IEP Assistive Technology Considerations

Over the past two months I have talked a lot about assistive technology. Over the next two weeks I will go deeper into assistive technology by looking at ways to help students with autism and ways to help students with reading. 

Now I will talk about what the IEP team considers when selecting assistive technology for the students with disabilities. The team thinks specifically about the student’s present level of performance, goals linked to the curriculum, and required tasks for goal achievement to better lead them to the selection and implementation of AT.


There are five steps that they follow.

• Step 1: Review student’s present level of academic achievement and functional performance
• Step 2: Review student’s IEP goals and objectives
• Step 3: Identify tasks to accomplish IEP goals across environments
• Step 4: Determine student’s functional capability to perform tasks across environments
• Step 5: Identify appropriate supports and services, including AT

For more information on each go to this website:

http://specialeducation.pccs.k12.mi.us/sites/specialeducation.pccs.k12.mi.us/files/shared/AT_Consideration_Process_powerpoint_pdf.pdf




References

AT Consideration Process. (n.d.). Retrieved October 29, 2013, from http://specialeducation.pccs.k12.mi.us/sites/specialeducation.pccs.k12.mi.us/files/shared/AT_Consideration_Process_powerpoint_pdf.pdf

iPad Perspectives (Teachers, Parents, and Students)

There are many opposing views to having iPads in schools. Today we will visit three different perspectives, parents, teachers, and students. 

Parents

I have read several different parent comments on having these devices in their own child's school. Most of them are trying to get the iPad banned from schools. They think that the students should stick to books. They do not trust their children with the costly iPads. Parent Lynn Roth says "The district invested millions of dollars into purchasing these iPads which she says contribute to behavioral problems, irregular sleep, and obesity."  Every parent that has visited the schools and saw the iPad in action had a chance of heart. Look at this parent's comments. 

nascarchickk said: Wednesday, September 14, 2011

My child is a student at Muller Rd Middle, and this whole I-Pad thing is a nightmare! Muller Rd is not using TEXTBOOKS at all! The books are not loaded onto the i-pads, contrary to popular belief. There is no use of books at all, the kids are to surf the internet. There is also little or no homework. I am very concerned, and I am looking for moms to ralley with me and complain to the school board so we can get this all thrown out! If you would like to help me go against the school board please message me.

nascarchickk replied: Thursday, September 22, 2011

I went to the school and met with Mrs. Morrerro. Let me tell you I am really impressed! I have completly changed my mind, I would reccomend to anyone that has concerns to go meet with the principal, and do a walk around the school and see the kids in the class rooms. I was totally against this and I have really changed my mind, and think this is a great opportunity for our kids. Thank you

(WACH FOX, 2013)

Teachers

"I’m a teacher in a special school and all of my students have 1:1 technology. Some have iPads, some have note books, some have ipod touches and others have pcs. The iPads are in use for non verbal children or those with severe physical disabilities. We are able to attach them to wheelchairs and tables and have key guards for those with shakey hands. We have also been able to purchase thick rubber surrounds for children who throw them. Of all the tech we have the ipad is the most versatile. There are also many apps available for children with learning difficulties and non verbal children." Cherrylkd (dedwards.me, 2013)

As you can see, many teachers have found the good in iPads. I watched a video that stated that one of her students gained a great load of self esteem when she used an iPad instead of the Communication boards we talked about earlier. The communication board was too chunky and embarrassed her in front of her classmates. Now she has an iPad and her peers now think that it is really neat and always want to be around her. 

Students

Students are saying that using the iPAD was not easy at first but the training sessions helped. They like that the iPads save paper for the environment. It also was a lot easier to keep track of all of your work. There are no papers to lose. Students with disabilities like that they can easily communicate with their peers without a huge piece of equipment. 

(YouTube, 2013)

References

dedwards.me (2013). iPad Mini - A Teacher's Perspective. [online] Retrieved from: http://dedwards.me/2012/11/24/ipad-mini-a-teachers-perspective/ [Accessed: 23 Oct 2013].

WACH FOX (2013). Parents concerned about iPad use in schools. [online] Retrieved from: http://www.wach.com/news/story.aspx?id=662830#.Umf7lvmTgxF [Accessed: 23 Oct 2013].

YouTube (2013). Students talk about using iPads in Middle School. [online] Retrieved from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNn-Wd45auY [Accessed: 23 Oct 2013].

Tablets

Tablets provide ease of access to students with fine motor issues. The bright touch screen attracts the eyes of the students. The content uploaded onto the tablet is easily interchangeable. Tablets are also used for communication to help students who are unable to speak. Students with mostly any disability can benefit from using a tablet. There are numerous apps that can be used for different needs. There are also ways to alter the settings for special reasons. Here are some ways on the iPAD: http://www.apple.com/education/special-education/ios/ .

Below is a video of an 8 year old student, Braden. Braden has autism and is using an iPAD.

References

 Apple.com (2013). Apple - Education - Special Education - iOS. [online] Retrieved from: http://www.apple.com/education/special-education/ios/ [Accessed: 23 Oct 2013].

Chad Udell, F. (2013). Transforming the Classroom: Tablets as Assistive Technology. [online] Retrieved from: http://assistivetechnology.about.com/od/ATCAT6/a/Transforming-The-Classroom-Tablets-As-Assistive-Technology.htm [Accessed: 23 Oct 2013].

Type to Learn Software to teach keyboarding skills

To continue on my last post about using keyboards with special needs students, here are some programs to use with the regular keyboard on the computer.

Do you remember when you had to learn to properly type in school? It was not a fun task for most. I surely was not fond of it. Students with special needs have a harder time to learn to type. Thankfully there are programs to help. 

Keyboard Town PALS uses puppets to teach students where the keys are on the keyboard. It uses memory instead of speed. This program links a story to every letter, every key and the finger that presses them. This software is fun for students and boosts their self esteem. "Students learn by association and are enthralled by adorable puppets who sing songs and tell stories in a relaxed learning environment." (Keyboardtownpals.com, 2013) The program even helps students with spelling and reading as they type.

References

Keyboardtownpals.com (2013). Get It, Got It, Good Video | Keyboard Town PALS. [online] Retrieved from: http://www.keyboardtownpals.com/get-it-got-it-goodvideo/ [Accessed: 23 Oct 2013].

Portable Word Processor

Portable Word Processors

Portable Word Processors are for students who struggle with writing by hand. They are portable and the student can type on it without the confusion of a regular computer. It is also very small and easy to use.

Students that benefit from a portable word processor are: Students with Dysgraphia, Dyslexia, poor spelling skills, reading and decoding issues, ADD/ADHD, and ASD. 

Some popular brands used in schools are Quickpad word processors and Writer Learning  word processors.

References

Gpat.org (2013). Portable Word Processors. [online] Retrieved from: http://www.gpat.org/Georgia-Project-for-Assistive-Technology/Pages/WS-Portable-Word-Processors.aspx [Accessed: 23 Oct 2013].

GreatSchools (2013). Portable Word Processors. [online] Retrieved from: http://www.greatschools.org/special-education/assistive-technology/961-portable-word-processors.gs [Accessed: 23 Oct 2013].

Adapted Keyboards

Earlier we discussed adapted keyboards in the chapter questions. Here are some other keyboards that could help students with disabilities in the classroom.

There are many different ways to adapt a computer so every child can use one in school. One alteration can be the keyboard. Below is a list of the different types that are available. 

• Large key/print keyboards- students that have sight difficulties
• Braile keyboards- little pins on each key- students with little to no vision
• Mini keyboard (requires no strength)- Students with little to no hand movement
• Expanded keyboards- students with sight difficulties
• One-handed keyboard- students with only the use of one hand
• Key guards- students with limited fine motor skills
• On screen virtual keyboard- for students that can only control a mouse or a scanning switch
• Intellikeys adaptive keyboard- uses standard overlays: alphabet, basic writing, QWERTY, web, math access, and mouse access- for students with visual, physical, or cognitive disabilities

(CSU Ohio, 2013)

• Tutorial:  Intellikeys ( http://www.intellitools.com/intellikeys.html )
(YouTube, 2013)
•  This unit comes with a board powered by USB. It has several overlays that have various keyboard layouts (QWERTY, alphabetical, basic writing- a qwerty but less keys, math overlay, mouse keys and a settings/set up overlay)
• You can customize overlays on the website
• Slide in the overlay and wait for the beep
• Start typing 
• It's that easy!
• You can turn down the response rate to make it not type until you hold your finger down on a key.
• You can use key guards on top.

(Intellitools.com, 2013)

References

CSU Ohio (2013). ADAPTIVE TECHNOLOGY LAB EQUIPMENT AND SOFTWARE. [online] Retrieved from: http://www.csuohio.edu/offices/disability/at/equipment/ATL_Equipment_List.pdf [Accessed: 22 Oct 2013].

Intellitools.com (2013). Computer Accessibility through Programmable Keyboards | IntelliKeys. [online] Retrieved from: http://www.intellitools.com/intellikeys.html [Accessed: 22 Oct 2013].

 YouTube (2013). Young student using IntelliKeys USB. [online] Retrieved from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9hdMJmAZ5Q [Accessed: 22 Oct 2013].

Assisted Literacy Software

Assisted Literacy Software is another type of assistive technology used in the classroom.

Assisted Literacy Software is great for students with Dyslexia, ELL students, or any student that is having trouble reading on their level. It is a computer system that teaches the foundation skills for reading.

Reading Horizons is a program that uses a multi-sensory delivery approach. They train the teachers as well as the students. It adapts to whole class, small group and individual settings. " Instruction should start with the most basic concepts then sequentially build to larger, comprehensive concepts that help develop meta-cognitive awareness of the language, thus illuminating text."(Readinghorizons.com, 2013)

(YouTube, 2013)

Watch the video to see how the program works: http://athome.readinghorizons.com/multimedia/method-overview.aspx . I didn't know that there this many rules to why different words sound a certain way. I might have learned it when I was in first grade but I didn't keep the information in my head. 

I honestly was amazed with this program. 

References

Readinghorizons.com (2013). Approach - Reading Horizons. [online] Retrieved from: http://www.readinghorizons.com/our-approach [Accessed: 21 Oct 2013].

YouTube (2013). How Reading Horizons Works for Dyslexia. [online] Retrieved from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtrNUjXlz4w [Accessed: 21 Oct 2013].

Multisensory Educational Software

Assistive technology does not always have to be a device, like we've talked about before. It can include the software that you use with the devices or even a computer. 

Multisensory teaching is simultaneously using multiple pathways in the brain to reach your students. You must have at least two different sensory items to make it multisensory. All students could benefit from this type of teaching. The types of students that would mostly benefit from this are students with special needs and also could help students with different cultural backgrounds, English language learners, and urban and rural students.

A key thing to note is that teachers have to individualize the multisensory experience for each student. "Students with poor eyesight may be frightened by a "flying" bird in the Multi-Sensory Environments, while another whose vision is not impaired may be delighted by the same projected image.Music may be pleasurable for some clients, but too stimulating for others. In another situation, one who is tactile defensive will not want to touch or even have near them any tactile stimuli, and should not be pushed with this, but allowed to explore other aspects of the Multi-Sensory Environment (Especialneeds.com, 2013)." 

A popular math multisensory software program is Touch Math.

In this program the use of touch, hearing, voice and sight are used. The student touches each of the touch points on the numbers to add, subtract, multiply and divide. The program supplements any textbook and compliments the manipulative approach. (Touchmath.com, 2013)

http://www.touchmath.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=about.welcome&gPage=23

Extras:

I found this site really helpful if your school does not have the money to spend on multisensory products: http://www.heidisongs.com/Free_Downloads/assets/Multisensory_Tips_PhonAw-CVC.pdf

References:

Especialneeds.com (2013). What Are The Benefits Of A Multi-Sensory Environment (MSE)?. [online] Retrieved from: http://www.especialneeds.com/what-are-the-benefits-of-a-multi-sensory-environment.html [Accessed: 21 Oct 2013].

Touchmath.com (2013). Welcome to TouchMath, Multisensory Teaching, Learning Math Tools Make Math Fun!. [online] Retrieved from: http://www.touchmath.com/ [Accessed: 21 Oct 2013].

Voice Output Communication Device

Voice output communication devices are used by students who are unable to speak or can not communicate. This device is mainly to allow the student to communicate. Text based and symbol based devices are available. They store frequently used words or phrases in the memory. The phrases are made by pressing two or three buttons. (Gateway2at.eu, 2013)

DynaVox Maestro is a blue tooth small portable device that also includes a built in camera. You can take pictures of real life objects to add them to the buttons. This unit has a touch screen.

(YouTube, 2013)

The DynaVox Eyemax has an eye tracker built in. The student looks at the symbols/phrases and it will select it. This unit has a touch screen also. The student can access the Internet, remote and telephone on this unit. 

References

Gateway2at.eu (2013). Gateway - AT Classifications - Communication Impairment - Voice Output Communication Aids (VOCAs). [online] Retrieved from: http://www.gateway2at.eu/page.php?page_ID=3&gen_ID=12&mensub_ID=4&submen_ID=4&AtDet_ID=55 [Accessed: 23 Oct 2013].

YouTube (2013). DynaVox. [online] Retrieved from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7W85gAt9vo [Accessed: 23 Oct 2013].

Books on CD

This is exactly what it sounds like, A CD that when played reads a book out loud. This is great for readers who are learning how to read, students who can not read and students who are not able to read because of visual impairments. 

Amazon sells a lot of books on CD for various prices. 

Audio books is another great product. They have a app that you can download on your device for free. You pay for each book. There are even chapter books that you can download. Some sites allow you to pay a monthly fee and you receive a new book/s every month. This is better for chapter books or books without pictures, unless you have the physical book with you. 

There is no real tutorial for this product. Take the CD and place it into the CD player. Open the book and press play. 

For the audio books, download the app and purchase the book you want. Press play and listen. 

Scan and Read Software

Scan and Read software can help many students with disabilities. The device works by scanning the text with a scanner. It is then converts the printed document to text that you can edit and read on the computer. It also reads the text to you.

Who can benefit from this program?

• Students with 

• dyslexia 
• visual impairment 
• learning difficulties
• those whose physical impairments that prevent them from handling and reading the printed words

 (Snow.idrc.ocad.ca, 2013)

My biggest issue while looking over this product was the price. The first one I looked at was over $1000 on sale! Luckily, I came across this website that gave me a list of free (yes, FREE!!) options to choose from. 

Free/Open Source OCR Software/Projects

Ocrad is an open source OCR engine that works with the scanning   program Kooka and KDE (GNU/Linux and UNIX)
GOCR by GNU Public License (Linux / Mac / Windows)
SimpleOCR by Simple Software (Windows)
WebOCR by Expervision (Windows)
FreeOCR by Tesseract (Windows)
Microsoft Office Document Imaging (Windows)

(Snow.idrc.ocad.ca, 2013)

Tutorial on Open Book ($$$$)

The program seems relatively easy. You take the document and place it on the scanner. Open the program and press the space bar to begin scanning. To read the whole document, go to Num Lock and press enter. To read the document line by line, use the arrow keys. To stop, press the control bar. You can edit the document and save it. 

References

Snow.idrc.ocad.ca (2013). Scanning and Reading Software | SNOW. [online] Retrieved from: 
http://www.snow.idrc.ocad.ca/content/scanning-and-reading-software [Accessed: 20 Oct 2013].

Naturally Speaking Voice Recognition Software

This device is better known as Dragon Software.

• This software is used along with a computer. It is a lot like word prediction software in the sense that it types what you say into it. You can type a document, email, search the web with it, control items in your home. 
• It is used for anyone who can not or wish to not use their hands to type or control their computer. This can also help students that are visually impaired and students with dyslexia. 
• Times are changing. I have seen a lot of students using their phones to research things in the classroom. Dragon has an app that allows the student to type things into his/her phone by saying commands. 
• For students that have a hard time following quick enough with note taking, Dragon created an app that can be used with Windows 7/8 pc or tablet (only $20 per download). The teacher would speak into the microphone and the words go directly to the pc/tablet. 

Tutorial Dragon Naturally Speaking 12

• This device is run with a computer or tablet.
•  You need a microphone to operate it. You can use the one built in to your computer or buy a headset that includes one. 
• At first it gives you a few sayings that you have to repeat into the microphone. This is supposed to help the program recognize the way that you talk. 
• You can edit your document, select text, move the insertion point and format by speaking also. 
• It seems like it is a lot to handle at first for students but I believe that in the long run, the hard work will be worth it.

Talking Word Processors

Talking Word Processors

A talking word processor is an assistive technology device that speaks what is typed into the computer. The student may choose to hear each letter, word, sentence, and/or paragraph as it is typed. 

Some talking word processors used in a classroom are: 

• Classroom Suite (IntelliTools)
• Write:OutLoud (Don Johnston) 
• ReadingMadeEZ (Premier Literacy)

                                                                                             (Gadoe.org, 2013)

Tutorial Review (Premier Literacy)

• The program looks like a regular word processing program like Microsoft Word. It has larger buttons so the student can easily click on the options. 
• When you save the program in the talking word processor program, you can save it as a Microsoft Word document or a html file. 
• On top of the program saying what you are typing, it also predicts what you are going to type next like the last device we went over.  The box holds up to 18 words (9 on each page when you press the down arrow) 
• One issue I have noticed is that it speaks so fast that you can barely make out some of the words. This happens a lot when it says short words.

Tutorial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GymZItGH1m8

References:

Gadoe.org (2013). Georgia Department of Education. [online] Retrieved from: http://www.gadoe.org/Curriculum-Instruction-and-Assessment/Special-Education-Services/Georgia-Project-for-Assistive-Technology/Pages/Talking-Word-Processing-Software.aspx [Accessed: 20 Oct 2013].

Word Prediction Software

For the next 12 posts, I will be talking about some useful types of assistive technology that can be used in the classroom. 

Word Prediction software is a tool used for students who have difficulty in getting their words out onto the computer or paper. This software works by the user inputting a string of characters, and the software guesses the possible words the student is attempting to spell.

Some Word Prediction Software used in schools:

Aurora Suite
Co:Writer SOLO
EZ Keys for Windows, Words+, Inc
SpeakQ (integrates multiple AT techniques)
TextHelp, Read and Write Gold (integrates multiple AT techniques)
WordQ, Quillsoft

Below is a video of Speak Q/ Word Q in action with adults who have suffered from a brain trauma and aphasia.

Tutorial

It might be easier for you to understand this software if I brake it down for you. I have chosen a software from the list above. 

I have selected Speak Q software to watch the tutorials on. There are 13 videos that I watched, each at about one minute long.

• It seems that the best way to use this software is with a microphone. It is better if the microphone is a headset to block out all of the outside noise. 
• This product looks like it is easy to set up. The sentences the student has to repeat to learn his/her voice only has about five words. When using the software, the student types what words are known and when an unknown word arises that student can type the first letter/s. A box will pop up and three word choices are given. When you put your cursor over the word, it says it.
• If the word is not there, the student can hit the voice button and speak the word. Three more choices are given and the student chooses from the three. The student can also say a whole sentence and the program will type it out. After a period is typed the sentence is read back to the user. 
• When you get more acquainted with the program and it is recognizing your voice more, you can begin to use the speak continuously option. This option is faster because you do not have to select the words in the box. 
• The prediction software chooses words after it has read the rest of your sentence. It uses context clues to help with smaller words.
• There are also hotkeys that can be used with this program.
• Here are the tutorials: http://www.goqsoftware.com/resources/videos/

References:

Goqsoftware.com (2013). videos » goQ : Home of wordQ + speakQ : Word Prediction, Spoken Feedback & Speech Recognition Software. [online] Retrieved from: http://www.goqsoftware.com/resources/videos/ [Accessed: 19 Oct 2013].

GreatSchools (2013). Word prediction software programs. [online] Retrieved from: http://www.greatschools.org/special-education/assistive-technology/966-word-prediction-software-programs.gs [Accessed: 19 Oct 2013].

Continued from last post. What I have learned...

Below are a few things that I thought were interesting and could help me become a better teacher in the field of Special Education.

AT Assessment Process in the School Environment

• One key thing to note I have noticed in this section is that you do not need an AT specialist for the assessment. It is recommended but not required. The IEP team is required, AT specialist, parent and student are only recommended but they are ideal.

• I also did not know that AT labs existed. This is an area where the student can try out some of the AT equipment to see if it is a good fit for them. This would only be for a short time though. It is recommended that the student use the device in their own environment for a longer trial period. There are also AT program centers. These centers help individuals find devices that fit their needs, make devices available for trial purposes, and help provide funding through low interest loans.

AT Consideration in the IEP Process

• I was surprised with how short the consideration checklist was for assistive technology. 
• It was only about 1 1/2 pages long. 
• http://www.atinternetmodules.org/mod_doc.php?mod_id=107

Automatic Speech Recognition

• I love ASR. It opens up a whole world of opportunities for students with a limited fine motor skills when using a computer. It also can be used with voice commands to operate a wheel char and use household appliances etc..
• Students with speech problems could also use this device.


• According to Fellbaum and Koroupetroglou (2008), in their article: "Principles of Electronic Speech Processing with Applications for People with Disabilities",


• Persons with brain damage, autism, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, intellectual impairment, or strokes, are often unable to talk intelligibly. If they have a certain ability to control their articulators and to repeat any utterance (be it even totally unintelligible speech or any other acoustic utterance) in a similar way, then a speech recognition system can be trained with this kind of 'vocabulary', it can generate text or commands and finally, with the aid of a speech synthesizer, the production of intelligible synthetic speech is possible. (p. 75)  (Modules, 2013)

References

 Modules, A. (2013). Assistive Technology Internet Modules | Welcome. [online] Retrieved from: http://www.atinternetmodules.org/mod_view.php?nav_id=1185 [Accessed: 20 Oct 2013].

Assistive Technology Internet Modules

Today I visited another website on what we have been talking about for the past few weeks, assistive technology. ( http://www.atinternetmodules.org/mod_list.php ) This website is free and easy to navigate through. First I will tell give you a summary of the videos ( which are not hours long, it should be minutes). The videos are about the AT assessment process in the school environment. 

The videos below are the introduction videos for each section of the module. After each video is all the information you need to know about the topic including a pre and post evaluation you can take to test your knowledge on the subject. The first video below is about the assistive technology assessment process in the school environment. The second states that there is a consideration process that the IEP team needs to go through to find the appropriate assistive technology device for a student. The third video talks about automatic speech recognition and how it has improved over the years. They even say that if you have failed with automatic speech recognition, you should give it another try. 

1. http://www.atinternetmodules.org/mod_intro.php?mod_id=148
2. http://www.atinternetmodules.org/mod_intro.php?mod_id=107
3. http://www.atinternetmodules.org/mod_intro.php?mod_id=96

I have taken the pre and post evaluations for each of these areas and I was surprised with how well I did. My scores on the pre evaluations were 6/7, 7/7 and 7/7. I looked over all of the information given after each quiz and then answered the post evaluations. I liked how it tells you why each answer is correct or incorrect. 

This website had a lot of great information on each area. It really broke everything down for me and and gave plenty of student examples to go with each.

Assistive Technology for Computer Access (Ch 8)

• 1.What is the assistive technology continuum, and what is its significance?
• Devices range from low tech to high tech in the assistive technology continuum.  Technology consideration begins at the low-tech end and progresses to mid-tech and high tech solutions. This is only if the student's needs remain unmet. The most appropriate device is determined through careful evaluation and actual usage. 

• 2.Major types of alternative keyboards and students for whom each type would be appropriate.

• Expanded keyboards (enlarged keyboards)- for students with poor fine motor control who need a larger target area

• Mini keyboard- students with motor impairments that (1) restrict their range of motion and (2) have good accuracy within a narrow range of motion
• One-Handed keyboard- students that have good finger dexterity but use of only one hand,
• On Screen keyboard- for students who do not have the motor control to use the keyboard.

• 3. Major types of mouse emulators and the students that would benefit from them.
• Trackballs- students with poor fine motor control in their upper extremities and those who use a foot to operate the trackball
• Joysticks- students that have limited control of their fingers and hands.
• Head Pointing Systems- students who can not use their hands for operating the mouse, students with muscular dystrophy and spinal cord injurys
• Eye-Gaze System- Students who cannot use their hands or head

• 4. Computer accessible alternate input and output devices for students with vision impairments and blindness-
• Screen Magnification-provides an enlarged view of text, images and entire desktop
• Screen Readers- provides an auditory output for the elements that are visible on a computer monitor. The screen reader speaks the contents of dialog boxes, menus and other text on the screen.
• Refreshable Braille- sits in front of the keyboard and is like the braille paper. The keys have raised bumps.

Ease of Access and Universal Access (Chapter 7)

Both Macintosh and Windows 7 provide additional support for students with disabilities. Below are some of the features along with which students would benefit from them underneath.

• Control computer solely with mouse or keyboard
• students with poor fine motor control
• students with limited range of motion
• students with difficulty in visually tracking mouse pointer
• receive information by reading the monitor or listening with text-to-speech
• students with reading disabilities or attention deficits 
• one-button mouse
• students who are able to use only one hand or has better control with one hand
• enlarged icons
• Students with 
• low vision
• visual perceptual issues 
• hand-eye coordination problems
• hand tremors
• poor fine motor control
• cognitive deficits
• set speed of mouse travel
• increase for students with limited range of motion
• decrease for students with visual tracking difficulty, poor fine motor control, or difficulty raining head to monitor the movement of the mouse pointer
• set timing for double click
• set keyboard repeat delay
• students with poor fine motor control
• students with difficulty raising head to check for typing accuracy
• set keyboard repeat speed

Below are some additional operating system features are provided for users with disabilities and  the characteristics of students for whom these specific features could be appropriate.

• Students with sensory impairments
• hard of hearing deafness
• replace auditory prompts and signals with visual signals, icons or captions
• visual impairments or blindness
• apply a high-contrast color scheme
• screen magnification

Four Questions you May Have About Assistive Technology in the Classroom (Ch. 6)

This month we will be discussing some different technology devices and programs used in the school system with students with special needs. Below is the first set of 3 chapters of questions. After that we will discuss some different types of assistive technology. Here we go!


What kinds of obstacles do students who are hard of hearing face in the typical classroom?

They may have speech impairments. They have difficulty following lectures, especially if the acoustics are poor in the room or if the teacher speaks quietly. Classrooms might lessen the hearing aids' effectiveness. The student needs to lip read. If the teacher has his/her back to the student, this can not be done. Video presentations are also hard for the student to follow. 

What practices should a teacher follow if she or he has a student in class who uses an assistive listening system?

• - Know about the device being used and train with it. 
• -Discuss the device with the student ahead of time.
• -Position the microphone so it is not near a noise source. It should be 3-5 inches away from the speaker's mouth. 
• -Inform the entire class about how the device will be used during class time. Remind the students to speak one at a time. Repeat questions and comments. Pass the microphone from student to student when needed. 
• - Try to face the student if he/she relies on visual cues. 
• -Use the device for audiovisual presentations.
• -Perform a listening check regularly. Establish and follow a routine maintenance routine and schedule.

What is hearing assistive technology and how can it help students who are hard of hearing?

-Hearing assistive technology- assistive technology that helps people who have hearing losses. Assistive listening devices help reduce the effect of an acoustically unfriendly room. 
ALDs help the students by:

• minimizing background noise (chairs moving, students talking, motors)
• overcoming the weakening effect of sound traveling through air
• reducing the effect of poor room acoustics

What is augmentative communication, and why is it important?

Augmentative communication serves as an alternative to speech for people who cannot talk. Augmentative communication is defined as a way to supplement an individual's method of communication to assist comprehension. It is important in making themselves understood and for conveying clear messages to a variety of audiences.
      -examples include:

• communication boards (low tech) http://www.mayer-johnson.com/boardmaker-software
• ECO-2 (high tech)

References
Dell, A., Newton, D., & Petroff, J. (2012). Assistive technology in the classroom. (2nd ed., pp. 139-160). Boston: Pearson.