ASSISTIVE AND ADAPTIVE TECHNOLGY CURRENT PRACTICE AND FUTURE NEEDS ASSISTIVE AND ADAPTIVE TECHNOLGY CURRENT PRACTICE AND FUTURE NEEDS Presented by Christopher Giarratano, Stephanie Mathosian, Victor Montemurro S.U.N.Y. at Stony Brook, Fall 2000 EST Computer Based Educational Technologies Professor Lorraine Tawfik

Assistive and Adaptive Technology - Current Practice and Future Needs What is the intent of assistive and adaptive technology devices and services?

Assistive and Adaptive Technology - Current Practice and Future Needs Assistive and adaptive technologies help individuals with learning disabilities bypass, work around, or compensate for their disability, increasing independence, participation, and potential.

Assistive and Adaptive Technology - Current Practice and Future Needs HIGH TECH LOW TECH OR EVEN, NO TECH The assistance and adaptation are designed to help the individual have equal access to learning opportunities and to make life easier and more manageable.

Assistive and Adaptive Technology - Current Practice and Future Needs Why use assistive and adaptive technology?

Assistive and Adaptive Technology - Current Practice and Future Needs Individuals with Disabilities Act Originally made law in Provides for “free, appropriate, public education.” Re-authorized in July 1997 after two years of discussion and debate to complete the regulations. Letter of the law versus the spirit of the law.

Assistive and Adaptive Technology - Current Practice and Future Needs Learning disabilities are neither cured nor outgrown. Children with learning differences grow up to be adults with learning differences.

Assistive and Adaptive Technology - Current Practice and Future Needs Assistive and adaptive technology can help. Hard work and helpful tools enable the learning disabled person to work successfully in these areas:

Assistive and Adaptive Technology - Current Practice and Future Needs Assistive Technology: Increases independence. Reduces over-reliance on others. Increases self-esteem. Aids the transition to adulthood Allow the user to accomplish specific tasks on their own.

Assistive and Adaptive Technology - Current Practice and Future Needs When choosing assistive technology, consider: The learner The setting The task to be performed

Table 2.1 Examples of Assistive Technology

Assistive and Adaptive Technology - Current Practice and Future Needs Types of Assistive Technology Written Language Technologies Reading Technologies Organization/Memory Technologies Math Technologies Listening Technologies Vision Technologies

Assistive Technology for the blind or vision impaired: A different way of seeing. Assistive and Adaptive Technology - Current Practice and Future Needs

Magnification:

Closed-circuit television Reading Aids:

Portable Closed Circuit T.V.

Expert Reader: Stand alone text reader

Software Readers:

ZoomText Xtra 7.0

Mountbattan Braille writer:

Braille Companion Notetaker:

Power Brailler:

Assistive and Adaptive Technology - Current Practice and Future Needs Written Language Technologies Word processors Spell checkers Proofreaders Speech synthesizers and screen reviewers Speech recognition systems

Assistive and Adaptive Technology - Current Practice and Future Needs Inspiration: visual and graphic organization

Assistive and Adaptive Technology - Current Practice and Future Needs Co: Writer 4000 and other word prediction software On the third letter of the word interesting, Co: Writer 4000 gave the writer six possible choices. Word prediction software helps the struggling writer.

Assistive and Adaptive Technology - Current Practice and Future Needs AlphaSmart and other alternative keyboards

Assistive and Adaptive Technology - Current Practice and Future Needs Reading Technologies Optical character recognition systems. Used with a scanner and speech synthesizer computer. Known as a “reading machine.” User can both see and hear the words. Kurzweil 3000 from Lernout & Hauspie

Assistive and Adaptive Technology - Current Practice and Future Needs Kurzweil 3000 Computer as reading machine Scanned material may be read in highlighted context and listened to. Various modes of reading may be customized to the individual Study skills tools included.

Assistive and Adaptive Technology - Current Practice and Future Needs Reading Technologies, cont’d Reading pens Books on disk Tape recorders with variable speech control devices Screen review systems Scan a single word for help.

Assistive and Adaptive Technology - Current Practice and Future Needs Organization/Memory Technologies Personal data managers for computers or hand-held: written data entry or spoken. Free-form databases allow the user to enter data randomly and retrieve it with any single word within the data

Assistive and Adaptive Technology - Current Practice and Future Needs Math Technologies Talking calculators Electronic math worksheets

Assistive and Adaptive Technology - Current Practice and Future Needs Math Technologies, cont’d

Assistive and Adaptive Technology - Current Practice and Future Needs A personal FM listening system brings a speaker’s voice directly into the listener’s ear. This device may be helpful to people who have difficulty processing, understanding, or remembering what they hear. Listening Technologies

Assistive and Adaptive Technology - Current Practice and Future Needs Assistive Technology Team Special education teacher Regular education teacher Assistive technology specialist Speech, occupational, and physical therapists Itinerant service providers, i.e. vision/hearing Psychologist and CSE chair Director of special education

Assistive and Adaptive Technology - Current Practice and Future Needs Staff Development Technology training Integration of devices and software Multi-disciplinary team approach. Assessing student needs Federal and state laws and regulations and local requirements

Assistive and Adaptive Technology - Current Practice and Future Needs Internet Resources Closing the Gap National Database of Assistive Technology Alliance for Technology Access University of Washington AT Center

Assistive and Adaptive Technology - Current Practice and Future Needs A Webquest for Teachers Assistive Technology 101 By Kathy Lalk

Assistive and Adaptive Technology - Current Practice and Future Needs Future Needs Staff development Technology training Early intervention Teamwork Proactive planning Budgeting