Assistive Technology Presentation Julie Thomaston UWA

1. Assistive
Technology
Julie Thomaston

2. What is Assistive Technology?
Assistive technology can be defined as any
item or piece of equipment that aids or
assists an individual. These assistive
technologies improve a child’s abilities by
increasing, enhancing, or maintaining the
child’s functioning or learning levels.
Assistive technology is often a part of
special education and an IEP but can work
to benefit all students.

3. Laws Regarding Assistive Technology
 According to the IDEA laws of 2004, when
an IEP team is meeting on a student with
a disability, they must consider assistive
technology that is beneficial for the
student. “Technology should be used to
maximize the accessibility for children
with disabilities”.
Read more @ http://www.wrightslaw.com/info/atech.index.htm

4. Hearing Assistive Technology
(HATS)
FM systems are a widely
used form of assisted
technology for the hearing
impaired. FM systems are
mobile, flexible and sturdy.
They block out background
noise and maximize the
teacher’s voice from any
distance within the
classroom.

5. Tactile Enhancers for the
Visually Impaired
 The tactile enhancer
takes a blank piece
of paper and uses
heat to create a
raised image. Tactile
enhancers give
visually impaired
students a better
opportunity to
experience graphic
designs.

6. Assistive Technology for the
Learning Disabled
 Learning disabled
individuals often use a
computer to write
instead of the pencil
and paper method.
Computers allow
students to easily edit
their work, and they
also give students the
opportunity to easily
check for spelling and
grammatical errors in
their writing.

7. Assistive Technology for the
Physically Disabled
 A wheelchair is one
example of assistive
technology for the
physically disabled
individual. Wheel
chairs help disabled
people to move
about freely and this
helps them to
maintain their mobility
and independence.

8. References
 American Speech-Hearing Language website. (2015)
Retrieved from
http://www.asha.org/FileNotFound.aspx?aspxerrorpath=/p
ublic/hearing/hearing-assistive-technology-for-
children/2015/
 Tactile Image Enchancer. [Video file]. (April 25, 2015)
Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8tTFVMTf7o
 Wrightslaw website. (2015) Retrieved from
http://www.wrightslaw.com/info/atech.index.htm
 The Iris Center website. (2015) Retrieved from
http://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/at/chalcycle.htm