assistive technologies for learners with impairments

April 7 2016

Assistive technology devices may include low-tech items like a raised table or sophisticated software for voice recognition. By increasing independence and access to education, these devices allow students with disabilities to function more fully, particularly if the technology gains social acceptance. Many students with visual, learning, expressive, hearing or physical disabilities can reach their potential by using assistive technology that matches their individual needs.

Visual Technology A student with a visual impairment can use software to access the electronic world of Web articles, textbooks on CD-DVD and online tests such as Zoom Text and JAWS software for magnification and screen reading. With speech-recognition software, students convert their dictation to written assignments. Web browsers generally include or provide free access to magnification and color contrast.

Learning Devices screen readers and speech-recognition software also help many students with learning disabilities, which provides integrated grammatical help, word prediction and document reading. Some students may prefer apps that provide voice-recognition to search the Web.

Communication Enhancement Expressive disorders, such as Autism Spectrum Disorder, affect communication and social skills. The Pacer Center wrote that an augmentative communication app allowing students to express their needs using photographs and their own voice output. For social skills, it includes the app to help students create stories and join conversations such as low tech picture communication boards with images of food, people or locations also encourage students to express their needs.

Hearing Assistance In the classroom, assistive listening devices amplify the instructor's voice with Loop; a student can wear a loop receiver or use his existing hearing aid to pick up the electromagnetic signals. An FM device amplifies a lecture through radio waves, requiring the instructor to wear a microphone and the student a receiver. Real-time captioning is helpful for both deaf and hard of hearing students through projection of the instructor's lecture on a screen. Closed-captioning technology can also make videos accessible. Such devices may also benefit students with attention deficit disorder.

Physical Accommodations Ergonomic chairs, raised desks, specialized keyboards and mouse adaptations can benefit many students with physical disabilities. A student with cerebral palsy may benefit from an enlarged keyboard and a student with one hand from a Dvorak keyboard. Voice-recognition software is useful for many disabilities can speed word processing.