Technology and Dyslexia Using Technology to Bridge the Gap of Learning Disabilities

Introduction  Jeff Poblocki  Buffalo, New York

2.2m of Snow in the last 48 Hours

Introduction  Jeff Poblocki  Buffalo, New York  Background in Information Technology  10 th year at The Gow School serve as Director of Technology  The Gow School  College-prep boarding and day school for students with dyslexia and similar language-based learning disabilities  School population unites students from 18 different US states and 23 different countries  Grades 7-12  Founded in Educating dyslexics for 88 years

Dyslexia  What is Dyslexia?  Dyslexia is a reading disability that occurs when the brain does not properly recognize and/or process certain symbols.  Lessons from Dyslexia: 1.Dyslexia does not go way 2.No two dyslexics are alike

Technology’s Role  Dyslexia does not go way  Can not “fix” users problem  No two dyslexics are alike  Users are not the same How do we develop/deploy technologies that target a unique set of problems depending on the user?

Technology’s Role  There is no one size fits all solution.  Deploy an array of technologies to all users and train them in the methods that best fit their disability  Multi Sensory

Technology at The Gow School  Hardware  Standardized across campus for students and faculty  Lenovo – Windows Based Laptops  Software  “Assistive Technology”

Text to Speech

Kurzweil 3000

Speech to Text

Dragon NaturallySpeaking

Concept Mapping

Inspiration

Combining Assistive Technologies Dragon NaturallySpeaking Kurzweil 3000

Combining Assistive Technologies Kurzweil 3000 Inspiration

Combining Assistive Technologies Inspiration Dragon NaturallySpeaking

Other Programs  Bring You Own Device Program  iPads (Siri)  Second Screen  On going research  2 PhDs on staff  Working to develop a system to assess these tools for better deployment

Strengths of Dyslexia

Goal Empower our students.