Journal #9: Assistive Technology

[NETS-T: IV, V]

COMMUNICATION

Augmentative and alternative communication  (AAC) are strategies and hardware/tools invented to assist people with severe communication disabilities to participate more fully in academic, professional, and social environments. 

No/Low Tech Tool:  "Small Talk with Built-In Icon holder". This device allows students with special needs to express themselves with the press of a button. 

20 seconds of a message can be recorded by the teacher and a picture/icon can be placed in the device for a visual. In the classroom these could be very helpful for students social needs. Examples of set messages: "I'm hungry," "I'm thirsty," and "I have to go to the bathroom."

 You could also set them up to express themselves when they come in each morning. (moods: happy sad, angry).

High Tech Tool:  I found out about this device when I attended the AT conference that was held in San Diego this past March. LC Technologies was at the conference demonstrating, “The Eyegaze Edge,” a program giving its users the ability to communicate with the world using only their eyes. I was able to sit and try out the technology. I found it to be a truly amazing way of being able to talk, type and communicate. They had a stack of six books on display, written by people with special needs, using this program.You sit approximately 2 feet from the computer (available in both tablet and desk top format) and allow the EyeGaze technology to scan your eye and pupil. It takes about 30 seconds to adapt to your eye and its outline. Your eyeball then becomes the mouse. This program can be installed on any PC to interact with the internet, programs on the desktop or educational applications so you can surf the web, study, and even do business all with the movement of the eyes. For more information about this product, check out their website: http://www.eyegaze.com/content/assistive-technology.

ACCESSIBILITY

Input devices for students with special needs differ depending on the type of disability. For people with mobility issues, equipment which provides flexibility in the positioning of monitors, keyboards, documentation, and tabletops is useful for many individuals with disabilities.

Hardware option: Wands and sticks— people who don’t have access to movement in their arms or legs can use a wand or stick. There are different options for using this tool:  it can be held in the mouth, attached to a headband wrapped around the head. Wands and sticks give a person access to pressing keys on the keyboard or using a touch screen computer independently. For a person using a mouth stick, they might also be able to control a rolling tracking ball (mouse).  Head wands might help with fatigue when a person becomes tired of holding a mouth stick for a long time.  

Software option: 

“TAP-It” is a device that could be very helpful to students in a classroom setting. It is easiest to describe “Tap-It” as a mega screen measuring about 42 inches and operates on an electronic base with wheels on the bottom for easy movement. The idea behind this is to allow any one, whether a small child in a wheel chair, to a mobile high school student standing at 6 feet tall, to be able to adjust the height to their reach as well as being able to move the Tap-It screen around the room. The variety of programming within the device allows for the teacher to adapt how he/she teaches the lesson. If you have a student who has trouble using a pen and paper you can ask them to instead write their answer on the screen by just lightly pressing with their finger tip, or even using a fuzzy tennis ball. The screen can be set so the teacher only shows the first piece of information on the power point/word document so that students are not distracted by the information underneath. There were big upsides to this product; essentially, this is a big computer and screen that is compatible with many educational programs as well as technology to assist students with varying needs.