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Assistive Technology

An overview of assistive technology used in education

mclaine
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Assistive Technology

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  1. UsingAssistive Technology services and devices for students with disabilities By Emily McLain

  2. The facts • The CDC estimates that one in five Americans – around 53 million people – has some form of disability. • Thirty-three million Americans have a disability that makes everyday activities difficult. • About 13 percent of public school students in the nation are serviced for a disability, according to 2011 statistics.

  3. What is assistive technology? • Assistive technology is used in public schools to help remove the learning barriers for those with physical or mental disabilities. • The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004 defines assistive technology as “any item, piece of equipment or product system, whether acquired commercially off the shelf, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities of a child with disabilities.” • In short, assistive technology (AT) is any service or device that enables disabled students to learn easier and more effectively in the classroom.

  4. How is it used? • According to The Iris Center, students can use AT to: • Communicate • Perform academic tasks • Participate in social or extracurricular activities • Move or travel around school • Use proper seating and positioning • Access materials

  5. What does the law say? • The federally mandated IDEA law, first enacted in 1975, requires that children 3-12 receive free and appropriate public education. IDEA requires: • Formal evaluation of student • Parent/school development of an IEP • Annual review of the IEP • Special rights allowing parents to advocate for their child’s best interest (access to grades, evaluation requests, disagreement with placement, etc.) *To read IDEA in full, visit idea.ed.gov.

  6. Big or small • AT is often associated with expensive equipment, but it ranges from small items like pencil grips to bigger items like laptops. • AT also includes the associated services provided by school staff.

  7. What does assistive technology look like? • AT may include items like: • Text reader or text prediction software • Desktop easel • Alternative communication device • Grabber • Braille book and writer • Choice-making device • Handheld magnifier • Alternative keyboard

  8. hearing impaired • A type of AT for the hearing impaired is voice recognition software, such as Dragon Naturally Speaking. • Dragon was developed for general public use. It creates text documents out of sound files. Above is a screen shot of a sample dictation taken by Dragon software, which boasts 99 percent accuracy.

  9. Vision impaired • Visually impaired students may require magnification of reading materials. AT could be as simple as a handheld manual magnifier. Digital magnifiers, like the Prodigi Tablet, are also available.

  10. Learning disabled • Many computer apps and websites support students with learning disabilities. One such website for struggling readers is Audible.com, which provides audio versions of more than 150,000 books.

  11. Physically disabled • Students with a physical disability that effects their ability to write may benefit from an adaptive keyboard, like the Intellikeys keyboard pictured below. These alternative keyboards makes note-taking and completing assignments easier.

  12. impacts of assistive technology • According to a 2007 study by the U.S. Department of Education, IDEA and AT appear to be accomplishing their purpose of preparing students for life after high school by: • Allowing them to attend nearby schools and learn alongside non-disabled peers • Doubling the amount of disabled students served under IDEA (compared to those who did not have IDEA benefits) • Tripling the number of post-secondary enrollments by disabled students

  13. References • How many people use assistive devices? (2012, November 30). National Institute of Child and Human Development. Retrieved November 1, 2014, from http://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/rehabtech/conditioninfo/pages/people.aspx • IDEA - Building The Legacy of IDEA 2004. (2004, January 1). Retrieved November 1, 2014, from idea.ed.gov • National Center for Education Statistics Fast facts: Students with disabilities (2013). Retrieved November 1, 2014, from http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=64 • Stacie, H. (2009, January 1). Assistive Technology for Individuals Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing. Retrieved November 1, 2014, from http://www.wati.org/content/supports/free/pdf/Ch13-Hearing.pdf • U.S. Department of Education 25 Year History of the IDEA. (2007, July 19). Retrieved November 2, 2014 from http://www2.ed.gov/policy/speced/leg/idea/history.html

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