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 571 - 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•Originally made law in 1990.
•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:
 Vision
 Spelling
 Reading
 Listening
 Writing
 Reasoning
 Speaking
 Math
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
Low Tech
High Tech
Note-taking cassette recorders
Optical character recognition
Pencil grips
Calculator
NCR paper/Copy machine
Word processors with spelling and grammar checking
Simple switches
Word recognition
Head pointers
Voice recognition
Picture boards
Speech synthesizers
Taped instructions
Augmentative communication devices
Workbooks
Alternative Keyboards & Instructional Software
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 and Adaptive Technology - Current Practice and Future Needs
Assistive Technology
for the blind or vision
impaired:
A different way of
seeing.
Magnification:
Reading Aids:
• Closed-circuit television
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
Listening Technologies
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.
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
http://www.closingthegap.com
•National Database of Assistive Technology
http:www.abledata.com/index.htm
•Alliance for Technology Access
http://www.ataccess.org
•University of Washington AT Center
http://weber.u.washington.edu/~atrc
Assistive and Adaptive Technology - Current Practice and Future Needs
A Webquest for Teachers
Assistive Technology
101
By Kathy Lalk
http://www.hazelwood.k12.mo.us/~cdavis01/webquests/klw
Assistive and Adaptive Technology - Current Practice and Future Needs
Future Needs
•Staff development
•Technology training
•Early intervention
•Teamwork
•Proactive planning
•Budgeting