Assistive and Emerging Technology for Students with Sensory Disabilities
Andrew Cioffi/Kirsten Behling
Presented at PTI, June 2014
Introductions
• Andrew Cioffi– Assistant Director, Disability Services– Adjunct, Neag School of Education,
UConn
• Kirsten Behling– Director, Disability Services– Adjunct, Neag School of Education,
UConn
Overview
• Day ONE– AT/ET for blindness and low vision
• Day TWO– AT/ET for deafness and hearing loss
• Day THREE– Current and coming access issues
Day TWO: Deafness and Hearing Loss
• Part ONE: Overview– Overview and definition of disability– Determining accommodations
• Part TWO: Technology– Hardware and software options– Mid-tech, low-tech, mobile options
• Part THREE: Accommodations– Examples of accommodations to supplement AT– Determining what is reasonable and implementation
• Part FOUR: Alternative Format Materials– Overview and Considerations of Alt Texts– Delivery and access
PART ONE - OVERVIEW
Things to consider for PART ONE
What is the difference between Deafness and Hearing Loss? How might access and accommodations vary?
What information should be gathered during the intake? Prior to the intake? How important is the documentation vs. the student’s first hand reports?
What types of assistive technology might be necessary in the classroom? Outside of the classroom?
Definition of Disability
Definition of disability
IDEA definitions of Deafness and Hearing Loss• Deafness: a hearing impairment that is so
severe that the child is impaired in processing linguistic information through hearing, with or without amplification.
• Hearing Loss: an impairment in hearing, whether permanent or fluctuating, that adversely affects a child’s educational performance.
Definition of disability
Types of Hearing Loss– Conductive: Source of hearing loss relates
to the structures that “conduct” sound– Sensorineural: Source of hearing loss
relates to the structures/functions that “transmit” sound
– Mixed: A combination of conductive and sensorineural
Diagram of Ear/Hearing Loss
http://www.entdr.com/hearing_loss.html
Key Considerations
Effects of hearing loss in the classroom
• Certain sounds seem too loud• Difficulty following conversations when two or
more people are talking• Difficulty hearing in noisy areas• Hard to tell high-pitched sounds (such as "s"
or "th") from one another• Problems hearing when there is background
noise• Voices that sound mumbled or slurred
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003044.htm
Academic Tasks
• Portions of tests, quizzes, exams, etc.
• Note taking• Participation• Group work• Videos• Demonstrations• Other multimedia
• Online/hybrid work that includes videos and other multimedia
• Experiential learning
• Career Education• Etc.
Areas Outside of the Classroom
• Perspective visits• Daily living• Housing, dining, recreation• Clubs and organizations• Extra-curricular activities• Hallmark events
Determining Appropriate Accommodations
How to determine what is appropriate?
• Documentation– Audiologist report (including
audiogram or audiometric report)–Medical evaluation–Neuropsychological evaluation– Psychoeducational evaluation– School report/accommodation history
• Demonstration
Determining Appropriate Accommodations
Intake– History and nature of disability– History of access and accommodation– Learned skills, coping strategies, and mitigating
factors– Current AT/AT service knowledge and usage; other
applicable tech– Identification of in-class and outside-the-classroom
needs– Identification of current resources– Accommodations and expectations (student and
family)– Transparency – Interactive process
Determining Appropriate Accommodations
• Determining what is reasonable– For both AT and AT services• Interactive process!• Who provides what?• Student makes request; DS provider
determines what is reasonable• Demonstrations, when appropriate• Plan for delivery and implementation
Interpreting an audiogram
• http://www.babyhearing.org/hearingamplification/hearingloss/audiogram.asp
PART TWO - TECHNOLOGY
Things to consider for PART TWO
How does the technology differ from deafness to hearing loss?
How does the introduction of AT services impact service delivery? What might be reasonable timelines for service requests?
What additional training and resources may be necessary for the DS provider, student, faculty, other staff, etc?
AT Hardware examples
• Assistive Listening Devices (ALDs)– Personal amplification systems: OVERVIEW
• Hearing aids, BAHA• Cochlear implants • FM system • TV system• Infrared• Induction loop
– Classroom amplification systems• Other Large Area hearing devices (infrared, FM
included)
Hearing Aids
Hearing Aids
FM System
FM System, TV System
IR, Induction Loop
AT Hardware Examples
• Alerting devices–Watch/clock– Baby monitor– Door bell/knocker– Emergency detectors– Phone (amplified ringer, etc)–Weather alert
Alarm Clock/Bed Shaker
AT Hardware Examples
• Communication devices– TTY or TDD– Captioned phone –Web cam– Person to person (text messaging,
writing, proprietary devices
TTY, Caption Phone
AT Hardware Examples
• Other– Smart pen– Smart board– Caption mic– iCommunicator
iCommunicator
AT Service Examples
• Interpreting– ASL– VRI
• Captioning– CART– C-Print
• Relay services
Video Remote Interpreting (VRI)
CART
Software Examples
• Closed Captions/Open Captions• Computer/mobile alerts• Desktop/mobile accessibility
features• Communication software (Face to
Face, Skype, etc.)• Speech-to-Text
Mobile apps
• FaceTime• Skype• Purple
Communications• Calendar• BioAid• uHear• TooLoud?
• SoundAmp R• Fring• DeafNote• ASL Dictionary• CapTel• Subtitles• TapTap
PART THREE - ACCOMMODATIONS
Things to consider for PART THREE
How might the accommodations for deafness and hearing loss compare/differ? How might in-class accommodations compare/differ from outside-of-the-classroom accommodations?
How important is accommodation history for determining what is reasonable and delivery of services?
What additional steps need to be taken for implementation of AT with students who are deaf or hard of hearing? What type of timeline may be necessary?
Remember who we are working with
• Remember that two students may have similar or identical hearing profiles, but different access/accommodation needs. There can also be considerable variation in the functional hearing of an individual who is hard of hearing
• Access and accommodation needs– Academic – Note taking, participation,
multimedia, online/hybrid, group work, etc.– Non-academic – Daily living, campus life,
extra-curricular involvement
Examples of appropriate accommodations
• Use of Computer/AT in-class/labs/on exams
• Interpreter/Captioning service
• Note taker/Copies of class notes
• Use of audio recording device
• Preferential seating• Extended time on
coursework/exams
• Proctored exams (in some cases)
• Captioning/Descriptive audio
• Housing• Evacuation list• Priority registration
Determining what accommodations are reasonable for a specific student
• Student request• Intake process– Nature of disability– History of accommodation
• Determination of need• Interactive process– Defining what is reasonable– Managing preferences
• Follow up and check in process
Who Provides What
• DS Provider: Access and Accommodation– Auxiliary aids – AT and AT services/training– Access to “place of public accommodation”– Accessible course content– Etc.
• Student and/or Third Party: Daily living– Personal, transportation, and medical
devices/aids– Services animals/training– Communication training (i.e. sign language)– Etc.
Methods for implementing appropriate accommodations• Intake, evaluation• Accommodation history• Accommodation letters• Determine what tech/training the student
already has/uses• Determine appropriate tech/service• Determine who provides what • Software installs, hardware loan (agreement)• Training (Student, staff, faculty)• Scenario planning (faculty advocacy, AT usage
in class and/or on exams, etc.)
PART FOUR – Accessible Content
Things to consider for PART FOUR
What materials or media might need to be prepared and delivered in alternative formats?
What types of technology or service are
necessary to produce such ‘alt texts’?
What are some considerations and best practices for accessibility of course materials?
Definition of Alt Text
• Alternative formats:– Alternate formats usable by people
with disabilities may include, but are not limited to, Braille, ASCII text, large print, recorded audio, and electronic formats that comply with this part.
» Webaim.org
Content to Consider
• Multimedia e-Texts• Publisher provided online content with
videos• Faculty generated course casts• Movies, videos, animations, etc., with
sound• Music, other audio only sources• Language lab• Any other course related and/or
extracurricular materials
Formats of Alt Texts
What is provided to the student• Multimedia files– Captioned videos– Captioned supplements to e-Texts– Transcriptions and/or descriptions of
multimedia content– Descriptions of audio only content
Materials Preparation
• Insourcing vs. Outsourcing– Captioning costs– Resources (time, staff, infrastructure)– Turnaround time– Setting policy
Questions, Comments, Discussions
Photo URLS• Hearing Aids: http://hearingaidprices.info/brands-hearing-aids/ http
://funnyoldlife.wordpress.com/2010/02/11/deaf-not-old-and-boring/ http://hearingcareblog.com/2012/10/30/hearing-aids-as-a-fashion-statement/
• FM System: http://hearinginstitute.ca/2013/08/08/fm-systems-part-3/ http://www.comfortaudio.com/us/users/users/keep-up-better-now/
• TV System: http://hifiheaven.net/store/Sennheiser-Set-830-TV-Wireless-Stereo-TV-Assistive-Listening-System
• Induction Loop: http://www.ampetronic.com/How-do-loops-work• Alarm Clock: http://www.ampetronic.com/How-do-loops-work• TTY, Caption Call: http://www.start-american-sign-language.com/tty.html
http://www.apsu.edu/alumni/caption-call• iCommunicator: http://
www.nydailynews.com/news/money/company-software-helps-deaf-people-communicate-speaking-world-article-1.271545 http://assisttech.info/equipment/eq_voxrec_soft.htm
• VRI: http://www.deafservicesunlimited.com/index.php/video-remote-interpreting-vri http://ititranslates.com/blog/when-should-you-use-video-remote-interpreting
• CART: http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2012/06/fewer_court_stenographers_as_n.html
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