Assistive Technology

The Family Center on Technology and Disability (FCTD) defines high incidence disabilities as the disabilities which affect the greatest number of students (http://www.fctd.info/show/home). According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the highest numbers of students between the ages of 3 and 21 who receive services for disabilities through federally supported programs are enrolled in the following categories: specific learning disabilities, speech or language impairments, intellectual disability, emotional disturbance, other health impairments, and developmental delay (http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/). These categories are very broad. For example, “other health impairment” can include diabetes, ADHD, epilepsy, anemia, a heart condition, or Tourette syndrome. In addition to, there are also a large number of students who experience multiple disabilities.

As a classroom teacher, I will likely encounter many students that experience identified or non-identified high incidence disabilities. Children with high incidence disabilities may need relatively little accommodations or interventions to allow them to access the general curriculum. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA) states that all children should receive a “free and appropriate public education” in a “least restrictive environment”. When considering placement and the IDEA, Individual Education Program (IEP) teams often decide that students with high incidence disabilities are likely to benefit most from instruction in the general or mainstream classroom. However, the IEPs for these students may identify a variety of services and tools that will be required to improve their access to learning. Schools are now required to consider the benefits assistive technologies could bring to children who experience specific disabilities. General classroom teachers have the responsibility to ensure that the needs of the children in their classes are being met in accordance with the IEPs they sign. The principles of Universal Design encourage teachers to also consider how to use differentiation, technologies, and other resources and strategies to accommodate the needs of all learners, not just those with specific disabilities.

The 2004 IDEA defined assistive technologies as “any item, piece of equipment, or product system, whether acquired commercially off the self, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities of a child with a disability. Assistive technology allows individuals with disabilities to perform tasks and express their understanding when these might otherwise have been difficult or impossible. Assistive technologies may help individuals be more independent by helping overcome obstacles in learning, communication, or access. There is an enormous variety in what is can be considered an assistive technology for learners with disabilities. Assistive technologies can include wheelchairs, computer software, alternative input keyboards, planners, and homemade flashcards. Educational teams within schools are now required to consider assistive technology needs as they are developing student IEPs.
The Family Center on Technology and Disability (FCTD) state that assistive technologies were once predicted to be able to help 35 percent of students with learning disabilities or health impairments (high incidence disabilities), 75 percent of students with autism or TBI, and 100 percent of students with physical or multiple disabilities (low incidence disabilities). Assistive technologies were at the time most commonly thought of in terms of materials which helped learners with physical or severe disabilities because it was easier to see how tools such as wheel chairs, Braille books, and hearing aids replaced the lost or impaired functions of a particular learner Since then, assistive technologies have been developed and adapted from their original function to serve a larger variety of student needs. Computer, software, internet technologies are increasing the variety and availability of assistive technologies available to teachers and parents of students with disabilities. Our conceptions of assistive technologies have also changed in ways that have greatly expanded the use of these technologies in cases of high incidence disability.

However, as research expands and includes students with mild or learning disabilities, there has also been a greater need for communication between all those involved in a students learning regarding the assistive technology being used. It is often more difficult to determine how a particular assistive technology improves an impaired function and how or when a particular assistive technology should be used. In one case study, a college biology student with dyslexia describes how the extended time and a computer program which highlighted and read aloud the words aloud which he required in order to take exams cause concern for his professor. The instructor who was unsure whether the same technologies that allowed the student equal access to the test material would also give the student an unfair advantage over others taking the test without similar accommodations (http://www.washington.edu/doit/Faculty/articles?217).

According to Recesso and Orrill, areas that often present challenges to learners with disabilities include “organization and planning; reading, processing, and understanding language; writing and spelling; and expressing ideas through language.” The GreatSchools website provides articles and information on assistive technologies that are available for students who struggle with math, listening, writing, reading, organization and memorization. In math, assistive technologies that may be commonly used include electronic worksheets, paper-based computer pens which link audio lecture recordings to student notes, and talking calculators. Students who struggle with listening may benefit from personal FM listening systems with transmit sound more directly and variable speed tape recorders. Assistive technologies that now allow students with writing disabilities to express themselves in a written format include, abbreviation expander software, alternative keyboards, graphic organizers and outlines, portable word processors, proofreading software programs, speech recognition software programs speech synthesizers/screen readers, talking spell-checkers and electronic dictionaries, and word prediction software programs. Students with reading disabilities may consider using audio and book publications, optical character recognition which scans and reads print aloud, paper-based computer pens, speech synthesizers or screen readers, and variable tape recorders. Students who struggle with organization and memory may be trained to use free-form database software which records and retrieves notes, information data managers which help when planning, and a paper-based computer pen. (http://www.greatschools.net/articles/?p=1&topics=188&language=EN)

Assistive technologies such as those listed above could cause a significant improvement in learning for students with high incidence disabilities who I will hopefully soon be teaching in a 10th grade biology setting. I wanted to see how available these technologies might be for my students, so I researched the availability of audio recordings for the textbook I am currently using in a high school general biology course. I found a CD with the text available in a read-aloud format. However the recording was not cheap and did not include read aloud versions of the problems, teats, and worksheets. These types of recordings could significantly reduce the stress placed on beginning biology students to read and quickly internalize new terms. Biology is infamous for requiring large amounts of memorization from beginning students. I think the graphic organizers, read-alouds, and note recall devises listed as assistive technologies for students with high incidence disabilities could very well be valuable and appropriate tools to provide to all students in introductory biology courses.

My practicum field experience last spring introduced me to many students with attention deficit hyperactive disorders and students who were identified with emotional disturbance. I was curios and also researched what assistive technologies might assist these students in a high school classroom and found that assistive technologies can vary greatly in complexity as well as function. Low technological support tools for behavior that may improve a student’s learning include multipurpose point sheets, behavior contracts, and behavior charts or graphs. These tools help lower anxiety by having students write down their goals and the teacher’s expectations in an organized chart or point sheets. These goals can also be tied to rewards which help motivate students. “Mid tech” solutions include lights that signal when students can talk and remind students of what is appropriate in different settings, iPods which can keep students calm and focused, or serve as a reward, and pager-like devises which remind students of the tasks and goals they are trying to reach and allow them to work on task with fewer prompts and direction from the teacher. Higher technology approaches included advanced videos, games, and software programs which engage students or allow them to work individually. (http://at4schools.wetpaint.com/page/Technology+Aided+Strategies+for+students+who+are+Emotionally+Disturbed)