Assistive Technology. Josey Cameron

1. Assistive Technology
By: Josey Cameron

2. What is Assistive Technology?
 Any item, piece of equipment, or product
system used to increase, maintain, or
improve functional capabilities of
individuals with disabilities. 1

3. Who Needs Assistive Technology?
 The law, commonly referred to as IDEA,
(Individuals with Disabilities Education
Act of 1990) requires that states “ensure
that all children with disabilities have
available to them a free appropriate
public education that emphasizes special
education and related services designed
to meet their unique needs and prepare
them for employment and independent
1
living.” (151)

4. Individual Educational Plan (IEP)
 Individual Education Plans are required
for all students who qualify for special
education. 1
 Each IEP is developed through careful
collaboration of parental, classroom
teacher, and school officials to ensure the
best type of instruction, often including
assistive technology.

5. Types of Assistive Technology
 Mobility and Positioning Aids (ex.
Wheelchair, walker, stander)
 Sensory Tools (ex. Hearing aids, auditory
trainers, reading devices)
 Daily Living Tools (ex. Adapted eating
utensils, reading magnifiers)
 Environmental Tools (ex. Electronic
systems which control access to lights,
television, appliances)

6. Types of Assistive Technology
(Continued)
 Instructional Tools (ex. Internet
technology, audiotape players)
 Computer Access (ex. Adapted
keyboard)
 Alternative/Augmentative Tools (ex.
Speech synthesizers, text-to-speech
technology)
 Motivational Tools (ex. Adapted sports
equipment, large print, Braille)

7. Assistive Technology In Use
 You are a teacher who has a few students
that require you to differentiate your
instruction. Three have been diagnosed with
ADHD, while one has an auditory disability,
and requires a special device in order to
hear. In addition, you have a number of
students that have mild learning disabilities
that impact all areas, especially reading and
writing. As you prepare for the school year,
you ask yourself, "What resources do I have
in order to help me meet my students'
needs?"

8. Assistive Technology In Use (cont.)
 “What resources do I have in order to
meet my students’ needs?”
◦ For ADHD students, instructional tools such
as overhead transparencies and projectors
could be used for teaching to keep them
engaged as opposed to lecturing.
◦ WordQ is a great software for ADHD
students in aiding in typing and proofreading
by providing such features as word
predictions and highlighting. 2

9. Assistive Technology In Use (cont.)
 “What resources do I have in order to
meet my students’ needs?”
◦ Devices such as FM system or closed
captioning could be used in helping a student
with auditory disabilities succeed.
◦ Simple modifications such as seating the
student towards the front of the class or
assigning the student a “buddy” to assist in
note taking can help students with auditory
disabilities. 3

10. Non-technology Assistance
 Teachers can meet the needs of students
with mild disabilities by using no-tech
techniques.
◦ Giving students an outline of the lecture in
order for them to take better notes. 4
◦ Sending class notes to students via email. 4
◦ Translating print-based notes to voice by
using optical character recognition (OCR)
4
software with a voice synthesizer.

11. References
Cennamo, Ross, Ertmer (2010). Technology Integration for Meaningful Classroom
Use: A Standards-Based Approach. CA: Cengage Learning.
e Duffy, Francesca (2012) The Write Tools for ADHD Students. Retrieved on June 15,
2012 from URL http://www.additudemag.com/adhd/article/9365.html
t ATSTAR: Retrieved on June 15, 2012 from URL
http://www.atstar.org/atinfo/info_disabilities_auditory.htm
r Berhmann, Michael & Jerome, Marci Kinas(2002) Assistive Technology for Students
with Mild Disabilities: Update 2002. ERIC Digest. Retrieved on June 15, 2012 from URL
http://www.cec.sped.org/Content/NavigationMenu/AboutCEC/International/StepbyStep/As
sistive%20Technology%20for%20Students%20with%20Mild%20Disabilities.pdf