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Assistive TechnologyBy: Daphne BurkhalterED 505 Technology and Education
What is Assistive Technology? Assistive Technology, is any device or provision that benefits a student with a disability to meet his or her individualized education programgoals. The use of assistive technology is to enable students to participate in the overall education setting.
IDEA 2004 Assistive Technology IDEA, Individuals with Disabilities Education Actis a comprehensive Federal ruling that authorizes each student with a disability to a free appropriate public education (FAPE). The IDEA, Improvement Act 2004 address some issues from the past 1997 Act. IDEA 2004 includes that every IEP should “Consider whether the child needsassistive technology devices and services.” The IDEA Improvement Act 2004 offers every child with a disability (IEP) or 504 assistive technology services, devices or both.
IDEA, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act* Each school must ensure that assistive technology devices or terms defined in Sec. Sec. 300.5 and 300.6, are made available to a child with a disability if required as a part of the child's special education plan under Sec. 300.36;* Related services under Sec. 300.34; or supplementary aids and services under Sec. Sec. 300.38 and 300.114(a)(2)(ii). * On a case-by-case basis, the use of school-purchased assistive technology devices in a child's home or in other settings is required if the child's IEP team determines that the child needs access to those devices in order to receive (FAPE), free appropriate public education.
Hearing Impaired If a student has been identified as hearing impaired and the IEP or 504 states that an assistive hearing device is necessary for the student to receive a free appropriate public education the school district is required to purchase the technology. FM System The FM system is prefect for the classroom. It is portable and can go from class to class with the student. The teacher will wear a small microphone 5 to 7 inches from her mouth, while the student wears a receiver. The receiver is very small and can be placed inside a student's personal hearing aid. The technology amplifies the teachers voice and can be heard even with her back to the students. The FM system has proven to be a successful classroom assistive listening device.
Seeing Impaired If a student has been identified as vision impaired and the IEP or 504 states that an assistive device is necessary for the student to receive a free appropriate public education the school district is required to purchase the technology. Braille Lite Braille Lite is a note taker that allows students to type notes in class using a specialized keyboard. A Braille display on the front lets students check what they've written, and an optional speech function reads the text aloud. The device can attach to a PC and print their notes. Students may also connect to a standard printer and print in large type, or on an embosser in Braille. Classroom handouts can be converted into Braille. The teacher may scan pages into a computer, using software programs such as Duxbury and WinBraille to convert the text into Braille, and then print it on the embosser.
Learning Disability If a student has been identified with a learning disability and the IEP or 504 states that an assistive device is necessary for the student to receive a free appropriate public education the school district is required to purchase the technology. A speech recognition program aids students with writing disabilities. The student speaks into a microphone, and the articulated words appear on the computer screen as text. This can help a student whose verbal skills are better than writing skills. The program works with a word processor.
Students speak into the microphone and words appear as text on the computer screen.
Physically DisabledHead Wands If a student has been identified as physically disabled and the IEP or 504 states that an assistive device is necessary for the student to receive a free appropriate public education the school district is required to purchase the technology. There are many different types of head wands available today. Some include head pointers, head sticks and pointer grippers. The head wand fits over a individuals head and can support the user with a large variety of daily task. The wands are useful for individuals who suffer from cerebral palsy, spinal cord injuries, brain injuries or upper extremities. A person can move their head and make the head wand pilot the keyboard, turn pages and approach any touchscreen device.
References Abledata.com Able Data: ProductsAbledata.com,. (2015). Able Data: Products. Retrieved 8 March 2015, from http://www.abledata.com/abledata.cfm?pageid=19327&top=10827&trail=22,10825 Assistive Technology for Kids with Learning Disabilities: An Overview Reading Rockets,. (2012). Assistive Technology for Kids with Learning Disabilities: An Overview. Retrieved 8 March 2015, from http://www.readingrockets.org/article/assistive-technology-kids-learning-disabilities-overview Californiaearinstitute.com,. (2015). Hearing Device Center * Classroom Assistive Listening Device * California Ear Institute * Ear Doctors * Palo Alto. Retrieved 8 March 2015, from http://www.californiaearinstitute.com/hearing-device-center-listening-device-classroom-bay-area.php IDEA - Building The Legacy of IDEA 2004Idea.ed.gov,. (2015). IDEA - Building The Legacy of IDEA 2004. Retrieved 8 March 2015, from http://idea.ed.gov/explore/view/p/,root,regs,300,B Out of Sight: Technology Helps Visually Impaired Students ThriveEdutopia,. (2015). Out of Sight: Technology Helps Visually Impaired Students Thrive. Retrieved 8 March 2015, from http://www.edutopia.org/edward-r-murrow-technology-visually-impaired Tamcec.org,. (2015). Retrieved 8 March 2015, from/ http://tamcec.org/pdf/AssistiveTech%20and%20I WebAIM: Motor Disabilities - Assistive TechnologiesWebaim.org,. (2012). WebAIM: Motor Disabilities - Assistive Technologies. Retrieved 8 March 2015, from http://webaim.org/articles/motor/assistive#mouthstick