1. ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY FOR
STUDENTS WITH VISUAL IMPAIRMENTS
Samantha Fecich M.Ed.

2. TWEET TIME!
 Please describe in your own words 130 characters or less
a visual impairment on Twitter. Remember to use the
class hashtag!
 Please describe in your own words 130 characters or less
the definition of assistive technology on Twitter.
Remember to use the class hashtag!

3. VISUAL IMPAIRMENTS
 If you have a student who is blind or partially sighted in
your classroom some examples of assistive technology
could include:
 Magnifying glass
 Software added to a computer enabling a student to type and
write
 Magnifying device that could help students read a book or text in
the classroom
 CCTV
 Braille device to read, write, and learn literacy sills
 Mobile device
 In this session we will discuss some popular pieces of
assistive technology for individuals who are blind or
partially sighted. http://youtu.be/A2bsTOZ71Mw

4. LIGHT OR LOW ASSISTIVE TECH FOR INDIVIDUALS
WITH VISUAL IMPAIRMENTS INCLUDE
 Braille
 Magnifying glasses
 Large print text/books
 Anti-glare paper
 Contrasting text and background colors
 Thick lined paper
 Reading/writing stand
 Optical magnifier
 Highlighters
 Felt tip markers with various thicknesses
 slant board
 Color filters

5. BRAILLE
 A way to write letters based on the 26 letters in the
alphabet.
 Braille is a system of characters made up of raised dots.
 Other codes are used for subjects such as math, science,
music, and computers.
 Students learn to read Braille by moving both hands
across the lines of Braille words from left to right.

6. BRAILLE
 Created by Louis Braille
 It is the single most important invention for people
who are blind in history.
 http://youtu.be/sqQ3gdE7ks0

7. BRAILLE
 Where have you seen the use of Braille? Have you
ever had an experience using Braille?
 Please comment in the eluminate session.

8. TWEET TIME!
 Please describe in your own words 130 characters or less
a way you can adapt the content using one of these low
tech options. Remember to use the class hashtag!

9. MID ASSISTIVE TECH FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH
VISUAL IMPAIRMENTS INCLUDE
 Large key keyboards
 Keyboards with high contrast
 MP3 players to record lectures/notes
 Light box - used with students to train their visual
acuity
 Audio books
 Books in alternative formats
 Portable word processing device
 Large key calculator

11. The device is laid out
similarly to a large
mobile phone,
complete with a
numerical keypad
and dedicated
volume buttons on
the side.

13. Do a search for
audio book
websites. Find
out how much it
costs to purchase
or membership,
what formats are
books in? What
is the site?
Report back on
eluminate!

14. A lightbox is piece
of equipment that
lights a see through
plastic piece of
paper. It can also
illuminate clear
shapes, colors, and
objects.

16. There are several type s of alternative formats that books
can be displayed in for individuals with a visual impairment.
Check out one of these sites and report your findings on
elumuniate
Learning Ally (formerly RFB&D): www.learningally.org
Bookshare: www.bookshare.org
LibriVox: www.LibriVox.org
Project Gutenberg: www.gutenberg.com
Inkling: www.inkling.com
Louis Database of Accessible Materials, American
Printing House for the Blind: www.loius.aph.org
National Library Service for the Blind and Physically
Handicapped: www.loc.gov/nls/
Google eBooks: http://books.google.com/ebooks --
Collection of eBooks that is slowly expanding in scope to
include non-fiction and scholarly works. (Books are
available for purchase)

18. TWEET TIME!
 Please describe in your own words 130 characters or less
a way you can adapt the process using one of these mid
tech options. Remember to use the class hashtag!

19. HIGH ASSISTIVE TECH FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH
VISUAL IMPAIRMENTS INCLUDE
 Screen readers
 Screen magnification
 Reading machines
 Video magnifiers
 Refreshable Braille displays
 Braille translation software
 Note taker recognition
 Mobile devices
 http://youtu.be/lLaUx7BJ4r0

20. SCREEN MAGNIFICATION
 A screen magnifier is a tool that can magnify everything
(text, photos, graphics, etc) on a computer or a mobile
device screen.
 When using a screen reader, it results in only part of the
original screen image being visible to the individual.
 Screen magnifiers can sometimes include extra features
such as:
 Contrasting background and text colors
 Mouse pointers and cursors can be enhanced
 Some can even do basic screen reading functions

21. SCREEN MAGNIFICATION
 Some common screen magnifiers for Windows computers
include:
 ZoomText
 MAGic
 Supernova Screen Magnifier

22. SCREEN MAGNIFICATION
o Also, most recent computer running Windows, Mac OS X or Linux
have a screen magnifier built into them.
o I would now like you to go into your own computer and try to find
the screen magnification function. (Try the control panel)
o Access your screen magnification tool
o If you do not have one ,do a Google search of a free tool to download and
try and give it a shot
o Report on twitter about your experience

23. SCREEN READERS
 A screen reader gives an individual user information from a
computer or mobile device through a spoken digitized voice.
 A screen reader can also offer a user more information than
just reading text on a page such as:
 Whether text is underlined on a page
 Whether a page or link was checked
 Whether a box to checked or unchecked

24. SCREEN READERS
 The most popular commercial screen readers include
 JAWS
 Window-Eyes
 Supernova Screen Reader.
 NVDA
 Thunder
 System Access to Go

25. SCREEN READERS
o Also, most recent computer running Windows, Mac OS X or Linux
have a screen reader built into them.
o I would now like you to go into your own computer and try to find
the screen reader function. (Try the control panel)
o Access your screen reader tool
o If you do not have one ,do a Google search of a free tool to download and
try and give it a shot
o Report on twitter about your experience

26. READING MACHINES
 A reading machine utilizes a camera or a scanner
with Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
 Basically it turns a printed document into electronic
text.
 This text can then be relayed to a screen to read in
large print or read aloud by a screen reader.

27. READING MACHINES
 A reading machine can be
 Standalone – it combines a camera and a scanner,
OCR software, monitor and/or screen reader as one
device.
 Computer-based - a camera or scanner and OCR
software can be added to your computer, which will
already have a monitor and screen magnifier or screen
reader.

28. VIDEO MAGNIFIERS/ CCTV
 A CCTV is an aid that uses magnification and it is
made of a camera and a monitor.
 The magnification level is much greater than for a
hand magnifier
 Can be standalone or portable!

29. REFRESHABLE BRAILLE DISPLAYS
 A braille display is used with a screen reader to
output screen information in a tactile form.
 It consists of a number of cells which have eight
pins which can be moved up and down to form
braille characters.

30. BRAILLE TRANSLATION SOFTWARE
 Braille translation software can be used to convert
an electronic document such as one in Microsoft
Word, into braille.
 The result can then be printed by an embosser,
which is a printer that uses pins to indent the dots
onto paper.

31. NOTE TAKER RECOGNITION SOFTWARE
 These have a QWERTY (standard type) or braille
keyboard, but output speech rather than using a
computer screen, and as a result are much smaller
than mainstream laptops or netbooks.
 A notetaker will have a calendar and contact
database, and most have email and internet
capability.
 http://youtu.be/J5nviwgNUas

32. VOICE RECOGNITION SOFTWARE
 Voice recognition provides an alternative way to
control or input information to a computer or mobile
phone.
 You talk to the computer or phone and what you
say is interpreted as commands or converted to
electronic text. While it started out as an access
technology, voice recognition is mainly now being
marketed as something for everybody.
 Voice recognition is becoming more widespread on
mobile phones, and it will be interesting to see how
this technology evolves.

33. TWEET TIME!
 Please describe in your own words 130 characters or less
a way you can adapt the product using one of these mid
tech options. Remember to use the class hashtag!