2.  According to the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA),
assistive technology is:
“Any item, piece of equipment or product system, whether acquired
commercially off the shelf, modified, or customized, that is used to
increase, maintain, or improve the functional capabilities of children
with disabilities.”
http://www.gpat.org/Georgia-Project-for-Assistive-Technology/Pages/Assistive-Technology-Definition.aspx

3. Access and
Environmental
Controls
Aids to Daily Living
Assistive Listening Mobility
Computer-Based
Instruction
Augmented/Alternative
Communication
Positioning
Visual Aids
http://www.pbs.org/parents/education/learning-disabilities/strategies-for-learning-disabilities/assistive-technology-devices/

4.  Hardware
 Software
 Stand-Alone Devices
 Not included based on IDEA 2004 criteria are those
devices which have been surgically implanted
http://www.gpat.org/Georgia-Project-for-Assistive-Technology/Pages/Assistive-Technology-Definition.aspx

5.  How do students qualify for assistive technology
devices?
“The decision whether a student with disabilities requires an assistive technology
service and/or device in order to benefit from her or his education program is an
Individualized Education Program (IEP) team decision. In making this decision the
IEP team must consider the individual student’s assistive technology needs in
relation to his or her education program.”
 When should assistive technology devices be provided?
“When the student is not successful in his or her educational program and the IEP
team has determined that the use of assistive technology device(s) and service(s)
are necessary for the student to be successful in his/her educational program. “
http://opi.mt.gov/pdf/SpecED/guides/AssistiveTechGuide.pdf

6. Six Steps
1. Collect child
and family
information
2. Identify
activities for
participation
3. What can be
observed to
indicate the
intervention is
successful?
4. Brainstorm
Assistive
Technology
solutions
5. Determine
when the
intervention will
begin and create
an observation
plan
6. Identify what
worked
http://www.ldonline.org/article/8088

7. Students that qualify for services based on the IEP may receive them
in the following settings:
 A regular classroom
 A resource room for specific subject areas
 A specialized classroom which allows for individualized attention in
all courses
(It is important to note that every effort is made for students to remain
in the regular classroom setting unless individual needs are not being
met.)
http://kidshealth.org/parent/positive/learning/iep.html

8. (Kopilovic, 2012)
Applying Assistive Technology:
A Classroom Case Study

9. You are a teacher who has a few students that require you to
differentiate your instruction. Three have been diagnosed with
ADHD, while one has an auditory disability, and requires a special
device in order to hear. In addition, you have a number of students that
have mild learning disabilities that impact all areas, especially reading
and writing.
As you prepare for the school year, you ask yourself, "What resources
do I have in order to help me meet my students' needs?“
In the slides that follow, we will present options for ensuring that all
members of the class maximize their participation and understanding…

10. http://www.additudemag.com/adhd/article/6585.html
According to Raskind and Stanberry, many students with ADHD spend
hours on homework and rely heavily on parents, teachers and siblings for
assistance.
The following programs facilitate greater understanding among ADHD
students that may struggle with math, reading and writing assignments
(these products may also be used with students that have mild learning
disabilities depending on their specific needs):
Math
 Electronic math worksheet software
(Products: mathtalk.com and cambiumlearning.com)
 Talking calculators
(Products: independentliving.com and abledata.com)

11. http://www.additudemag.com/adhd/article/6585.html
Reading
 Reading software and audiobooks
(Products: kurzweiledu.com, Audible.com and bookshare.org)
 Optical character recognition
(Products: wizcomtech.com and freedomscientific.com)
 Speech synthesizers
(Products: texthelp.com and humanware.com)

12. http://www.additudemag.com/adhd/article/6585.html
Writing
 Portable word processors
(Products: renlearn.com, writerlearning.com and quickpad.com)
 Speech-recognition programs
(Products: macspeech.com, nuance.com and simplyspeakinginc.com)
 Word-prediction software
(Products: words-plus.com, wordq.com)

13. For students with hearing impairments, Hearing Assistive Technology Systems
(HATS) are imperative to minimize limitations such as:
 Competing noise
 Poor room acoustics
 Listener and sound source distance
According to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Hearing
Aids and FM Systems are f the most commonly used due to the following:
 They allow the child to hear the teacher’s voice at an appropriate level
regardless of distance
 Make the teacher’s voice the most prominent rather than background noise
 Allow for self-monitoring of the child’s own voice
 Enable the child to concentrate only on the teacher by allowing the hearing
aid microphone to be turned off
http://www.asha.org/public/hearing/treatment/assist_tech.htm

14. Additional assistive technology used to assist with auditory impairment include:
 Sound field systems which allow for the teacher to speak into a microphone
transmitter linked to classroom speakers. (However, it is important to note
that these systems have reverberation.)
 Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (TDD)-A modified telephone that
allows people who are deaf /hearing-impaired to communicate via text
capabilities. With a QWERTY board and a small screen, this device is useful
for students who suffer from speech impairments.
http://www.asha.org/public/hearing/treatment/assist_tech.htm
http://www.brighthubeducation.com/special-ed-hearing-impairments/2914-assistive-technology-for-the-hearing-
impaired-student/

15. Lahm and Morissette (1994), note that for those students that have
mild learning disabilities, many options exist requiring little to no
additional assistive technology(“low-tech”/”no-tech”) as well as “high-
tech” which use multifunctional technology in various forms:
 Organization
Flow charts, task analysis, webbing, outlining, software-based organizers and word processing software
 Note Taking
Videotaped classes, emailed presentations, printed notes to audio, using keyboards and PDA’s
 Writing
Word processing software to limit mechanics and process barriers
 Academic productivity
Calculators, instant messaging, browsers and document sharing tools
 Access to reference/general educational materials
Multimedia and internet communication in a structured environment
 Cognitive assistance
Software for practice, problem-solving and simulations
http://www.ericdigests.org/2003-1/assistive.htm

16. The National Council on Disability (1993) surveyed 136 individuals with
disabilities to evaluate the costs and benefits associated with the use
of different kinds of technology-related assistance.
 Because of assistive technology, a majority of infants with disabilities
benefited by having fewer health problems
 Nearly 75% of school age children were able to remain in a regular
classroom, and 45 % were able to reduce their use of school-related
services
“These results indicate that the issue becomes not how can we afford
effective AT, but what costs are involved if it is not provided.”
http://www.sau.edu/Academic_Programs/Master_of_Occupational_Therapy/Program/Assistive_Technology_Lab/Ben
efits_of_Assistive_Technology.html

17. ASHA. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.asha.org/public/hearing/treatment/assist_tech.htm
Assistive technology devices. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.pbs.org/parents/education/learning-disabilities/strategies-for-learning-
disabilities/assistive-technology-devices
Assistive technology. (2004, February). Retrieved from
http://opi.mt.gov/pdf/SpecED/guides/AssistiveTechGuide.pdf
Help for young learners: How to choose at?. (2006). Retrieved from
http://www.ldonline.org/article/8088
Individualized education programs. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://kidshealth.org/parent/positive/learning/iep.html
Kopilovic, M. (2012, October 18). [Web log message]. Retrieved from
http://oupeltglobalblog.com/tag/marina-kopilovic/
LaBehrmann, M. -. J. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.ericdigests.org/2003-1/assistive.htm

18. Markusic, M., & Stannard Gromisch, E. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.brighthubeducation.com/special-ed-hearing-impairments/2914-assistive-
technology-for-the-hearing-impaired-student/
Raskind, M. & Stanberry, K. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.additudemag.com/adhd/article/6585.html
(n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.gpat.org/Georgia-Project-for-Assistive-
Technology/Pages/Assistive-Technology-Definition.aspx
The impact and benefit of assistive techology. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.sau.edu/Academic_Programs/Master_of_Occupational_Therapy/Program/
Assistive_Technology_Lab/Benefits_of_Assistive_Technology.html