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.