Assistive and Emerging Technology for Students with Sensory Disabilities

1. Assistive and Emerging Technology for Students with Sensory Disabilities Andrew Cioffi/Kirsten BehlingPresented at PTI, June 2014

2. Introductions • Andrew Cioffi • Assistant Director, Disability Services • Adjunct, Neag School of Education, UConn • Kirsten Behling • Director, Disability Services • Adjunct, Neag School of Education, UConn

3. Overview • Day ONE • AT/ET for blindness and low vision • DayTWO • AT/ET for deafness and hearing loss • Day THREE • Current and coming access issues

4. Day TWO: Deafness and Hearing Loss • Part ONE: Overview • Overview and definition of disability • Determining accommodations • Part TWO: Technology • Hardware and software options • Mid-tech, low-tech, mobile options • Part THREE: Accommodations • Examples of accommodations to supplement AT • Determining what is reasonable and implementation • Part FOUR: Alternative Format Materials • Overview and Considerations of Alt Texts • Delivery and access

5. PART ONE - OVERVIEW

6. Things to consider for PART ONE • What is the difference between Deafness and Hearing Loss? How might access and accommodations vary? • What information should be gathered during the intake? Prior to the intake? How important is the documentation vs. the student’s first hand reports? • What types of assistive technology might be necessary in the classroom? Outside of the classroom?

7. Definition of Disability

8. Definition of disability IDEA definitions of Deafness and Hearing Loss • Deafness: a hearing impairment that is so severe that the child is impaired in processing linguistic information through hearing, with or without amplification. • Hearing Loss: an impairment in hearing, whether permanent or fluctuating, that adversely affects a child’s educational performance.

9. Definition of disability Types of Hearing Loss • Conductive: Source of hearing loss relates to the structures that “conduct” sound • Sensorineural: Source of hearing loss relates to the structures/functions that “transmit” sound • Mixed: A combination of conductive and sensorineural

10. Diagram of Ear/Hearing Loss http://www.entdr.com/hearing_loss.html

11. Key Considerations

12. Effects of hearing loss in the classroom • Certain sounds seem too loud • Difficulty following conversations when two or more people are talking • Difficulty hearing in noisy areas • Hard to tell high-pitched sounds (such as "s" or "th") from one another • Problems hearing when there is background noise • Voices that sound mumbled or slurred http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003044.htm

13. Academic Tasks • Portions of tests, quizzes, exams, etc. • Note taking • Participation • Group work • Videos • Demonstrations • Other multimedia • Online/hybrid work that includes videos and other multimedia • Experiential learning • Career Education • Etc.

14. Areas Outside of the Classroom • Perspective visits • Daily living • Housing, dining, recreation • Clubs and organizations • Extra-curricular activities • Hallmark events

15. Determining Appropriate Accommodations

16. How to determine what is appropriate? • Documentation • Audiologist report (including audiogramor audiometric report) • Medical evaluation • Neuropsychological evaluation • Psychoeducational evaluation • School report/accommodation history • Demonstration

17. Determining Appropriate Accommodations Intake • History and nature of disability • History of access and accommodation • Learned skills, coping strategies, and mitigating factors • Current AT/AT service knowledge and usage; other applicable tech • Identification of in-class and outside-the-classroom needs • Identification of current resources • Accommodations and expectations (student and family) • Transparency • Interactive process

18. Determining Appropriate Accommodations • Determining what is reasonable • For both AT and AT services • Interactive process! • Who provides what? • Student makes request; DS provider determines what is reasonable • Demonstrations, when appropriate • Plan for delivery and implementation

19. Interpreting an audiogram • http://www.babyhearing.org/hearingamplification/hearingloss/audiogram.asp

20. PART TWO - TECHNOLOGY

21. Things to consider for PART TWO • How does the technology differ from deafness to hearing loss? • How does the introduction of AT services impact service delivery? What might be reasonable timelines for service requests? • What additional training and resources may be necessary for the DS provider, student, faculty, other staff, etc?

22. AT Hardware examples • Assistive Listening Devices (ALDs) • Personal amplification systems: OVERVIEW • Hearing aids, BAHA • Cochlear implants • FM system • TV system • Infrared • Induction loop • Classroom amplification systems • Other Large Area hearing devices (infrared, FM included)

23. Hearing Aids

24. Hearing Aids

25. FM System

26. FM System, TV System

27. IR, Induction Loop

28. AT Hardware Examples • Alerting devices • Watch/clock • Baby monitor • Door bell/knocker • Emergency detectors • Phone (amplified ringer, etc) • Weather alert

29. Alarm Clock/Bed Shaker

30. AT Hardware Examples • Communication devices • TTY or TDD • Captioned phone • Web cam • Person to person (text messaging, writing, proprietary devices

31. TTY, Caption Phone

32. AT Hardware Examples • Other • Smart pen • Smart board • Caption mic • iCommunicator

33. iCommunicator

34. AT Service Examples • Interpreting • ASL • VRI • Captioning • CART • C-Print • Relay services

35. Video Remote Interpreting (VRI)

36. CART

37. Software Examples • Closed Captions/Open Captions • Computer/mobile alerts • Desktop/mobile accessibility features • Communication software (Face to Face, Skype, etc.) • Speech-to-Text

38. Mobile apps • FaceTime • Skype • Purple Communications • Calendar • BioAid • uHear • TooLoud? • SoundAmp R • Fring • DeafNote • ASL Dictionary • CapTel • Subtitles • TapTap

39. PART THREE - ACCOMMODATIONS

40. Things to consider for PART THREE • How might the accommodations for deafness and hearing loss compare/differ? How might in-class accommodations compare/differ from outside-of-the-classroom accommodations? • How important is accommodation history for determining what is reasonable and delivery of services? • What additional steps need to be taken for implementation of AT with students who are deaf or hard of hearing? What type of timeline may be necessary?

41. Remember who we are working with • Remember that two students may have similar or identical hearing profiles, but different access/accommodation needs. There can also be considerable variation in the functional hearing of an individual who is hard of hearing • Access and accommodation needs • Academic – Note taking, participation, multimedia, online/hybrid, group work, etc. • Non-academic – Daily living, campus life, extra-curricular involvement

42. Examples of appropriate accommodations • Use of Computer/AT in-class/labs/on exams • Interpreter/Captioning service • Note taker/Copies of class notes • Use of audio recording device • Preferential seating • Extended time on coursework/exams • Proctored exams (in some cases) • Captioning/Descriptive audio • Housing • Evacuation list • Priority registration

43. Determining what accommodations are reasonable for a specific student • Student request • Intake process • Nature of disability • History of accommodation • Determination of need • Interactive process • Defining what is reasonable • Managing preferences • Follow up and check in process

44. Who Provides What • DS Provider: Access and Accommodation • Auxiliary aids – AT and AT services/training • Access to “place of public accommodation” • Accessible course content • Etc. • Student and/or Third Party: Daily living • Personal, transportation, and medical devices/aids • Services animals/training • Communication training (i.e. sign language) • Etc.

45. Methods for implementing appropriate accommodations • Intake, evaluation • Accommodation history • Accommodation letters • Determine what tech/training the student already has/uses • Determine appropriate tech/service • Determine who provides what • Software installs, hardware loan (agreement) • Training (Student, staff, faculty) • Scenario planning (faculty advocacy, AT usage in class and/or on exams, etc.)

46. PART FOUR – Accessible Content

47. Things to consider for PART FOUR • What materials or media might need to be prepared and delivered in alternative formats? • What types of technology or service are necessary to produce such ‘alt texts’? • What are some considerations and best practices for accessibility of course materials?

48. Definition of Alt Text • Alternative formats: • Alternate formats usable by people with disabilities may include, but are not limited to, Braille, ASCII text, large print, recorded audio, and electronic formats that comply with this part. • Webaim.org

49. Content to Consider • Multimedia e-Texts • Publisher provided online content with videos • Faculty generated course casts • Movies, videos, animations, etc., with sound • Music, other audio only sources • Language lab • Any other course related and/or extracurricular materials

50. Formats of Alt Texts What is provided to the student • Multimedia files • Captioned videos • Captioned supplements to e-Texts • Transcriptions and/or descriptions of multimedia content • Descriptions of audio only content