Assistive Technology Resources

Melissa Webb

ITEC 7530

Terms To Know

Inclusion: The addition of special education students in the regular classroom, depending on their identified least restrictive environment.

Least Restricted Environment: The concept that children with disabilities should be educated to the maximum extent possible with children who are not disabled while meeting all their learning needs and physical requirements. The type of setting is stipulated in a child's IEP.

Assistive Technology: Assistive technology (AT) is a generic term that includes assistive, adaptive, and rehabilitative devices for people with disabilities and includes the process used in selecting, locating, and using them.

IEP: Individualized Education Plan describes the goals the team sets for a child during the school year, as well as any special support needed to help achieve them.

Addressing the Needs of Inclusion Students in the Regular Education Classroom

Communication with Special Education is very important so that you are familiar with the student’s IEP.

Visuals such as sticker charts, picture schedules, alphabets, or number lines on desk can be very helpful and do not require technology.

Addressing the Needs of Inclusion Students in the Regular Education Classroom

Students may need to have preferential seating close to the front of the room or close to the teachers desk.

Inclusion students may need addition time to complete assignments, questions read aloud, small group instruction, or directions repeated individually so that they can be successful on all assignments.

Assistive Technology

Assistive Technology can be used to make sure that inclusion students are having their individual needs met in the regular education classroom.

It can provide a voice for students without one, or motor skills for students who do not have those. Assistive technology can provide students with the opportunities that everyone else has.

Areas that Assistive Technology can be used

Lahm and Morissette (1994) identified areas of instruction in which AT can assist students. Six of these are described here: (1) organization, (2) note taking, (3) writing, (4) academic productivity, (5) access to reference and general educational materials, and (6) cognitive assistance.

Assistive Technology: Organization

Computers Graphic organizers Webbing Word Processing

Software Kidspiration software Inspiration software

Assistive Technology: Note taking

Computers Word processing Video taping class Audio taping instruction Email Voice Recognition

Software Interactive white boards

Assistive Technology: Writing

Word Processing Software – Provides students with poor handwriting, spelling, and

trouble with mechanics an option that will aide in self correction skills.

Assistive Technology: Academic Productivity

Calculators

Visual aids

Word processing

Voice Recognition Software

Hearing Aid Devices

Assistive Technology: Reference

Computer with internet access

Electronic books Blogs Instant Messaging Multimedia projects Wikis

Assistive Technology: Cognitive Assistance

PDA’s

Visual Cues

Drill and Practice

Problem Solving programs

Internet

References

http://www.ericdigests.org/2003-1/assistive.htm

http://www.edutopia.org/assistive-technology-enabling-dreams-video

http://kidshealth.org/parent/positive/learning/iep.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assistive_technology

References Continued

http://www.inspiration.com/Kidspiration http://www.adhd.com/index.html http://kidshealth.org/teen/diseases_condition

s/sight/hearing_impairment.html