Assistive Technology For Students With Visual Impairments

Our next topic is Assistive Technology

According to Gaylen Kapperman and Jodi Stricken,

"If students with visual impairments are to participate on an equal basis with their sighted peers, must must be given the opportunity to take advantage of the enormous benefits provided by technology.

Assistive technology enhances the ability of students with visual impairment to obtain vastly increase amounts of information.

In an information-based society, this is an essential capability and opens the possibilities for unprecedented educational and vocational opportunities for students with visual impairments. "

[In Foundation of Education]

Definition:
Assistive Technology Device

Any item, piece of equipment, or product system, whether acquired commercially off the shelf, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities. (PL 100-407, PL 101-476)

Assistive Technology Device:

Any item, piece of equipment, or product system, whether acquired commercially off the shelf, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities. (PL 100-407, PL 101-476)

For a child with a visual impairment, this may include: low vision aids, bold line paper, Braille writers, screen readers, Braille printers, communication devices.

The American Foundation for the Blind and the Texas School Box (TX School for the Blind) are great sources of information on assistive technology.

[Do not define these terms till after the activity defined in slide 5]

Definition: Assistive Technology Service

Any service that directly assists an individual with a disability in the selection, acquisition, or use of an assistive technology device.

Read Slide

Assistive Services Include

Such services include:

 a) the evaluation of the needs of an individual with a disability, including a functional evaluation of the individual in the individual's customary environment-

 b) purchasing, leasing, or otherwise providing for the acquisition of assistive technology devices by individuals with disabilities;

 c) selection, designing, fitting, customizing, adapting, applying, maintaining, repairing, or replacing of assistive technology devices;

 d) coordinating and using other therapies, interventions, or services with assistive technology devices, such as those associated with existing education and rehabilitation plans and programs;

 e) training or technical assistance for an individual with disabilities, or, where appropriate, the family of an individual with disabilities; and

 f) training or technical assistance for professionals (including individuals providing education and rehabilitation services), employers, or other individuals who provide services to, employ, or are otherwise substantially involved in the major life functions of individuals with disabilities.

 34 CFR §300.346(a)(2)(v) "IEP team also shall... consider whether a child requires assistive technology and services."

 

34 CFR §300.308 if IEP team determined that child needs assistive technology to receive FAPE the child may take home assistive technology

 

Assistive Services (con't)

 d) coordinating and using other therapies, interventions, or services with assistive technology devices, such as those associated with existing education and rehabilitation plans and programs;

 e) training or technical assistance for an individual with disabilities, or, where appropriate, the family of an individual with disabilities; and

 f) training or technical assistance for professionals (including individuals providing education and rehabilitation services), employers, or other individuals who provide services to, employ, or are otherwise substantially involved in the major life functions of individuals with disabilities.

 

34 CFR §300.346(a)(2)(v) "IEP team also shall... consider whether a child requires assistive technology and services."

 34 CFR §300.308 if IEP team determined that child needs assistive technology to receive FAPE the child may take assistive technology home

 

General Principles of Assistive Technology

General Principles

 

Assistive technology for students with visual impairments is more than an educational tool, it is a fundamental work tool - it is equivalent to pencil and paper for non-disabled students.

Use of Assistive technology does not automatically make educational and commercial software/tools accessible or usable.

 

Appropriate technology must be introduced at the appropriate time for the student and be based on the student's needs as identified through assessment.

Additional Points:

Assistive technology can only enhance basic skills, it cannot replace them. (Assistive technology should be used as part of the educational process, and can be used to teach basic skills

Students use assistive technology to access and use standard tools, complete educational tasks, and participate on an equal basis with non-disabled peers in the regular electronic educational environment.

Assistive Technology
Evaluation Principles

Assistive Technology Evaluation Principles

 

1 . An assistive technology evaluation must be conducted by a professional, knowledgeable in regular and assistive technology.

 

2. Assistive technology evaluation is an extension of the Learning Media Assessment. You need basic reading and writing functioning found in the LMA, FVE, LVE, etc. to determine and evaluate appropriate assistive technology requirements.

 

3. Assistive technology evaluation must address the alternative and augmentative communication needs for students with multiple impairments.

 

4. To be effective, an assistive technology evaluation should be ongoing and looking 3 years in the future.

 

Assistive Technology
Student Guidelines

Student Guidelines

 

1 . Every student's assistive technology needs are unique. Student needs should be matched with necessary technology rather than matching available equipment to student needs.

 

2. Functional use of assistive technology may require a combination of large print, speech, or Braille. A student may require redundant sensory feedback in addition to their primary learning media (e.g. low vision student using speech output or a totally blind students using speech and Braille in combination).

3. Reading paper materials (print or Braille) may be different from reading electronically (using computer monitor, CCTV, speech output, audio tape, or refreshable Braille).

Assistive Technology
Student Guidelines (con't)

  1. Learning and using asssistive technology is a developmental process. If a student's communicative or sensory functioning (i.e.. Hearing Vision and/or tactual skills), change, a new technology evaluation is needed. Time and instruction is needed for learning new sensory, learning media, and assistive technology/communication skills.

  2. Every student needs a personal communication system (reading and writing) to communicate for themselves and with others.

  3. Recreation, leisure, entertainment and other socialization activities are valid uses of assistive technology.

Assistive Technology
Teacher Guidelines

Teacher Guidelines

 

1 . Teach needed technology skills before they are required. Thus, the student can then focus on regular classroom instruction rather than simultaneously learning curriculum and the new assistive technology skills.

 

2. Technology training for teachers makes students better users of technology and maximizes the impact of monies expended. Keep teacher skills up to date. Training includes allowing teachers to spend scheduled time with a manual and equipment to develop skills and lessons.

 

3. Collaboration between vision/assistive technology teachers, computer teachers, and computer maintenance professionals helps ensure a functional/seamless assistive/regular technology environment.

Examples of Assistive Technology for Students with Visual Impairments

Screen reader - software program that works in conjunction with a speech synthesizer to provide verbalization of everything on the screen including menus, text, and punctuation.

 Screen magnification - software that focuses on a single portion (1/4, 1/9, 1/16, etc.) of the screen and enlarges it to fill the screen.

Refreshable Braille display - provide tactile output of information presented on the computer screen. Unlike conventional Braille, which is permanently embossed onto paper, refreshable Braille displays are mechanical in nature and lift small, rounded plastic pins as need to form Braille characters. The displays contain 20, 40, or 80 Braille cells, after the line is read, the user can "refresh" the display to read the next line.

Braille translation software - translate text and formatting into appropriate Braille characters and formatting.

Closed-Circuit Television - magnify a printed page through the used of a special television camera with a zoom lens and displays the image on a monitor.

Portable notetaker - small portable units that employ either a Braille or standard keyboard to allow the user to enter information. Text is stored in files that cam be read and edited using the built-in speech synthesizer or Braille display. File may be sent to a printer or Braille embosser, or transferred to a computer.

Braille embosser - a Braille printer that embosses computer-generated text as Braille on paper.

Scanners - a device that converts an image from a printed page to a computer file. Optical-character-recognition (OCR) software makes the resulting computer file capable of being edited.

Tactile symbols

Adaptive keyboard- offer a variety of ways to provide input into a computer through various options in size, layout (alphabetical order), and complexity.

Augmentative communication device-tactile symbols, auditory scanning, large print symbols,