Assistive Technology for Students

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