4.5 Implications of Technology based instruction in Inclusion

4.5 Implications of Technology-Based Instruction in Inclusion

Assistive Technology for Students with Mobility Impairments
Students having difficulty with fine motor skills may require a larger keyboard while using a computer, an on-screen keyboard, or speech recognition programs to coordinate with their learning tasks. The use of a standard keyboard in a computer with access to a 'mouth- or head-stick,' where the keys can be pressed with the pointing device, can help students with mobility impairments. Trackballs, head trackers, and touch screens can serve as suitable alternatives to the computer mouse.

Software utilities can create 'sticky keys' that electronically latch the SHIFT, CONTROL, and other keys to allow sequential keystrokes to input commands that normally require two or more keys to be pressed simultaneously.

Students with mobility impairments, using a wheelchair, may have their computer desks adjusted to a comfortable height, allowing them to pull up to the computer to work. Keyboard guards can be used by individuals with limited fine motor control, and repositioning the keyboard and monitor may help enhance accessibility, such as mounting keyboards perpendicular to tables or wheelchair trays at head-height to assist individuals with limited mobility using pointing devices to press keys, and the use of disk guides for inserting and removing diskettes.

Left-handed and right-handed keyboards are available for individuals who need to operate the computer with one hand, providing more efficient key arrangements than standard keyboards designed for two-handed users. For users with severe mobility impairments, keyboard emulation, including scanning and Morse code input, can be used with special switches that make use of at least one muscle over which the individual has voluntary control, like the head, finger, knee, or mouth. In scanning input, lights or cursors scan letters, and symbols are displayed on computer screens or external devices, where hundreds of switches tailor input devices to individual needs.

Speech recognition systems allow users to control computers by speaking words and letters, where a particular system is 'trained' to recognize specific voices. Abbreviation expansion and word prediction software can also help in reducing input demands for commonly used text and keyboard commands, and on-screen help may assist in efficient access to user guides for individuals who are unable to turn pages in books.

Architectural or physical environmental barriers like the absence of ramps, elevators, automatic doors, Braille signage, and telecommunication devices are also seen to deter and restrict the participation of students with disabilities. Therefore, infrastructural changes and adjustments in schools and educational institutions (Campbell, 1989), such as the availability of ramps, accessibility to classrooms, workspaces, and labs through lifts, and washrooms having counters and sinks with adjustable heights, can be ensured through the applicability of universal design for ease in accessibility. These changes can help address the hidden barriers preventing the equal access and participation of students with mobility impairments in education and social life.

• Battery Powered Joystick Operated Wheelchair

• Aluminum Crutches

• Ankle Brace for ankle support

• Prosthetic limbs

• Cervical Immobilizer

• Child model tricycle

• Folding sticks and folding walkers

Assistive Technology for Students with Visual Impairment/Blindness
Visually impaired students have difficulty accessing visual material in printed form or on the computer screen. Standard keyboards can aid in accessing Braille input devices, with Braille key labels assisting with the keyboard use. The OBR (Optical Braille Recognition) software can enable users with visual impairment to read Braille documents on a standard A4 scanner, scan the Braille document, analyze the dot pattern, translate the text, and present it on the computer screen.

Refreshable Braille displays allow line-by-line translation of screen text into Braille, which can help in detailed editing. The Braille printers provide the 'hard copy' output for visually impaired users. Scanners with optical character recognition can read printed material, which can then be stored electronically on computers and be read using speech synthesis or printed using Braille translation software and Braille printers.

Such systems provide independent access to journals, syllabi, and homework assignments for visually impaired students. Speech output systems can be used to read screen text, while screen readers or text-to-speech software like JAWS (Job Access with Speech) can help the user adjust the volume, pitch, and speed of reading, and in choosing or adjusting to a male or female voice according to their preference.

Screen readers, including navigation tools, allow users to skip from headline to headline or category to category while reading. Using synthetic speech, the computer can read text passages, analyze the phonetic structure of words, and attempt to reconstruct words by putting together a string of synthetic phonemes, ensuring easy understandability of the message by the student.

The use of earphones for individuals using speech output systems can reduce and limit distractions for other individuals present. Audio materials like talking books and audio cassettes of recorded lessons can be used by students with visual impairments. The use of sophisticated audio devices, CD players, cassette players, and recording machines can be used to record lectures, books, and other study materials and help students submit their assignments in audio formats.

The descriptive video service with a narrative verbal description of the visual elements displayed on the screen enables students to automatically hear the descriptions of all the visual elements, providing students with visual impairment an opportunity for better socialization and knowledge building (Petty, 2012).

• Braille shorthand machine

• Distance vision telescopes

• Handheld magnifiers

• KNFB portable reader for blind people

• Talking dictionary

• Smart Cane

Students with ADHD
Students who have problems attending to lectures or reading lengthy texts benefit when verbal and textual input can be supplemented with visual reinforcement by video or images. Video-streaming subscription sites like Discovery Education Streaming offer authentic content produced with the learner in mind. These online video databases are easily searchable and offer a range of topics and levels.

English Language Learners
Students for whom English is not a first language can become frustrated when presented with information that meets their English comprehension level but is far below their cognitive level. These students also benefit from supplementing verbal and written information with videos. Discovery Education videos include closed-captioning, which reinforces the language by providing spoken and written speech at the same time, while supporting vocabulary acquisition with images.

Students with Reading or Processing Difficulties
Students who have difficulty reading or processing text similarly benefit from visual reinforcement for a reading passage. Supplementing a reading passage with images provides valuable context that can scaffold the learner’s understanding.

Before sharing a reading selection with students, the teacher can identify the elements of the passage that lend themselves to visual enhancement and create a list of images to enhance comprehension. Image databases like Flickr and the Wikimedia Commons provide easy, searchable access to countless images, which can be displayed in slideshow format as a pre-reading strategy for the entire class.

Alternatively, images can be inserted into a multimedia presentation to be viewed individually alongside a text while the student reads. If the text is available electronically, it may be possible to insert both the text and the associated image in the presentation.

Assistive Technology for Students with Specific Learning Disabilities
For students with specific learning disabilities, educational software can help in skill building by offering multisensory experiences, positive reinforcement, individualized instruction, and repetition.

Students having difficulty processing written information can complete writing assignments and tutorial lessons with the aid of computers. For example, the standard word processor may prove a valuable tool for students with Dysgraphia, an inability to write legibly.

Quiet work areas and ear protectors may make computer input easier for students who are hypersensitive to background noise and get easily distracted. Adaptive devices like large print displays, alternative colors on the computer screen, and voice output can help in compensating for reading problems.

'Electronic Math Sheets' help in the organization, alignment, and working of Math problems on a computer screen, where the numbers appearing can be read aloud through the speech synthesizer, helping students who face difficulty aligning Math problems using pencil and paper.

Software like 'Abbreviation expanders' can prove helpful with word processing by creating, storing, and re-using abbreviations for frequently used words or phrases, to ensure proper spellings for students who have difficulty in writing.

The Paper-based Pen technology (Liao et al., n.d.) can record and link audio to what the student writes using the pen and the special paper, enabling note-taking while recording the teacher’s lecture simultaneously. The student can also listen to the recording later by touching the pen to the corresponding handwriting or diagrams. This technology proves useful for students struggling with listening, writing, memory, and reading skills.

Students having difficulty interpreting visual material can improve comprehension and the ability to identify and correct errors when words are spoken or printed in large fonts. Computer documentation in electronic forms may be used with enlarged character and voice synthesis devices to ensure better accessibility for those with reading difficulties.

Assistive technology has a major role in remediating and compensating for the performance deficits experienced by students. It enhances the students' performance and ensures effective evaluation as an accommodation during testing, offering adequate solutions when extended evaluation is needed.

Effective technology integration in education can help address the functional barriers experienced by students with disabilities, providing them with equitable learning opportunities and a leveled field to rightly exhibit their differential abilities through the provision of necessary support and an equally accessible learning environment to all.

Assistive Devices for Intellectual Disability

• Basic Skill Wooden Puzzles

• Wecan (daily living activities)

• Calendar of seasons

• Punnarjani

With the advent of technology-based instruction and the societal need for problem-solving skills, and as the age and experience levels increase among students, instructional roles are shifting. Guiding the learning process is as important as being the source of knowledge in your subject matter area. Instructors will find themselves learning along with their students as they integrate technology into their teaching and as students find authentic and applicable knowledge from multiple, global sources.

Instructors should expect to work with an instructional team (each partner an expert), in order to prepare course materials, select and use various educational technologies and support and guide learners.

The professionals in faculty instructional support have both pedagogical and technical expertise and are ready to lend their support. seeking out an instructional team, including technician, librarian, graphic designer, or instructional designer. An instructional designer is an expert in packaging-s/he knows the features, strengths and weaknesses of media and can help in using the media to best advantage.