This document discusses assistive technology and its uses to help students with disabilities obtain an appropriate education. It defines assistive technology as devices or services that help individuals with disabilities. The document outlines that Section 504 and IDEA require schools to provide assistive technology to students with disabilities. It provides examples of assistive technology for students who are hearing impaired, visually impaired, learning disabled, or physically disabled. These include FM systems, screen magnifiers, optical character recognition, and adapted keyboards.

1. By Robin Thompson
University of West Alabama
ED 505

2. What Is Assistive Technology?
Assistive technology is a term used to describe
devices or services that help individuals with
disabilities obtain a free appropriate education.
www.google.com/images
http://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/at/cwrap/#content

3. Assistive Technology Law
 Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 requires a school district to provide a “free
appropriate public education” (FAPE) to disabled individuals who is in the school
district’s jurisdiction, regardless of the severity of the person’s disability.
 An appropriate education includes regular and special education and any services or aids
needed to accommodate the needs of individuals with disabilities.
 The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) mandates that schools are
responsible for providing assistive technology devices and services to students with
disabilities.
www.google.com/imagewww.ed2.gov

4. Who Can Benefit From Assistive
Technology
Students who are:
Hearing Impaired
Visually Impaired
Learning Disabled
Physically disabled
www.google.com/images

5. Hearing Assistive Technology
(HATS) for Children
 FM systems help amplify sounds.
 They allow students to hear the teacher’s voice at an
appropriate and constant level.
FM Systems
www.deafblindinformation.org.au
Fig. 1
http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/

6. Vision Assistive Technology
 These products allow students to enlarge the size of images
and text.
 Some screen magnifiers permit the user to change the
default colors of the display.
Fig. 2
www.rla.com
http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/

7. Learning Assistive Technology
 Allows a student to scan
printed material into a
computer or handheld unit.
 The scanned text is then read
aloud via a speech
synthesis/screen reading
system.
 This is especially helpful for
students who struggle with a
reading disability.
Optical Character Recognition
Fig. 3
products.softsolutionslimited.comhttp://frostig.org

8. Assistive Technology For Physically Disabled
Adaptive Keyboards
 Designed for users with
physical disabilities who
cannot use a standard
keyboard
 Small keyboards for
students with limited
range of motion
 One handed keyboards
for students who type
with only one hand
Fig. 4
www.college.engage.com
Fig. 5
http://www.onehandedkeyboard.com
http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/

9. Additional Resources
National Institute on Deafness and Other
Communication Disorders
Future of Children.org
www.greatschools.org
www.onlineocr.net

10. References Cengage Learning (2015). Figure 4: WinMini keyboard. Retrieved from
http://college.cengage.com/education/resources/res_prof/students/spec_ed/tech_resources/alt_computer_iando.html
 Google Images. (n.d.) Retrieved from www.google.com/images.
 Lily Walters (n.d.) Figure 5: One handed Keyboard. Retrieved from http://www.onehandedkeyboard.com/maltron.html
 National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (December 2011). Assistive devices for people with
hearing, voice, speech, or language disorders. Retrieved from http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/hearing/pages/assistive-
devices.aspx
 Online OCR (n.d.) Figure 3: Optical Character Recognition. Retrieved from products.softsolutionslimited.com
 Raskind, M. H. (2000). Assistive technology for children with learning disabilities. Bridges to Reading, 2nd Edition. San
Mateo, CA: Schwab Foundation for Learning. Retrieved from http://frostig.org/
 RL and Associates. (n.d.) Figure 2: Portable Video Magnifier. Retrieved from www.rla.com
 Senses Australia. (n.d.). Figure 1: Diagram Inspiro FM System. Retrieved from www.deafblindinformation.org.au
 The Iris Center. Assistive Technology Module (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/at/cwrap/#content
 U.S. Department of Education (2010). Free Appropriate Public Education for Students With Disabilities: Requirements
Under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Retrieved from
http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/docs/edlite-FAPE504.html#reproduction