Assistive Technology

1. Assistive Technologies Presentation
Christina Dyson
ITEC 7530

2. Assistive Technology
• Any item, piece of equipment, or product
system used to increase, maintain, or improve
functional capabilities of individuals with
disability.
• An AT device can include a wide range of tools,
such as an item, a piece of equipment, or
product system.

3. Assistive Technology
• Low tech – inexpensive tools often lacking in
moving parts and having limited functionality.
• Mid tech – use some form of power source, are
moderately priced and may require initial
training for use.
• High tech – more complex and expensive, often
customized to meet individual needs and
require extensive training.

4. ADHD
• Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD)
is a condition that can make it hard for a person to
sit still, control behavior, and pay attention.
• Doctors do not know just what causes AD/HD.
They believe that some people with AD/HD do not
have enough of certain chemicals
(called neurotransmitters) in their brain. These
chemicals help the brain control behavior.
• Parents and teachers do not cause AD/HD. There
are many things that both parents and teachers
can do to help a child with AD/HD.

5. Types of ADHD
• inattentive type, where the person
can't seem to get focused or stay
focused on a task or activity;
• hyperactive-impulsive type, where
the person is very active and often
acts without thinking; and
• combined type, where the person is
inattentive, impulsive, and too active.

6. Assistive Technology for ADHD
• Allow the student to use learning aides, computers,
calculators (perhaps for different parts of the task).
• Use a clock to remind the impatient student that the
next activity must wait until a certain time.
• Use a variety of audiovisual materials to present
academic lessons.
• All students, and those with ADHD in particular, can
benefit from the use of technology (such as computers
and projector screens), which makes instruction more
visual and allows students to participate actively.

7. Assistive Technology for ADHD
• Computer games for reading comprehension.
• Recorded books. These materials, available
from many libraries, can stimulate interest in
traditional reading and can be used to
reinforce and complement reading lessons.
• Calculators to check basic computation.

8. Auditory Disability
Hearing assistive technology systems (HATS) are
devices that can help you function better in your
day-to-day communication situations. HATS can
be used with or without hearing aids or cochlear
implants to make hearing easier—and thereby
reduce stress and fatigue.

9. Types of Hearing Assistive
Technologies
• FM Systems: miniature radio stations
operating on special frequencies. The
personal FM system consists of a transmitter
microphone used by the speaker (such as
the teacher in the classroom, or the speaker
at a lecture) and a receiver used by the
listener. The receiver transmits the sound to
the student’s ears or directly to the hearing
aid.
• Infrared Systems: With an infrared system,
sound from the TV is transmitted using
infrared light waves. This sound is
transmitted to a student’s receiver, which
they can adjust to your desired volume.

10. Types of Hearing Assistive
Technologies
• Induction Loop Systems: An induction
loop wire is permanently installed
(typically under a carpet or in the ceiling)
and connects to a microphone used by a
speaker. The person talking into the
microphone generates a current in the
wire, which creates an electromagnetic
field in the room.
• One-to-one Communicators: When using
the one-to-one communicator, the
speaker does not have to shout, private
conversations can remain private.

11. Types of Hearing Assistive
Technologies
• There are many other HATS available,
such as:
– Telephone amplifying devices for
cordless, cell, digital, and wired phones
– Amplified answering machines
– Amplified telephones with different
frequency responses
– Loud doorbells
– Computers
– Wake-up alarms (loud bell or vibrating
clock)

12. Mild Learning Disabilities
• Students with mild general learning disabilities
have significantly below-average general
intellectual functioning.
• Some students may display poor adaptive
behavior, inappropriate or immature personal
behavior, low self-esteem, emotional
disturbance, general clumsiness and lack of co-ordination
of fine- and gross-motor skills.

13. Mild Learning Disabilities
Technology
• Software: A range of software is now available for a
variety of different settings, needs and subject areas. This
can be either content-rich or content-free software. While
some is specifically categorized as ‘Special Needs’
Software, many of the regular software packages are also
suitable for use by students with mild learning disabilities,
including office applications such as Word Processing,
Spreadsheets and Desktop Publishing packages.
• Hardware: Most students with mild general learning
disabilities will not need high-tech assistive technology,
such as touch monitors, switches, screen readers, etc.
However, they may benefit from adaptations such as
lower-case keyboards or keyboard overlays, optical mice,
rollerballs, etc. Peripheral hardware items, in particular
digital cameras and scanners, have proven to be of huge
benefit in the classroom. Use of the digital camera allows
the student to relate their work directly to their own
experience, whether it is photos of family members or of
a field trip in the local environment.

14. Assistive Technology for Mild Learning
Disabilities
• A simple, no-tech approach to note taking is for the teacher
to provide copies of structured outlines in which students
fill in information.
• Word processing may be the most important application of
assistive technology for students with mild disabilities.
• Many students with mild disabilities have difficulty
gathering and synthesizing information for their academic
work. In this arena, Internet communications, multimedia,
and universal design are providing new learning tools.
• Multimedia use of text, speech, graphics, pictures, audio,
and video in reference- based software is especially
effective in meeting the heterogeneous learning needs of
students with mild disabilities.

15. Resources
• http://www.gpat.org/Georgia-Project-for-Assistive-
Technology/Pages/Considering-Assistive-Technology-for-Students-with-
Disabilities.aspx
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assistive_technology
• http://www.ldonline.org/article/Teaching_Children_with_Attention_Deficit_Hy
peractivity_Disorder%3A_Instructional_Strategies_and_Practices
• http://www.asha.org/public/hearing/Other-Hearing-Assistive-Technology-
Systems-Solutions/
• http://www.ericdigests.org/2003-1/assistive.htm
• http://www.sess.ie/categories/general-learning-disabilities/mild-general-learning-
disabilities
• http://www.sess.ie/sites/all/modules/wysiwyg/tinymce/jscripts/tiny_mce/plugi
ns/filemanager/files/Categories/ASD/8MGLD.pdf
• http://futureofchildren.org/publications/journals/article/index.xml?journalid=4
5&articleid=204&sectionid=1329