PowerPoint Presentation of Assistive Technology used in the classroom for a variety of learning disabilities and impairments.

1. Assistive Technology
in the Classroom
By: Carlie Borden Hall

2. What is Assistive Technology?
“Assistive Technology is any type of device, piece of
equipment or system that helps students with a disability
work around their challenges so they can learn,
communicate, or function better.”

3. What Can Assistive Technology
Do?
Assist students in learning
Create self-confidence
Help students work more quickly
Help students work more accurately
Develop easier classroom navigation routines
Allows students to set and reach high goals

4. Disabilities Aided by
Assistive Technology:
Hearing Impaired
Seeing Impaired
Learning Disabled
Physically Disabled

5. Assistive Technology for the
Hearing Impaired
Frequency Modulation (FM) systems aid students with
hearing impairments. FM systems allow teachers to wear
microphones that broadcasts to speakers in the room or to a
student’s personal receiver. FM systems can assist students
by:
Reducing background noise in the classroom
Amplifying teacher instruction
Assisting with auditory processing systems
Helping with attention problems

6. FM Systems in the Classroom:

7. Assistive Technology for the
Seeing Impaired
Screen Readers are specialized types of software that
transforms electronic text to speech. It uses headphones,
speakers, or braille devices that are refreshable according to
user preferences. Some free screen readers include:
Thunder- www.screenreader.net
NVDA- www.nvda-project.org
Orca- http://live.gnome.org/Orca
Firevox- www.firevox.clcworld.net

8. Screen Readers:

9. Assistive Technology for the
Learning Disabled
Students with learning disabilities may struggle in areas of
reading, writing, mathematics, organization and memory,
and listening. Assistive Technology can aide each learning
disabilities in these areas by:
Reading- Optical Character Recognition (OCR) assist
students by scanning printed material into a printer or
handheld unit. The scanned material is read aloud using a
screen reading system.
Writing- Portable Word Processors are easy to transport
and allow students to use a keyboard to edit and correct
written work.

10. Assistive Technology for
Learning Disabled Continued
Mathematics- Electronic Math Worksheets are software
programs that students can use to organize, align, and
work through math problems pn a computer.
Listening- Audio Books allow students to listen text and
come in a variety of formats including CDs, MP3 players,
and audiocassettes.
Organization & Memory- Graphic Organizers help by
allowing students to categorize information into specific
order and categories.

12. Assistive Technology for the
Physically Disabled
Some types of assistive technology for different forms of physical
impairments include:
Mouth Sticks- Allows students to control input through a stick
they use with their mouths.
Oversized Trackball Mouse- Unlike a normal mouse, this
mouse has the trackball on top and makes controlling it easier.
Eye Tracking- assists students with little or no control with
hand movements. This device follows movement of the eyes and
creates navigation online with only eye movements.

13. Mouth Sticks

14. Laws for
Assistive Technology
There are several laws that require no acts of discrimination
to those with disabilities and the need to use assistive
technology. Some of these laws include but aren’t limited
to:
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA)
Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act
Assistive Technology Act of 1998
To see more laws regarding assistive technology visit:
http://www.fctd.info/resources/techlaws.php

15. References:
 Action for Blind People. 2015. Retrieved March 28, 2015 from https
://www.actionforblindpeople.org.uk/resources/practical-advice/ assistive-
technology-resources/types-of-assistive-technology/ assistive-technology-
visual-impairments/screen-readers/
 Assistive Technology Laws. 2015. The Family Center on Technology and
Disability. Retrieved March 28, 2015 from http://www.fctd.info/
resources/techlaws.php
 Reading Rockets. 2015. WETA Public Broadcasting. Retrieved March 28,
2015 from http://www.readingrockets.org/article/assistive- technology-
kids-learning-disabilities-overview
 Understood for Learning & Attention Issues. 2014-2015. Retrieved
March 28, 2015 from www.understood.org/en/school-learning/ assistive-
technology/assistive-technologies-basics/8-examples- of-assistive-technology-
and-adaptive-tools#slide-8
 Working with Doctors Working with Patients. 2015. General Medical
Council. Retrieved March 28, 2015 from http://www.gmc-
uk.org/accessibility/assistive_technologies/ physical_impairments.asp