2. What is Assistive Technology
?
"Any item, piece of equipment, or product
system, whether acquired commercially or offthe-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.
3. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
8. 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.
9. 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.
10. 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.
11. 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.
