2. Assistive Technology
• Assistive technology is any tool that helps a student
with disabilities complete a task more quickly or
independently.
• Assistance with this technology may also be provided
to support the teacher or the student in tech
support, demonstration, or training.
• This technology may be expensive, or simple, and of
little cost.
3. The Law
• Assistive Technology is protected by the Americans with
Disabilities Act (ADA)and the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act (IDEA).
• These laws mandate that technology devices and services
be considered for each child with a disability.
• Each student’s Individual Education Plan (IEP) should reflect
use of these devices as well as other information that
promote the level of student’s ability.
• The ADA and 504 laws also require schools to provide such
assistance if it is needed to secure equal access.
(disabilitylawcenter.org 2014).
4. Assistive Technology in Alabama
• In Alabama this technology is covered under the
Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services and
the use of STAR program that deals with Alabama’s
Assistive technology Act 1998 and amended in 2004.
• The goal is to allow children and adults with
disabilities to reach potential through the access and
use of assistive technology devices and
services.(rehab.alabama.gov 2014)
5. Hearing Impaired
• The Audisee is a device designed to gain better recognition of speech reading and hearing. It
was a developed by 2 parents who have a deaf son. The basic hardware of the Audisee is a
duel transmitter worn on the teach, with a microphone for the FM element and a camera for
the visual. The system is portable and the student can gain 35% more information. It is
portable, light-weight, and powered by a long life battery or AC plug. The devise is a one
time price but saves schools in the long run due to limiting the number of oral interpreters
(michdhh.org 2014)
6. Seeing impaired
• Optical Character Recognition System
• OCR technology allows blind and visually impaired persons ability to scan printed
text and speak it back or save it to a computer. This technology does not allow for
graphics, photographs, graphs or had written assignments to be able to
interpreted at this time.
• The OCR converts the print into characters and words, then speaks the text. It also
can correct spelling and store the information in electronic form on a computer or
the memory within the system itself. It can also converted to word processing and
spreadsheet that can be accessed by other assistive devices. The cost of these
devices are $1,300 to $2,000 or if bound with PC can cause between $4,800 to
$5,500 (American Foundation for the Blind 2014)
7. Learning Disabled
• The term learning disability covers a wide
range of difficulties that can be associated
with education. Assistive technology cannot
cure disabilities but it can help one operate to
his fullest potential. The focus is on strengths
rather than weakness.
• In most cases it is the people that work with
the children that make most decisions on
assistive technology (Davis Barnard-Brak
&Arredondo 2013).
8. Options for Learning Disabled
• Learning disabled can be given technology they can use quickly and with relative
ease. Some of those examples are as follows.
Built-in Options:
• Apple and Microsoft have a number of features within their products such as
magnification, onscreen keyboards, filter keys for motor control problems, speech
to text and more. Their word processors are valuable in that they offer spell
checking, and grammar checking that allows for student to focus more on
substance.
Electronic Books:
• These sources allow for students with reading problems to listen to the text
through CD’s or other digital formats.
Word Prediction:
• This program allows person to type the first letter of a word and the program gives
a list of words that can be selected and then predicts the next word. This is a
helpful for students who cannot write the words needed to express thought but
can say them and recognize them.
Concept Mapping/Software for Organizing Ideas:
• This allows students to put information in an unorganized way by giving
suggestions to main idea and then they are grouped together. (sc.edu 2013)
9. Physically Disabled
• There are many physical impairments that can be over come by
technologies. These are but a few possibilities that can help give people
with physical ailments a chance to achieve education potential.
• Mouth stick: a device that enables users to control input by controlling
the stick with their mouth.
• Head wand: similar to the function to the mouth sticks, except in this
case the stick is strapped to the head.
• Single-switch access: for people with limited mobility. If the person can
only move their head, a switch could be placed to the side of the head
that allowed one to click it with head movements. The clicks would then
be interpreted using special software.
• Eye tracking: This device can be an alternative for people with no control,
or limited control over hand movements. It follows the movement of the
eyes and allows navigation through the web with only the eye
movements.
• Voice recognition software: These programs enable the user to enter text
and sometimes carry out common computer task by simply speaking into
the microphone. The computer tries to analyze the users voice as they
speak.
10. References
Alabama's Assistive Technology Resource. (2012). Retrieved August 25,
2014, from http://www.rehab.alabama.gov/individuals-and-families//star
Asher, N. (2009). The AudiSee: An audiovisual FM system. Retrieved August
24, 2014, from http://www.michdhh.org/assistive_devices/audisee.html
Assistive Technology Fact Sheet. (2014). Retrieved August 24, 2014, from
http://disabilitylawcenter.org/wp-content/uploads2/2013/07/FY14-AT-Factsheet.
pdf
Assistive Technology and Learning Disabilities. (2013, June 28). Retrieved August 25,
2014, from http://www.sc.edu/scatp/documents/ATLearningDisabilities.pdf
11. References Continued
Assistive technologies for people with physical impairments. (2014).
Retrieved August 24, 2014, from http://www.gmc-uk.
org/accessibility/assistive_technologies/physical_impairments.asp
Davis, T. N., Barnard-Brak, L., & Arredondo, P. L. (2013). Assistive technology:
decision-making practices in public schools. Rural Special Education
Quarterly, 32(4), 15-23.
Optical Character Recognition System. (2014). Retrieved August 25,
2014, from http://www.afb.org/info/living-with-vision-loss/using-t
echnology/assistive-technology/optical-character-recognition-systems/1235
