Assistive Technology in the Classroom

Session 2 Overview of Assistive Technology

Presentation Agenda Definition of Assistive Technology Student Examples Categories of Assistive Technology AT Support from SET-BC AT Online Resources

Assistive Technology Any item, piece of equipment, or system, whether acquired commercially, modified, or customized that is commonly used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities. Examples: adapted mouse, switch, screen magnifier, SGD, text reader, F/M system

IDEA Individuals with Disabilities Education Act United States legislation – amended in 2004 to IDEIA School districts, by law, MUST provide assistive technology to any student having a classified disability Result of legislation – significant amount of AT development in North America Currently no analogous legislation in Canada Levels of AT service provision and support vary widely between provinces

Think about this… Do you think we need this type of legislation in Canada? What do you think the various implications might be if it were put in place? Would it make your job easier or more challenging?

Jelissa Very capable visually impaired high school student Dual medium user – braille and large print JAWS, Magic, Kurzweil 1000, Accessible Graphing Calculator, Braillenote 32

John Grade 12 student with acquired quadriplegia Gifted video maker completed regular program Accesses laptop and software using Jouse joystick and on-screen keyboard Also uses voice recognition and Kurzweil 3000 for reading and writing

Shannon 15 year old student with multiple physical and communication challenges Uses jellybean switch to access her Step-by- Step communication device and Intelliswitch to connect to her laptop Just starting to use Speaking Dynamically Pro

Bryce Struggles with reading and writing Uses a Macintosh desktop with Clicker 5 to develop his literacy and numeracy skills Now able to count, play games with peers, read story books to others Really enjoys the technology Learn more about Bryce

Jonathan Non-verbal Cerebral Palsy High functioning Uses direct selection on Pathfinder and uses not only for communication but as his cell phone!

Travis Learning disability affecting his reading and writing Uses laptop with Kurzweil 3000 and Dragon Naturally Speaking Independent technology user Has discovered the joy of reading!

Watch this… Now that you’ve heard about some examples of students using assistive technology successfully, check out a video of a young girl using a joystick, switch and onscreen keyboard to write. Me and My Computer Me and My Computer (Elina) (4:14 min) See if you can figure out how she is able to write on the computer…

Break Time!

AT Categories Communication aids Computer access aids Daily living aids Education and learning aids Environmental aids Hearing and listening aids Mobility and transportation aids Prosthetics and Orthotics Vision and reading aids

SET-BC AT Categories Physical Access technologies Intellectual Access technologies Vision technologies Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) technologies

Physical Access Technologies Computing Devices and Software Options Switches and Scanning Options Alternate Keyboard Options Pointing Device Options

Intellectual Access Technologies Literacy and Numeracy Software Kurzweil 3000, Clicker 5, Classroom Suite 4, SOLO Organizational Software Inspiration, Kidspiration, Draft:Builder Cognitive Support Technologies Pocket Endeavour Suite / PDA iPrompts on iPod

Vision Technologies Low Vision Screen magnifiers, talking word processors, text readers, CCTV, room viewers Blind Screen readers, braille translation software, notetakers, embossers

Augmentative and Alternate Communication Technologies (AAC) Communication Software Boardmaker/Plus/SDP, Picture It!, Gus Communication Hardware Single message devices Multiple message devices Dynamic display devices Icon sequencing devices Text to speech devices

Break Time!

Session 2 Discussion Forum Starting your AT Implementation Plan In your small group… Read the student profile Discuss the questions Decide what category of assistive technology the student needs

SET-BC Special Education Technology British Columbia Mandate To provide support to public and recognized independent school based teams implementing assistive technology with students with physical disabilities, intellectual disabilities, visual impairments or communication disorders including autism.

SET-BC Service Delivery Model Pre-request consultation Request for Service Collaborative Action Plan (CAP) Selection and delivery of technology School based team training Implementation and transition support Technical support and equipment maintenance

Session 2 Activity Spend 10 minutes exploring the SET-BC site ( Visit the Service Delivery area to learn about the SET-BC process Visit the Learning Centre to learn about the many support resources for helping you learn about assistive technology

AT Online Resources Search “assistive technology” Search individual technologies (e.g. “Dana”) Search individual disabilities (e.g. “autism”) Search AT vendors (e.g. “Mayer Johnson”) Search AT leaders (e.g. “Linda Burkhart”)

Session Summary Activity Link to Session 2 Summary Activity Session 1 Summary Activity Will be ed to you after this session!

Any Questions? How are you feeling?