Assistive Technology Presentation Dana Holifield ED-505 Dr. Martha Hocutt March 11, 2015

What is Assistive Technology? According to The IRIS Center for Training Enhancements. (2010), “Assistive technology is any device or service that helps a student with a disability to meet his or her individualized education program (IEP) goals and to participate in the general education setting to the greatest possible extent. More simply, AT improves the functional performance of an individual with a disability.” As stated, assistive technology encompasses not only devices but services as well to ensure that all disabled students can participate in the regular classroom setting and achieve to his or her greatest potential using assistive devices whether it be as simple as a pencil grip or an elaborate technology device. The services are equally important to enable the child full understanding and assurance that he or she is comfortable utilizing the device effectively and the device is enabling achievement of the objective(s).

What is the law regarding disabled students? In 1975, Public Law was passed to ensure that all handicapped children were guaranteed a Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE). In 1994, the law was further refined for equality and individualization which changed to Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The educational placement and services for each child are established on an individual basis according to the disabled child’s needs. This requires that handicapped students have specific goals outlined in a student Individualized Education Plan (IEP) to ensure that the student can perform to his or her maximum level in a Least Restrictive Environment (LRE). In order to accomplish this criteria, disabled students have assess to the curriculum, services, and devices to ensure successful performance in the general education classroom to meet educational goals and obtain an appropriate education.

What is an IEP? An IEP is an Individualized Education Plan that is written specifically for a disabled student based on the student’s current needs of development and projected educational goals. Within the plan, specifications of any accommodations, modifications, special services, or devices that will be necessary are included with the objective(s) to maximize the student’s learning in a least restrictive environment. Who is on the IEP team? The IEP team is comprised of the disabled student, parent or guardian(s), special education teacher(s), the general education teacher(s), resource teacher(s), and public agency representative. This team must work together, meet regularly, and ensure that the IEP is being followed to the letter of the law and have an understanding of the services and devices being implemented.

Assistive Technology Device for Hearing Impaired The following device, called an AudiSee, is an assistive technology device that enables speechreading and hearing in the general education classroom setting. The teacher wears a microphone for the FM component and a camera for the visual component. The student has a monitor/receiver at his or her desk, and the images and voice are transmitted wirelessly to the student monitor. The system is very small, portable, and light-weight. The monitor can be connected to a computer monitor or television screen for a larger image. The system is beneficial for speech readers because it allows the student to constantly see the teacher’s mouth as he or she maneuvers around the classroom or turns away to write on the board. This will eliminate frustration and confusion for the hearing impaired student.

Assistive Technology Device for Visually Impaired The following assistive technology device is an Eye-Pal SOLO. The device has the capability to read aloud almost any printed material without the aid of a computer. The Eye-Pal SOLO will read books, mail, labels, foreign languages, and even crumpled paper. It is user-friendly, light-weight being less than 6 pounds, and it comes with a keypad that has the capability to be connected to a computer monitor or television screen. It has advanced Optical Character Recognition (OCR), motion activation, and scanning capabilities. The technology enables a blind or visually impaired student to interpret text or educational material through auditory commands.

Assistive Technology Device for Learning Disabled The following assistive technology device that could be used with learning disabled students is the Reading Pen 2 by WIZCOMTECH. This portable, hand- held device is very beneficial for reading disabled students because of the capability to scan individual words, sentences, or longer text and provides struggling readers with instant word spelling and pronunciations, definitions, synonyms, and more. The device will read aloud using the Text-to-Speech technology using built-in speakers or earphones. This device will enable learning disabled students to increase comprehension, fluency, vocabulary, and phonetic decoding for immediate support independently and individually. The pen also has the capability to translate Spanish and other foreign languages which would greatly benefit English Language Learners (ELL).

Assistive Technology for Physically Disabled The following assistive technology device for the physically disabled is the SmartNav4 Assistive Technology Hands Free Mouse. This device is one that would benefit students that cannot move their arms. It offers a hands free solution for controlling a computer by the motion of one’s head. The student would wear headgear with a piece of reflective metal attached. The mouse cursor will move with the movement or motion of one’s head by sensing the reflective dot to the reflective area on the SmartNav. This also has a virtual keyboard and dwell clicking software that allows one to type on the screen using the SmartNav program.

References Adaptive Technology Resources. Retrieved on [March 6, 2015] from Literacy Tools-Reading Pen 2. (2014). WIZCOMTECH. Retrieved on [March 7, 2015] from The AudiSee: An audiovisual FM system. (2002). Retrieved on [March 6, 2015] from The Human Solution-Design for Human Use. (2014). Retrieved on [March 7, 2015] from The IRIS Center for Training Enhancements. (2010). Assistive Technology: An Overview. Retrieved on [March 6, 2015] from U.S. Department of Education. (2010). Thirty-five Years of Progress in Educating Children With Disabilities Through IDEA. Retrieved on [March 7, 2015] from