Assistive Technology

          Assistive technology is tools used to help people with disabilities to manage daily life activities. The tools range from computer software, motorized wheel chairs, to portable reading devices. Assistive technology does not mean the tool has to be an electronic device or operate with electricity. Any object that can assist a person with a disability is considered an assistive technology. Rubber grips on pencils, highlighters, raised-line paper, special writing utensils, and a planner are all considered assistive technology tools.

            There are several groups within special education that need assistive technologies. Students with mild and moderate to severe cognitive disabilities, physical disabilities, sensory disabilities, at-risk students, and gifted students all use assistive technology to help with learning and daily functions. Each group in special education must have these resources available to them so they have an equal opportunity at being successful in school, life skills, and a career as an adult.

Mild Disabilities

            Students with mild disabilities include those children who have a learning disability, emotional disability, and mental retardation. These students need more assistance with learning new information and building on existing knowledge. There are several apps that can help these students with developing higher level thinking. Dragon Dictation is an app that can put words into text to assist those with dyslexia or who struggle with writing. There is a Spelling Test app that can help students practice spelling words who may struggle with a learning disability in reading. Sushi Monster is another app which assists with helping students in math. All of these apps can be utilized on the iPhone or iPad in the classroom or at home.

Severe Disabilities

            The students who have severe cognitive disabilities are usually working on daily life skills to function in the world. These types of students are learning proper hygiene such as bathing or brushing his or her teeth, how to get dressed, or other tasks that help a person become employed. An example of a great tool for a student with severe cognitive disability is the StepPad. The StepPad can create individual steps to remember a multi-step activity. This can be used to remember a class schedule, household chores, personal routines, or shopping list which all assist with daily functions. A great app that can help a student with employment would be the Dollars & Cents app. The Dollars& Cents apps can be used to teach a student how to shop for a product, pay for it, and receive change. It also allows a student to be a store clerk where they can learn to ring items in a computer system, receive payments and return change to a customer. These assistive technology tools provide an idea of what is available to students with severe cognitive disabilities.

Physical Disabilities

            Physical disabilities are related to issues with mobility due to an injury or birth deformity. Accommodations with assistive technology consist of tools that help a student move around such as a wheel chair or easier access to electronics such as different keyboards or a mouse. An example of assistive technology hardware would be Big Keys Plus keyboard that has over-sized keys for easier access to the keyboard. A great example of a software product that can be used in the classroom would be MathPad. This product can allow a student who may have a physical disability with writing and needs to perform math problems on the computer using a special mouse or keyboard such as Big Keys Plus. Math problems can be pre-loaded on to the software program for the student work practice during class or at home. These tools help students overcome the physical disabilities that keep them from normal mobility or functions.

Sensory Disabilities

            Sensory disabled students are those who have a deficiency in hearing or vision. These students receive different accommodations with assistive technology. For students who are considered blind use canes or sensory technology, tools for converting printed information, and screen readers on a computer. A braille display can help blind students input information into a computer while using a computer program such as MagniLink to read the information on the screen. Students who are deaf do not require as many accommodations as those with vision impairment. Deaf students would use audio enhancing tools such as a personal hearing aid or a custom audio system for the classroom. A great software program for the classroom teacher would be YouCaption. The program can caption everything the teacher says so the student can read it on the board. All these adaptive technologies will help students with learning in the classroom.

At-Risk Students

            Students who are considered at-risk academically can also utilize many of the same assistive technology tools as those students with disabilities. The focus is on motivation and engaging students to help them develop higher level thinking skills. Software programs have been designed to help students in all subjects. There are reading programs such as Read: OutLoud which can read text out loud so students can follow along or SOLO Literacy which helps improves a child’s reading and research skills. Great web sites are available such as Brain Pop which covers many subject areas from music to English and science. Any technology such as iPads, iPhones, laptops, eBeams, or Smart Boards that can be used in the classroom is a great tool for engaging at-risk students. As a music teacher I enjoy using SmartMusic which is an interactive way for a student to practice an instrument and stay engaged.

Gifted Students

            Students who are gifted in special education learn at a higher level and faster pace than most students. While this does not seem like it would be a problem for a teacher it is because gifted students need to be challenged. The challenge keeps students engaged in class and lessens any possible discipline problems. Assigning gifted students self-guided research or using technology for projects such as podcasts or web sites will allow the student to grow and stay engaged in lessons. Gifted students provide a challenge for teachers to create stimulating lessons so utilizing these assistive technology tools is extremely important for the students to continue to learn at a higher level. 

Music Therapy as Assistive Technology

          Being a music educator I believe music is one of the most powerful and necessary things we can teach students! Music opens up parts of the brain that words or science cannot reach. It pulls emotion from people that is indescribable and amazing to witness. As I stated in the beginning of this blog, assistive technology is a tool that helps students overcome their disabilities. I was reading through Music Matters Blog and I came across the blog on Music Education and Therapy. The blog post discussed how music therapy can help improve cognitive functions and improve speech. Music therapy is such an awesome tool that it is used with more than just students with disabilities. Music therapy taps into portions of the brain other tools cannot and helps it grow!

Jordan