Article
Assistive Technology and Transition
The goal of assistive technology is to increase an individual’s access to school, work, or other activities of daily life.
What Is Assistive Technology?
According to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004, assistive technology is “any item, piece of equipment, or product system, whether acquired commercially off the shelf, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities of a child with a disability.” The goal of assistive technology is to increase an individual’s access to school, work, or other activities of daily life. For individuals with vision impairments with or without additional disabilities, assistive technology is an essential component of daily life. The majority of products and activities in the world today are designed for people without vision impairments, or without specific attention to the needs of those with vision impairments. Therefore, many people with vision impairments will need specialized or modified equipment or materials to participate in activities equally with their sighted peers. Students require specific instruction in the realm of assistive technology in order to understand their particular AT needs and in how to access the various options in their assistive technology toolkits.
What Is an Assistive Technology Device?
It can sometimes be challenging to begin conceptualizing the items or equipment encompassed in the realm of assistive technology. When we hear the term “assistive technology device,” we are often inclined to think of something high-tech (i.e. an iPad with accessibility applications or a video magnifier). Although devices like these are important AT solutions for many students, AT can also be a solution that is quite simple or low-tech.
Below are several examples of assistive technology devices that can assist students in school, at home, or in the community:
Assistive Technology for Accessing Information:
This refers to high or low-tech devices used to help a student to access either printed or electronic information. This can include:
-
Visual access:
-
Slant boards Telescopes
- Handheld magnifiers
- Video magnification such as the Ruby from Freedom Scientific: http://www.freedomscientific.com/Products/LowVision/Ruby
- Computers with magnification capabilities
- Accessibility apps for screen magnification on IOS devices
-
-
Tactual access:
- Braille embossers
- Braille displays, such as the Focus 40Blue from Freedom Scientific: http://www.freedomscientific.com/Products/Blindness/Focus40BrailleDisplay
- Tools for building or producing tactile maps or graphics
- Tactile object symbols for individuals with complex needs
-
Audio access:
-
Computer with screen reading software
-
Audiobooks
-
Talking calculators
-
Talking dictionaries
-
Scanning/reading software such as the KNFB Reader app: http://www.knfbreader.com
-
Assistive Technology for Communication:
This refers to any technology that assists a student with expressive or receptive communication. These may include:
-
Written communication devices:
- Computers and printers
- Slate and stylus
- Braille Notetakers
- Accessible tablets
- Dictation computer software, such as Dragon NaturallySpeaking from Nuance: http://www.nuance.com/dragon/index.htm
-
Assistive communication for those with hearing loss: