ICR

• ICR will require editing to achieve high data coverage

OCR/ICR Scanners and Software

• Forms can be scanned through a scanner and then the recognition engine of the OCR/ICR system interpret the images and turn images of handwritten or printed characters into ASCII data (machine-readable characters).

• Users can scan up without doing the OCR

• Speeds Range from: 85-160 sheets/min (dependent on the recognition engine)

OCR/ICR Storage Characteristics

• Storage/Retrieval

• Images are scanned and stored and maintained electronically

• There is no need to store the paper forms as long as you safeguard the electronic files

• With OCR/ICR technologies, images can be scanned, indexed, and written to optical media

UNSD-UNESCAP Regional Workshop on Census Data Processing: Contemporary technologies for data capture, methodology and practice of data editing, documentation and archiving Bangkok, Thailand, 15-19 September 2008

Ideal OCR/ICR Accuracy Thresholds

• Accuracy:

– Accuracy achieved by data entry clerks (~99.5%) are approximately equal to OCR/ICR in in perfect tuning (~99.5%)

– Up to 99.9% accuracy with editing (like OMR)

• The recognition engine must be tuned, tested and validated very carefully

UNSD-UNESCAP Regional Workshop on Census Data Processing: Contemporary technologies for data capture, methodology and practice of data editing, documentation and archiving Bangkok, Thailand, 15-19 September 2008

OCR/ICR Advantages

• Advantages

• Recognition engines used with imaging can capture highly specialized data sets

• OCR/ICR recognize machine-printed or hand-printed characters.

• Scanning and recognition allowed efficient management and planning for the rest of the processing workload

• Quick retrieval for editing and reprocessing

UNSD-UNESCAP Regional Workshop on Census Data Processing: Contemporary technologies for data capture, methodology and practice of data editing, documentation and archiving Bangkok, Thailand, 15-19 September 2008

OCR/ICR Disadvantages

• Technology is costly

• May require significant manual intervention

• Additional workload to data collectors -ICR has severe limitations when it comes to human handwriting

• Characters must be hand-printed/machine-printed with separate characters in boxes

• ineffective when dealing with cursive characters

Definition/Concept of IR

State of the art recognition technology

• Gives scanning and imaging systems the ability to turn images of hand written and cursive characters into machine readable characters

• Images of the hand written and cursive characters are extracted from a bitmap of the scanned image

• The ability to capture cursive make this method unique

UNSD-UNESCAP Regional Workshop on Census Data Processing: Contemporary technologies for data capture, methodology and practice of data editing, documentation and archiving Bangkok, Thailand, 15-19 September 2008

Definition/Concept of IR

• eight elements that make up the trajectories of all cursive letters (figure 1)

Photo: Parascript LLC

Definition/Concept of IR• Intelligent Recognition dynamically uses context

• context is used during the recognition process, improving the accuracy of results

• Contexts helps to identify letters where the symbol segmentation of an image is ambiguous

Characteristics of Specific Learning Difficulties

Specific Learning Difficulties often present the following difficulties– Time Management Difficulties– Organisational Difficulties

Organizational Software/Personal Information Managers (PIMs)

• Organizing schedules and information is difficult for some people with Dyslexia and/or Non-verbal Learning Disorder.

• Personal Information Managers (PIMs) such as a Palm Pilot ™ or Casio ™ or organizational software such as Microsoft Outlook ™ or Lotus Organizer ™ can accommodate these disabilities.

• Such tools can be helpful to those with LDs by providing a centralized and portable means of organizing schedules and information.

Organizers Continued

• The cues provided by these tools can assist keeping on task and may help provide visual alternatives to represent what work needs to be done and what has been accomplished.

• However, they may also put early learners at a disadvantage by requiring yet another program and interface to learn and remember to use. Individuals may lack the discipline/attention skills to regularly check the application/device.

Memory Difficulties

Memory Difficulties

• Audio Recorder

• Sticky Notes

• Electronic To Do Lists / Task Lists

Some tools alleviate both organizational and memory difficulties

• Consider the following

Organisational Tools

• Mind Mapping Software

• Outline Tool

Other difficulties include:

– Visual Processing Difficulties– Auditory Processing Difficulties

Visual Difficulties

• Good lighting.• Coloured Overlays.• Choose a clear font and think about

the visual presentation.

Talking Calculators

• A talking calculator is an appropriate tool for people with Dyscalculia.

• The synthesized voice output of a talking calculator provides feedback to the user that helps them identify any input errors.

• Additionally, hearing the calculated answer can provide a check against the transposition of numbers commonly reversed in reading by people with Dyslexia or Dyscalculia. .

Low Tech Tools (Post-It Notes, Highlighters)

• Not all assistive technology for people with LDs is computer-based.

• The use of common office supplies such as Post-It Notes™ and highlighter pens provide elegantly simple means of sorting and prioritizing thoughts, ideas, and concepts.

• Often, tools of one's own making provide the most effective and comfortable accommodations for learning difficulties

Conclusion

• Technology can help support the needs of students with specific learning difficulties.

• Sometimes simple technology can work more effectively.

• Technology does not replace the need for specialist learning support, but it does give students more independence and freedom to work using their skills and strengths.