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Assistive Technologies- Vision Impaired Students
An assistive technology is defined as “devices, tools, hardware and software that enable people
with a disability to perform functions that might otherwise be difficult or impossible” (CATS,
2011). It can aid in redefining what is possible for individuals with an extensive array of sensory,
physical, or cognitive disabilities. For people with a disability, progresses in assistive
technologies have considerably enhanced opportunities for access to information and education.
Students with a disability have various requirements; these should be exclusively assessed to
ensure successful and positive outcomes. Vision is certainly the most crucial of the five senses. It
plays an important role during childhood and beyond. Therefore, in my iVideo, I have attempted
to show the numerous innovative technologies that are available for use for vision impaired
students in the mainstream classroom.
My own practicum experiences led me to focus on assistive technologies for students who are
vision impaired. I have witnessed these students on several of my practicums; however, the
students have been in other classes, never in my own practicum class. As an undergraduate
teacher, I feel it is my responsibility to have an understanding of this topic. I may encounter a
student in my future teaching career, which may use an assistive technology in my classroom.
The Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children (RIDBC) define vision impairment as “a
limitation of one or more functions of the eye or visual system” (RIDBC, 2010). According to
statistics from RIDBC (2010); vision impairment affects more than 1 in 2500 Australian
children. There are around 300,000 individuals who are blind or vision impaired in Australia
(CATS, 2011) and an estimated 1.5 million children world-wide who are blind (RIDBC, 2010).
Assistive technologies are available to assist visually impaired students to participate in the
schooling process and independently achieve their full potential. Professionals believe that “over
80 percent of what a child learns in school is presented visually” (All about Vision, 2010,
paragraph 1). In my iVideo, I outlined the latest innovative technology devices for individuals
who are blind. These consist of using canes and sensor technologies to assist with movement,
braille translation devices and screen readers. Students who are visually impaired can use large
letter keyboards, closed-circuit television (CCTV) magnification systems and built in computer
screen magnification control panels (Roblyer, 2006). Teachers in classrooms can also enlarge the
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font, print on coloured paper and adjust the light in the room. Students who have a significant
disability are now able to complete reading and writing tasks entirely self-sufficiently with the
support of technology. These technologies enable students to stay active with their school work
and allow access to the internet, to send and receive emails, to read a book, to participate in
many additional aspects of day-to-day education with assistance from one or more pieces of
technology (Farrall & O’Connor, 2010) and foremost; improve their quality of life.
Technology improvements over the past decade have had an enormous effect on education for
students with significant disabilities. An assistive technology can eliminate obstacles and allow
students to achieve more reasonable access to effective learning experiences and achieve things
not thought possible before (Farrall & O’Connor, 2010). The growing accessibility of
technologies is altering the teaching and learning environment. Technologies with the potential
to support various students in the performance of educational tasks present both opportunities
and challenges for teachers. The teaching environment is improved when students who have
problems with particular tasks have the chance to approach those tasks in new ways with the
assistance of technology. Deciding if a student is likely to experience an advantage from a
particular product in an educational environment is a challenging process for teachers. Practical
constraints such as cost, functionality, training time, hardware requirements and ease-of-use must
also be considered in the decision making process.
Today, as we know, technology is ever changing so it is vital for teachers to keep up to date with
the assistive technologies that are available to help their students succeed in and out of the
classroom. Inclusion is necessary which allows students with a disability to participate in the
general mainstream classroom, provided they are given the appropriate technology that will help
them succeed.
References
All about Vision. (2010). Children’s Vision: What Parents Need to Know. Retrieved 19th
February, 2011 sourced from: http://www.allaboutvision.com/parents/
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Creating Accessible Teaching and Support. (2011). Assistive Technologies - CATS. Retrieved
19th February, 2011 sourced from: http://www.adcet.edu.au/Cats/
Farrall, J. & O’Connor, G. (2010). Inclusive Learning Technologies: Supports Students of all
Abilities. Professional Educator, 9(1), 34-37. Retrieved 19th February, 2011 sourced
from Informit database.
Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children. (2010). Facts list: Deafness and Blindness.
Retrieved 19th February, 2011 sourced from:
http://www.ridbc.org.au/resources/facts_list.asp
Roblyer, M.D. (2006). Integrating Educational Technology into Teaching. New Jersey, United
States of America: Pearson Education, Inc.
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