Discussion--Assistive Technology

 


According to Rice (2019), all technology is “assistive” technology, whether a user is disabled or not. In this sense, any use of technology in the classroom is assistive, and designed to meet the needs of all of our students. Roblyer and Hughes (2019) explain that enhancements to online courses must occur to ensure accessibility to students with special needs such as those with vision, hearing, and physical impairments. These enhancements can include the ability to enlarge text, alternatives to mouse controls, alternative keyboards, alternatives to videos, alternatives to audio, and alternatives to text presentation.  

In my own classroom, I have taught students with severe physical disabilities who have district-provided assistive technology to help them access the curriculum, and students with mild physical or learning disabilities who require me to provide access to the technology.  

One form of assistive technology that I have used is providing access to read-alouds. I always try to provide audio links to our in-class reading on our class website. Whether these are teachers reading the text on YouTube, the author reading aloud in audio books, myself reading, or assistive programs that read the text to students, simply hearing the text read aloud is a tremendous benefit to students who need assistive technology.  

In particular, I use CommonLit.org for my students on a regular basis. Not only does CommonLit have great resources for teaching language arts content that are Common Core aligned with assessments, discussion questions, and data tracking capabilities, but it also comes complete with a read-aloud function and a translation to native languages option as well. Some lessons also include access to graphic organizers to help students with content and connected media to help lower-level learners access the information as well. 

Again, I am not familiar with many specific adaptive technology tools as my students who need them are usually much more well-versed than I am in their use and capabilities. However, when it comes to mild disabilities, like vision, or students with IEPs in the regular education classroom, I provide classroom modifications through common computer tools to help them access our content.  

 

References 

Rice, M. (August 20, 2019 updated December 13, 2019). Built in. Assistive technology in the classroom is reimagining the future of education. 8 Examples Of Assistive Technology In The Classroom | Built In  

Roblyer, M. D., & Hughes, J. E. (2019).  Integrating educational technology into teaching.  Pearson Education.   

 

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