Assistive Technology

Taril Slater

University of West Alabama

ED 505

• Assistive technology is any device or service that overcomes the challenges teachers have with students with disabilities in the traditional classroom.

• Assistive technology helps a student with a disability to meet his or her individualized education program (IEP) goals and to participate in the general education setting to the greatest possible extent.

• Assistive technology improves the functional performance of an individual with a disability.

Students can utilize assistive technology to communicate, perform academic tasks, participate in social and extracurricular activities, move or travel around the school, use proper seating and positioning, and access materials.

Assistive technology has the potential to improve both the quality of education and life for many students with disabilities however access is limited.

Assistive technology can come in the form of devices and services and can be very successful when having the devices and services needed use it effectively.

The Law in regard to Assistive Technology

The Assistive Technology Act of 2004 defines an assistive technology device in the following way:

…any item, piece of equipment, or product system, whether acquired commercially, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities. (29 U.S.C.

Sec 2202(2))

The Law in regard to Assistive Technology

Assistive Technology devices can be “low tech,” “medium tech,” or “high tech”

• power and manual wheelchairs, scooters, canes, walkers, and standing devices

• augmentative communication devices (speech generating devices), voice amplifiers,and speech recognition devices

• durable medical equipment and medical supplies, such as patient lifts and incontinence supplies

• orthotics and prosthetics, such as hearing aids and electric larynxes

• accessibility adaptations to the home, workplace, schools, group homes, nursing facilities, ICF/MRs, and other

places (e.g., ramps, stair glides, lifts, grab bars, flashing smoke detectors, lever doorknobs, and environmental

controls)

• special equipment to help people work, study, and engage in recreation, such as enlarged computer keyboards,

reachers, amplified telephones, magnifiers, voice recognition software, and adaptive sports equipment

• accessibility modifications in the community, such as audio systems on public transportation, talking ATMs, and

voting machines for the blind (Disability Rights Network of Pennsylvania, 2008)

The Law in regard to Assistive Technology

An assistive technology service is defined as:

…any service that directly assists an individual with a disability in the selection, acquisition, or use of an assistive technology device.

Examples of Assistive Technology services–taken from the law itself–include:• An evaluation of the AT needs of an individual, including a functional evaluation of how AT

would help the individual• Purchasing, leasing, or otherwise providing an AT device• Selecting, designing, fitting, customizing, adapting, applying, maintaining, repairing,

replacing, or donating an AT device• Coordinating and using therapies, such as occupational therapy or physical therapy, with AT

devices under an educational plan or rehabilitative plan• Training or technical assistance for an individual with a disability, or his or her family

members, guardians, advocates, or authorized representatives• Training or technical assistance for educational or rehabilitation professionals, manufacturers

of AT devices, employers, providers of training and employment services, and others who help individuals with disabilities

• A service that expands access to technology, including email and Internet, to persons with disabilities

Assistive Technology that can aid a student with Hearing Impairments

Hearing aids, Closed captioning and American Sign

Language can assist hearing impaired students to better

interpret and understand information.

Assistive Technology for Seeing Impairments

There are multiple assistive technology devices for seeing impaired student that include increased contrast, enlarged images, use of tactile and auditory materials, use of a seeing eye dog, books on tape, eye glasses, magnifiers, large print books, screen magnifiers, screen magnification software, electronic magnifier (sometimes called a CCTV), screen reader, braille keyboard or notetaker, braille translator software, braille printer/embosser, brailled materials, scanners, tactile image enhancers, optical character readers and reading machines.

Assistive Technology that can aid a student withLearning Disability

The term "assistive technology" has usually been applied to computer hardware and

software and electronic devices. However, many assistive technology tools are now

available on the Internet. Assistive technology tools that support kids with Learning Disability include: Alternative

keyboards, Audio books and publications, Electronic math work sheets, Freeform

database software, Graphic organizers and outlining, Information/data managers,

Optical character recognition, Personal FM listening systems, Portable word processors, Proofreading programs, Speech-recognition

programs, Speech synthesizers/screen readers, Talking calculators, Talking spell

checkers and electronic dictionaries, Variable-speed tape recorders, and Word-

prediction programs

Assistive Technology that can aid a student withPhysical Disability

Student with physical disabilities can use assistive technology to control electronic appliances within the school and home. These devices allow the student to

use an alternate input device such as a switch to control one or more electronic appliances such as

lights, televisions, and electronically controlled doors. Students with physical disabilities often need access

to mobility aids to provide them with a means of moving about their environments. These mobility aids

are usually recommended by physical and occupational therapists and include canes, crutches, walkers, scooters, and wheelchairs. Some students

with physical disabilities require low assistive technology such as game adaptations, book

adaptations, switch adapted toys, and environmental control access for televisions, videos, tape players, CD players and MP3 players in order to participate

more fully in appropriate recreation and leisure activities. Adaptive seating and positioning systems

determined by the physical and occupational therapist include seat inserts for wheelchairs, side liers, prone standers, and adaptive chairs as an alternative to the

standard classroom seating systems.

ReferencesDisability Rights Network of Pennsylvania. (2008). Assistive technology for persons with disabilities: An overview. Retrieved March 24, 2015 from: http://

drnpa.org/File/publications/assistive-technology-for-persons-with-disabilities—an-overview.pdf

Georgia Department of Education. (2014) Assistive technology devices. Retrieved on March 24, 2015 from http://www.gpat.org/Georgia-Project-for-

Assistive-Technology/Pages/Assistive-Technology-Devices.aspx

Heckendorf, S. (2009). Assistive technology for individuals who are deal or hard of hearing. Assessing students’ needs for assistive technology , Retrieved

from http://www.wati.org/content/supports/free/pdf/Ch13-Hearing.pdf

Stanberry, K. & Raskind, M. (2009). Assistive technology for kids with learning disabilities: An overview. Reading Rockets, Retrieved from

http://www.readingrockets.org/article/assistive-technology-kids-learning-disabilities-overview

The IRIS Center for Training Enhancements. (2010). Assistive Technology: An Overview. Retrieved on March 24, 2015 from

http://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/at/