Assistive Technology for Students with Special Needs

In the 21st century, it is imperative that all students have access to technology, and schools are not unaware of the importance of integrating technology in the classroom. The U.S. Department of Education reports that in 2005, nearly 100 percent of public schools in the U.S. had Internet access (Wells & Lewis, 2006). This is good news, indeed, but it does not tell us how or to what extent the Internet or other technological tools are being used. One area of concern should be how students with special needs are able to access and utilize these technologies in order to develop as deep an understanding of the technology itself, as well as the content knowledge being bolstered by it, as do all other students. Below, I list some examples of technological tools that teachers might use under different circumstances.

Students with a hearing impairment
Students that are hearing impaired will be able to access Internet activities that include reading or exploring photos. In these cases, I would be sure to assign activities that do not rely on the need for auditory cues or listening to videos. For even more control over content, I could also use a Wiki for my class for assigning homework or projects, or simply providing content-based information. In this way, hearing impaired students would not feel any different from their peers, as they would all be using the same resource. Whenever using the Wiki, the students would have full access to questions, discussions, instructions, or interactions. SMART board presentations that emphasize the use of visuals over sound would be useful, and I could even employ a visual symbol that denoted when a student has finished speaking during an open discussion so the hearing impaired student knows when he or she may join in.  Another tool I might use would be to provide closed-caption video demonstrations for my biology labs. And in the district in which I'll be student teaching, some of the schools have access to a Soundfield system, essentially a wireless microphone that amplifies the teacher's voice, which is used in classrooms with hearing impaired students. 

Students with impaired vision 
Students with low vision have historically had to rely on large print texts. While this can still be used (in fact, it is probably more prevalent now in the form of online text or e-readers), in the 21st century we have more options from which to choose. One of the more useful technologies I might employ for students with impaired vision is speech recognition or speech-to-text software for putting their thoughts down on paper or composing essays without having to write. Talking books, like those promoted by the Digital Accessible Information System (DAISY) Consortium, provide a great tool for the visually impaired student. And recently, Microsoft has developed technology in cooperation with the Daisy Consortium to allow for numerous types of digital artifacts to be accessible to users that are hearing impaired (Microsoft, 2008).  This would allow me to save many types of documents for students as DAISY documents. Here’s a video explaining how the technology is affecting the lives of people with impaired vision.

Students with autism 
The impairment of social communication and interaction in many students with autism will result in difficulties in the classroom. As a teacher, I will need to offer any alternative that may aid these students in their learning. Speech recognition software that allows the student to control computer commands via their voice can be used for autistic students. This would allow them to write without being frustrated by spelling, or even by having to use a computer keypad (Wikibooks, 2011b). Alternative and Augmentative Communication (AAC) approaches, such as building vocabulary, may be useful for those students who are not communicative. The vocabulary might be within the realm of the content being covered, but it must be on par with the regular vocabulary the student would use with his or her peers (rather than with an adult), as the priority with non-communicative students is teach them to start conversations or to properly voice frustrations (Wikibooks, 2011a). It will also be important for me to employ the use of symbols, which I could use with a SMART board to provide visual cues to denote any shift in activity. For example, I may have different symbols that flash on the screen when we are starting a discussion, opening our books, or taking out a piece of paper.

Students with a broken arm 
Students can also be hampered by temporary ailments that might cause a student to "fall behind" if he or she is hindered in the use of technology. What is a student to do if we are working independently on an Internet project, but he or she has a broken arm? This might be another instance where speech recognition software could be employed.  The caveat, though, is that I would want the technology to allow the student to continue his or her learning unimpeded, and giving a student the task of learning to use a totally unfamiliar technology might have the opposite effect. It would be advantageous, then, if all students were exposed to the technology. As a regular integration into the classroom, we could use speech recognition software for discussions on a Wiki, students could be asked periodically to provide me with reflections using the software, or I could use oral assessments of student learning by having them verbally answering essay questions.

In the 21st century, there will continue to be an increase in the number of technological tools available for students with disabilities. However, we still have a great deal of progress ahead of us. The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) has stated, as one of its standards for teachers, that we “communicate relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers using a variety of digital-age media and formats” (ISTE, 2008). Yet they do not have standards relating to students with disabilities. It is currently up to teachers, schools, and superintendents to bridge that gap in technology use, so as not to widen a gap in student learning.



References

International Society for Technology in Education.  (2008).  NETS for teachers 2008.  Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-teachers/nets-for-teachers-2008.aspx.

Microsoft News Center. (2008). Microsoft, DAISY make reading easier for people with print disabilities [press release]. Retrieved from http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2008/may08/05-07SaveAsDAISYPR.mspx.

Wells, J., & Lewis, L. (2006). Internet access in U.S. public schools and classrooms: 1994–2005 (NCES 2007-020). U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics.

Wikibooks. (2011a). Assistive Technology in Education/Autistic. Retrieved from http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Assistive_Technology_in_Education/Autistic.

Wikibooks. (2011b). Assistive Technology in Education/Speech Recognition Software. Retrieved from http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Assistive_Technology_in_Education/Speech_Recognition_Software.

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Clip art (“broken arm”) Copyright © 1998 Mark A. Hicks,
licensed from the Clip Art Gallery on DiscoverySchool.com