January 31, 2011

1. Supporting Students with Disabilities Using Technology : Resources Available to Instructors at The University of Texas at Austin College of Education January 31, 2011 Minwook Ok & Michelle Read Doctoral Student in SED GRA in IDEA Studio Doctoral Student in IT GRA in IDEA Studio

2. The IDEA Studio • The IDEA studio provides technology integration support to faculty in College of Education at The University of Texas at Austin • Services include: • Consulting with faculty on curriculum planning that integrates technology; • Collaborating with faculty on research projects; • Delivering curriculum-related technology training to students

3. Learning Technologies Lab(LTL) • It is a lab that hosts a collection of educational technologies available for faculty and students to use and explore • These tools can be demonstrated in college courses or onsite during field experiences • Students can check out selected resources in order tobecome more familiar with the affordances and drawbacks for educators

4. Statistical Data • Recent dramatic growth in the number of students with disabilities in postsecondary environment (Johnson, 2006) • 11% of undergraduates reported having a disability in 2003-04 (NCES, 2006) • Need for postsecondary education personnel to be able to meetlearning needs & foster positive educational experience of these students SSD (2010) UT Disability Groups (Total: 1386)

5. Legal Framework • Section 504 of Rehabilitation Act of 1973 • The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 • The Americans with Disabilities Amendments Act of 2008 These federal laws mandate that institutions of higher learning provide equal access to students with disabilities

6. What Should You Do When You Have Students with Disabilities in Your Class? • Learn more about students with disabilities • Familiarize yourself with services and policies • Examine and improve the accessibility of your course • Meet with students at the beginning of the semester • Encourage students to keep in touch with you during the semester • Do not single out students for special attention in class • Provide alternative materials • Adapt testing • Provide extended deadlines (Boyd, 2007)

7. Types of Disabilities • Invisible Disabilities • Psychological Disabilities • Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD) • Learning Disabilities (LD) • Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) • Mobility Impairment • Deaf or Hearing Impairment • Blind or Visual Impairment • Medical • Temporary

8. Psychological Disabilities-General Info • Examples • Depression • Bipolar Disorder • Schizophrenia • Anxiety & Panic disorder • Obsessive Compulsive Disorder • Social Phobia

9. Psychological Disabilities-General Strategies • Ask students about their specific needs • Ask what will make them most comfortable • Ask if the student is aware of resources available on campus • Try to minimize stress as it can affect functioning • Give permission for students to ask clarifying questions as disability/medication can affect concentration

10. Attention Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD)-General Info • Challenges • Impaired concentration • Poor listening skills • Trouble starting, organizing, & completing tasks • Difficulty following directions & making transitions • Trouble interacting with others • Poor time management skills • Slowed reading speed and problems with reading comprehension & memory

11. AD/HD- General Strategies • Allow students time to process information at their own pace • Ask one question at a time • Work together with student to structure/organize time • Discuss ways for student to break up assignments in a meaningful way • Give student permission to ask questions when they have missed what was said • Encourage student to take notes; Have student restate what was covered • Allow student to move about during session or provide short break (SSD, 2010)

12. Learning Disability (LD)-General Info • Average to superior intelligence • A significant discrepancy between achievement and ability • Often in conjunction with AD/HD • Deficit in one or more of the following areas: • Attention/Memory • Reasoning/Processing • Communication/Social competence/Coordination • Reading/ Writing/ Spelling/Calculation • Emotional maturity

13. Learning Disability (LD)-General Strategies • Provide verbal instruction, as well as written • Allow enough time for given tasks to be completed • Ask student how they best receive and understand information • Use visualization methods • Be patient (SSD, 2010)

14. Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)- General Info • Brain injury due to external or internal events • Challenges: • Memory deficits • More impulsive, distractible, socially inappropriate • Discrepancies in ability levels • Learns some material quickly, some much slower • Comprehension may decrease as complexity/amount of material increases • May need multiple formats and/or strategies to learn material

15. Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)- General Strategies • Be more flexible • Attendance • Schedule • Reduce demands • Altering response modes • Providing recorded books and lectures • Provide Supervision • Planning and monitoring with faculty or counselors • Setting goals, report & evaluate progress

16. Blind or Low Vision-General Info • Vision Impairment • Visual acuity of 20/70 or less in the better eye • A peripheral field is constricted • A progressive loss of vision • Blind • Visual acuity of 20/200 or less in the better eye • Visual filed is less than an angle of 20 degrees • Have some useful vision or light perception

17. Blind or Low Vision-General Strategies • Offer a tour of the space you are in • If things have been moved, offer to describe the changes • Keep walkways clear of obstructions • Describe things instead of pointing at them • A person’s cane is part of their personal space • Remember guide dogs are not to be petted or distracted while they are on duty • Good lighting is important • Difficulty with sight does not indicate difficulty with hearing

18. Deaf or Hearing Impairment-General Info • Characteristics • Vary greatly in the degree and type of hearing loss • Hearing aids do not clarify sound, simply amplify sounds • In a typical classroom environment, the students may experience significant communication difficulty • Students who with hearing impairment may be able to communicate orally • Deaf students may rely on a visual mode of communication

19. Deaf or Hearing Impairment-General Strategies • Find out student’s preferred mode of communication • Consider seating arrangement • Learn important sign language for emergencies • Speak to student, regardless of whether or not they use an interpreter • Get their attention • Speak slowly and clearly; Repeat • Use over exaggerated gestures, facial expressions, lip movement • Write down important information • Do not make student feel left out • Provide outlines for class/activity before each class • Reduce background noise • When using video clips, provide captions or scripts

20. Mobility Impairment-General Info/Strategies • Examples: • Spinal cord injury, paralysis, cerebral palsy • Working with: • Remember that an impairment in one area does not indicate impairment in another • Be considerate of the extra time it may take someone to move around or complete a task • Make sure the space you are using is accessible • A person’s wheelchair is a part of their personal space • Being at a person’s eye level is always a sign of respect

21. Medical Disabilities-General Info/Strategies • Examples: • Diabetes, Cancers, AIDS and others • Working with: • Often invisible • May experience fatigue • Get facts before acting on your first impression • Be sensitive of the condition of the air/light

22. Supporting Students with Disabilities Using Technology : Available Technology Resources

23. Universal Design-Flexible Technology • Technology need not be designed specifically for students with disabilities in order to benefit them (Plosa, 2003) • “Technology should be flexible enough to be used by many people for many different purposes (Wood, 2001).” • Many of the technologies discussed here benefit both students with varying disabilities and those without.

24. LTL & AT lab • Learning Technologies Lab • SZB 437 • 512-232-2189 • http://ows.edb.utexas.edu/site/learning-technologies-lab-0 • Assistive Technology Lab • SZB 518E • 512-471-4655

25. Invisible Disabilities-Technology Supports • Listening/Memory • Computer Pen • Pulse Smart Pen/Fly fusion Pen (LTL) • Digital Audio Recorders • iPod touch/iPod nano (LTL) • Reading • Dictionary • Wizcom Reading Pen (LTL) • Merriam-Webster Speaking Dictionary & Thesaurus (AT Lab) • Accessible Materials • E-text • Mp3 file (SSD) • OCR & Scanner • Kurzweil 3000 (PCL/SSD) • Wizcom reading pen (LTL)

26. Invisible Disabilities-Technology Supports • Writing/Organizing • Concept Map • Inspiration (LTL) • Web 2.0 mind map sites (FREE) • Word processor • Spell & Grammar Check • Word prediction Software • Co Writer: Solo (AT Lab) • Speech Recognition • Dragon Naturally Speaking (AT Lab/PCL)

27. Invisible Disabilities-Technology Supports • Interactive Whiteboards(LTL (Mimio) & LTC rooms(Promethean)) • Can accommodate multiple learning styles • Tactile • Audio • Visual • Specifically benefits students with: • Learning disabilities • ADHD • Visually impaired • Hearing impaired • Mobility impaired http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Interactive_whiteboard_at_CeBIT_2007.jpg

28. Blind or Low Vision-Technology Supports • Screen reader • JAWS (PCL) • Scan/Read system • Kurzweil • Scanner (PCL) • CCTV & Zoom text screen magnifier (PCL) • TextAloud MP3 Textreader/MP3 Creator (PCL) • Recorder • Pulse Smart Pen/iPod touch/iPod nano (LTL) • Accessible Materials • E-text • Mp3 file • Braille (SSD)

29. Deaf or Hard of Hearing-Technology Supports • CART (Communication Access Realtime Translation) (SSD) • Convey the oral message to written message on student’s laptop • FM system (SSD) • Instructor’s speech amplifier • Microphone & Transmitter/Receiver & Headset • TTY (Telecommunications device for the deaf) • Text Telephone service (SSD)

30. Mobility Impairments-Technology Supports • Wheelchair mobility service (SSD) • Digital Audio Recorder • Smart Pulse Pen (LTL) • iPod touch/iPod nanos (LTL) • Mouse • Gyration Air Mouse (LTL)

31. On-Campus Resources • Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) • http://www.utexas.edu/diversity/ddce/ssd/index.php • ATEC lab (SSD) • PCL Assistive Technology Room: 1-866-895-4250 • AT lab/ LTL (SZB): 232-2189 • Behavior Concerns Advice Line (BCAL): 232-5050 • Undergraduate Writing Center (UWC): 471-6222 • Counseling and Mental Health Center (CMHC): 471-3515 • UHS-Health Promotion Office: 475-8252

32. Off-Campus Resources • Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services (DARS) : 1-800-628-5115 http://www.dars.state.tx.us/ • Funding • Vocational based • Career counseling • Adaptive equipment • Texas Technology Access Program (TTAP) • 232-0740 http://techaccess.edb.utexas.edu/contact3.html# • Recordings for the Blind and Dyslexic • www.rfbd.org

33. References Boyd, D.R.(2007). Teaching students with disabilities: A proactive approach. Retrieved onFebruary, 2007 from Association for Psychological Science at http://www.psychologicalscience.org/observer/getArticle.cfm?id=2132 Fichten, C. S., Asuncion, J. V., Barile, M., Genereux, C., Judd, D., Robillard, C., Simone, C. D., & Wells, D. (2001). Technology integration for students with disabilities: Empirically based recommendations for faculty. Educational Research and Evaluation, 7(2-3), 185-221. Fichten, C.S., Goodrick, G., Amsel, R., &Libman, E. (1996). [Original article and title are in Japanese]. Teaching college students with disabilities: A guide for professors. In Y. Tomiyasu, R. Komatsu, and T. Koyazu (Eds.), Support for university students with disabilities: A new feature of universities (pp. 233-323). Tokyo: Keio University Press.. Horn, L., &Berktold, J. (1999). Students with disabilities in postsecondary education: A profile of preparation, participation and outcomes. (NCES 1999-187). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education and National Center for Education Statistics. Johnson, A.L. (2006). Students with disabilities in postsecondary education:Barriers to success and implications for professionals. Retrieved on May 18, 2007 from VISTAS 2006 Online at http:counselingoutfitters.com/Johnson.htm Lynch, R. T., &Gussel, L. (1996). Disclosure and self-advocacy regarding disability-related needs: Strategies to maximize integration in postsecondary education. Journal of Counseling & Development, 74(4), 352-357. National Center for Education Statistics (1999). Students with disabilities inpostsecondary education: A profile of preparation, participation, and outcomes.NCES 1999-187, Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education. National Center for Education Statistics (2006). Profile of Undergraduates in U.S. Postsecondary Education Institutions: 2003-04, With a Special Analysis of Community College Students. NCES 2006-184, Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education. Plosa, S. (2003). Interactive Whiteboards: An Assistive Technology for Special Education and Inclusion Classrooms. Presentation Tools Quarterly, 2(3). Wood, J.M. (2001). Every kid can! Instructor. Retrieved November 10, 2010 from http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=4268.

34. You are the key!!!

35. Questions or Comments?