Assistive Technology

By: Elizabeth Cook

What is Assistive Technology?

The term “Assistive Technology”

refers to any item, piece of

equipment, or product system,

whether commercially or off the shelf,

modified, or customized, that is used

to maintain, or improve functional

capabilities of one with a disability.

--U.S. Department of Education

The Law in Regard to

Assistive Technology

The Technology-Related Assistance Act for

Individuals with Disabilities (Public Law 100-

407) provides funding for statewide systems

and services to provide assistive

technology devices and services to

individuals with disabilities.

Reauthorization of the Individuals with

Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in 1997

mandates that every IEP team consider

assistive technology when planning the

educational program of an individual with a

disability.

Assistive Technology for

the Hearing Impaired

• A cochlear implant is a device

that provides direct electrical

stimulation to the auditory nerve in

the inner ear. Children and adults

with a severe to profound hearing

loss who cannot be helped with

hearing aids may be helped with

cochlear implants.Image Source: Google Images

Assistive Technology for

the Visually Impaired

Image Source: Google Images

Service Dogs serve as eyes for those

who cannot see. These dogs are

highly trained to guide the visually

impaired. They stay close to their

owners side and guide them where

they need to go. In a school setting,

these dogs help navigate students to

their classrooms, locker, the cafeteria,

gymnasium, and other places

throughout the school with ease.

Assistive Technology for

the Learning Disabled

• There’s an App for that! There are

many different learning disabilities

among our diverse group of students. In

the ever changing world of technology,

we have access to many different apps

on iPads or iPods in the classrooms that

can help meet the needs of those

learning disabled students. Whether a

student be dyslexic, autistic, or ADHD,

there are apps to help them learn in

addition to teacher instruction.

Image Source: Google Images

Assistive Technology for

the Physically Disabled

Image Source: Google Images

• People with physical

disabilities dace many difficult

challenges. Assistive

technology can assist tem in

living a more independent

lifestyle. An automatic

wheelchair helps this little girl

get around at school just like

her friends do. Automatic

wheelchairs give students the

independence to do more

without the help of others.

REFERENCES Cochlear Implants. (n.d.). Retrieved November 1, 2014, from

http://www.asha.org/public/hearing/Cochlear-Implant/

IDEA - Building The Legacy of IDEA 2004. (n.d.). Retrieved November 1,

2014, from http://idea.ed.gov/explore/view/p/,root,statute,I,A,602,1,

iFixit. (n.d.). Apple iPad repair. [photograph]. Retrieved from

https://www.ifixit.com/Device/iPad

Ottobock. (n.d.). Children’s power wheelchair. [photograph]. Retrieved

from

http://professionals.ottobockus.com/cps/rde/xchg/ob_us_en/hs.xsl/5146.ht

ml

Roblyer, M., & Doering, A. (2014). Integrating educational technology into

teaching (6a ed.). Harlow, UK: Pearson.

Service Dog (n.d.) Assistive technology for people with visual impairments.

[photograph]. Retrieved from http://at4viandb.blogspot.com/2013/03/low-

tech-at.html

TerpTopics. (n.d.). Cochlear implant. [photograph]. Retrieved from

http://www.terptopics.com/CochlearImplants.htm