Assistive technology refers to any item, device, or service that helps students with disabilities meet their education goals and participate in class. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act requires schools to consider and provide assistive technologies, such as hearing aids, screen readers, and instructional software, to maximize accessibility for students with disabilities. Assistive technologies help students who have hearing, visual, learning, or physical impairments function better in school.

2. Assistive Technology is any device
or service that helps a student with
a disability to meet the
individualized education program
(IEP) goals and to participate in the
general education classroom to the
best of his or her ability.

3. IDEA defines Assistive Technology as
any item, piece of equipment, or product
system that is used to increase, maintain,
or improve functional capabilities of a child
with a disability.

4. IDEA defines Assistive Technology Service as
any service that directly assists a child
with a disability in the selection,
acquisition, or use of an assistive
technology device, such as selecting,
designing, customizing, adapting,
applying, repairing, or replacing

5. Individual with Disabilities Education
Act (IDEA 2004) requires:
• IEP teams to consider the assistive technology
of all children with disabilities.
• School district to provide assistive technology
and service for students that qualify based on
their IEP.
• Schools to use assistive technology devices and
services to maximize accessibility for children
with disabilities.
• Schools to provide assistive technology training
for the teachers, child, and family.

6. Hearing Aids and amplifiers can
improve hearing ability in persons with
hearing problems.
Closed captioning allows people with
hearing impairments to enjoy movies
and television programs.

7. Hearing Aids

8. • Computer software and hardware, such as
voice recognition programs, screen
readers, and screen enlargement
applications help students that are seeing
impaired.

9. Seeing Impaired

10. • Computer based instruction software is an
assistive tool that can help students with
learning disabilities in reading, writing,
math, and other subject areas.

11. Learning Disabled

12. • Assistive technology can help people that
have a physical disability that affect their
motor skills, such as wheelchairs,
scooters, and prosthetic devices.

14. References
• The Iris Center. (n.d.). Retrieved November 1, 2014,
from http://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/at/chalcycle.htm
• Wrightslaw. (n.d.). Retrieved November 1, 2014, from
www.wrightslaw.com/info/atech.index.htm
• PBS. (n.d.). Retrieved November 1, 2014, from
www.pbs.org/parents