Assistive Technology

ITEC 7530

What is Assistive Technology ?

� "Any item, piece of equipment, or product system, whether acquired commercially or off-the-shelf, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities”

� Simply put: Any device that can help students with disabilities learn or improve their abilities in the classroom.

What is Assistive Technology ?

� Assistive technology can be broken into three levels of a continuum; low, mid and high tech.

� Anything as low-tech as Spell Check or as high-tech Text to Speech software can be considered Assistive Technology.

Assistive Technology Video: Simply Said

http://youtu.be/DB9pKkZoJDc

How can they help?

� Different disabilities need different methods of assistive technology.

� Assistive technology includes products and services to help people who have difficulty speaking, typing, writing, remembering, pointing, seeing, hearing, learning, walking, etc.

Selecting the Right One

� Usually selecting a method is a decision made by you along with a team of professionals.

� For children with disabilities (Age 3 -21) the local public school system is required by law to develop an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) to address each child’s specific needs, including assistive technology.

Examples of Resources

Hearing Impairment

� Hearing Aids

� FM Systems

� An FM system is a wireless, portable battery-operated device that uses radio transmission to send auditory signals, i.e. speech, from a transmitter to a receiver.

� Induction Loop

� Sounds are picked up by the instructor’s microphone, amplified, and sent through the wire/loop, creating an invisible electromagnetic field. The telecoil (T-switch) in the student’s hearing aid serves as a receiver for the signal.

Reading

� Audio books

� Optical character recognition

� This technology allows a user to scan printed material into a computer or handheld unit. The scanned text is then read aloud via a speech synthesis/screen reading system.

Writing

� Abbreviations Expanders

� Used with word processing, these software programs allow a user to create, store, and re-use abbreviations for frequently-used words or phrases.

� Alternative Keyboards

� Programmable keyboards have special overlays that customize the appearance and function of a standard keyboard. Students may benefit from customization that reduces input choices, groups keys by color/location, and adds graphics to aid comprehension.

Sources

� Cennamo, Katherine, John D. Ross, and Peggy A. Ertmer. Technology Integration for Meaningful Classroom Use: A Standards-based Approach. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 2010. Print.

� "What Is Assistive Technology? How Is It Funded?" Assistive Technology Industry Association. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Feb. 2014.

� http://youtu.be/DB9pKkZoJDc

� "Assistive Listening Devices." Northern Essex Community College RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Feb. 2014.

� "Assistive Technology Tools: Reading." GreatSchools. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Feb. 2014.

� "Assistive Technology Tools: Writing." GreatSchools. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Feb. 2014.