Assissted Technology

ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGYIL 505 – DR. HOCUTT

Renea Richardson-Fikes

Contents

• Overview: Assistive Technology

• Hearing Impaired

• Seeing Impaired

• Learning Disabled

• Physically Disabled

Overview: Assistive Technology• Assistive technology is any item, piece

of equipment, software or product system that is used to increase, maintain, or improve the functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities.

• Assistive technology can be low tech, high tech, and includes products and services to help people who have difficulty speaking, typing, writing, remembering, pointing, seeing, hearing, learning, walking, etc.

HEARING IMPAIRED

Law Covering Assistive Technology

Having a brother whom was profoundly deaf, Senator Tom Harkin supported the Tech Act of 1988 and ADA 1990. The 2002 amendments to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act made under the name of the No Child Left Behind Act, stated that assistive technology systems are to continue to ensure that individuals with disabilities reap the benefits of the technological revolution and participate fully in life in their communities” (20 U.S.C. Sec. 3001(a)(8)).

Audio Devices

The amplifier allows the student to adjust the volume and tones to their levels to assist with their hearing impairment.

Students using an amplifier can sit anywhere in the room instead of the front of the classroom. They can adjust the different volumes to suit them, and they can participate in group activities.

There are numerous types of technologies that can be used to enhance a student’s learning experience.

SEEING IMPAIRED

Visually Impaired Devices

Assistive technologies used for visual impairment includes some of the above technologies. For example, the V-Tech allows individuals to read some of the smallest print by magnifying it and then project it through a television screen. The Braille ‘n Sound allows the student to type in braille and the machine will repeat it aloud. The last device helps individuals to write. It enlarges the field of view allowing them the opportunity to write on a straight line.

LEARNING DISABLED

Learning Disabled

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A speech recognition program works in conjunction with a word processor. The user "dictates" into a microphone, and his spoken words appear on the computer screen as text. This can help a student whose oral language ability is better than his writing skills.

Assistive Technology for kids with Learning Disabilities is defined as any device, piece of equipment or system that helps bypass, work around or compensate for an individual's specific learning deficits.

PHYSICALLY DISABLED

Physically Disabled

A physical disability can affect how a student performs in the classroom. Because of the IDEA and advances in technology software, students with physical disabilities can succeed in the classroom.

Wheelchairs and walkers allow individuals with minimum movement and those who are unable to move at all a chance to enhance their ability to move or walk. A wheelchair is a combination of a chair and two or more wheels. The individual is able to roll to different destinations. A walker is used to provide individuals with stability and allows them to use their upper body strength to help them walk.

References

Assistive Technology . (2002, July 18). Retrieved April 20, 2015, from www.calstate.edu/accessibility/workshops

Assistive Technology in Education/Physically Handicapped. (2009, July 9). retrieved April 16, 2015 fromhttp://en.wikibooks.org/Assistive_Technology_in_Education/Physically_Handicapped

No Child Left Behind retrieved on April 13, 2015 at www.ed.gov/nclb