Assistive TechnologyBy: Elizabeth Cook

What is Assistive Technology?

The term “Assistive Technology” refers to any item, piece of equipment, or product system, whether commercially or off the shelf, modified, or customized, that is used to maintain, or improve functional capabilities of one with a disability.

--U.S. Department of Education

The Law in Regard to Assistive Technology

The Technology-Related Assistance Act for Individuals with Disabilities (Public Law 100-407) provides funding for statewide systems and services to provide assistive technology devices and services to individuals with disabilities.

Reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in 1997 mandates that every IEP team consider assistive technology when planning the educational program of an individual with a disability.

Assistive Technology for the Hearing

Impaired

• A cochlear implant is a device that provides direct electrical stimulation to the auditory nerve in the inner ear. Children and adults with a severe to profound hearing loss who cannot be helped with hearing aids may be helped with cochlear implants.

Image Source: Google Images

Assistive Technology for the Visually

Impaired

Image Source: Google Images

Service Dogs serve as eyes for those who cannot see. These dogs are highly trained to guide the visually impaired. They stay close to their owners side and guide them where they need to go. In a school setting, these dogs help navigate students to their classrooms, locker, the cafeteria, gymnasium, and other places throughout the school with ease.

Assistive Technology for the Learning

Disabled

• There’s an App for that! There are many different learning disabilities among our diverse group of students. In the ever changing world of technology, we have access to many different apps on iPads or iPods in the classrooms that can help meet the needs of those learning disabled students. Whether a student be dyslexic, autistic, or ADHD, there are apps to help them learn in addition to teacher instruction.

Image Source: Google Images

Assistive Technology for the Physically

Disabled

Image Source: Google Images

• People with physical disabilities dace many difficult challenges. Assistive technology can assist tem in living a more independent lifestyle. An automatic wheelchair helps this little girl get around at school just like her friends do. Automatic wheelchairs give students the independence to do more without the help of others.

REFERENCES Cochlear Implants. (n.d.). Retrieved November 1, 2014, from

http://www.asha.org/public/hearing/Cochlear-Implant/

IDEA - Building The Legacy of IDEA 2004. (n.d.). Retrieved November 1, 2014, from http://idea.ed.gov/explore/view/p/,root,statute,I,A,602,1,

iFixit. (n.d.). Apple iPad repair. [photograph]. Retrieved from https://www.ifixit.com/Device/iPad

Ottobock. (n.d.). Children’s power wheelchair. [photograph]. Retrieved from http://professionals.ottobockus.com/cps/rde/xchg/ob_us_en/hs.xsl/5146.html

Roblyer, M., & Doering, A. (2014). Integrating educational technology into teaching (6a ed.). Harlow, UK: Pearson.

Service Dog (n.d.) Assistive technology for people with visual impairments. [photograph]. Retrieved from http://at4viandb.blogspot.com/2013/03/low-tech-at.html

TerpTopics. (n.d.). Cochlear implant. [photograph]. Retrieved from http://www.terptopics.com/CochlearImplants.htm