Image of a large red switch and three smaller switches.
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Top 3 Favorite iPad Switch Apps

A teacher of the visually impaired shares her favorite apps for students who use switches.

As I have stated in several other posts, iPad switches can be a valuable tool in the educational lives of students with mutlitple disabilities.  Switch accessible apps can open up many students with multiple disabilities to more literacy, math and social lessons that would have not been accessible to them otherwise.  Below are a list of my three favorite switch accessible apps for students with visual impairments and additional disabilities:

 
1.  Rad Sounds
Image 1: Rad Sounds Screen Shot
Screenshot of Rad Sounds app with images of real people (teacher, student in wheelchair, etc.) embedded into the page.
 

I like rad sounds because it gives users and teachers the option of embedding a student’s favorite music into this cause and effect app.  I also like that up to two switch can  be used with it which opens up opportunities for socialization.

 
2. Bumper Cars
Image 2: Bumber Cars Screen Shot
Screenshot of Bumper Cars app with two characters sitting in bumper cars and scores above the characters.
 

I also like Bumper Cars because it is an app that requires two switches to play through a bluetooth switch interface and encourages accessible socialization opportunities for students in wheelchairs. To add a little instructional value, I will actually have two my student’s wheelchairs gently nudge each other so they can get experience of what sounds are being represented on the screen.  I also like to use this as an interactive and  pre-academic math lesson as well.

 
3. Adapted Playbook-EIEIO (no longer available)
Image 3: EIEIO Screen Shot
Screenshot of EIEIO app with animals cartoon figures and the text,
 

I like this app for higher level switch users who have the ability to visually scan and make visual choices with a switch. It offers scaffolding switch activities beginnig with basic cause and effect, exploring visual choice making and intentional visual scanning/choicemaking.  Since our students are visually impaired, this app also gives options to increase or decrease visual scanning speeds to meet the child’s visual/cognitive processing times.  Please note, most activities on this app is only for children with higher cognitive, visual motor skill abilities.  However, students who are working on basic cause and effect would probably enjoy the EIEIO Adapted Story which is the first scaffold activity.

 
You can view switch accessible apps at Jane Farrall’s webiste.
 

Collage of top 3 favorite iPad switch apps

By Julie Johnson

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