Types of Assistive Technology

Assistive technologies provide creative solutions that enable students with disabilities to be more independent and productive. These tools can also help students with disabilities participate more fully in both the academic and social activities in a school.

Assistive technology devices can be grouped into three categories: low-tech, mid-tech and high-tech. Low-tech devices are typically easy to use, inexpensive to purchase, widely available, and involve little or no training. Mid-tech devices are somewhat more complex, often requiring a battery. High-tech devices tend to be more costly and frequently require some training.

Low-Tech Devices

When exploring assistive technology solutions for a student, the evaluation Team should first consider whether low-tech solutions can meet the student’s needs. Not only is this approach cost effective; it is also beneficial to the student. Since low-tech devices are typically portable and easy to use, their use may be virtually transparent. For example, a rubber pencil grip can enable a student with poor motor control to grasp a pencil more securely and produce more legible work. Using the pencil grip is far less likely to embarrass the student than using an awkward piece of equipment, especially if all of the other students are writing with pencils.

Here is a sampling of low-tech devices that can be used to help students with disabilities participate in the general curriculum:

• Sticky notes and removable highlighter tape can be used by students or teachers to mark important words or sections of text.
• Small whiteboards or chalkboards can be helpful for students who find it challenging to answer questions orally in class.
• Communication books with pictures representing frequently used messages can help a nonverbal student to communicate.
• Timers can be used to show how much time an activity will take, helping students pace themselves through activities.
• Line magnifiers, which enlarge a line of text, can be helpful to students with vision impairments, as well as students with learning disabilities who have difficulty focusing on one line of text at a time.
• Seat cushions can help students with physical disabilities maintain the posture needed to use their arms or hands effectively. For students who have difficulty with attention, some seat cushions can also have a calming effect.

Mid-Tech Devices

Mid-tech devices offer many of the advantages of low-tech devices. They tend to be relatively inexpensive and usually do not require extensive training. In addition, they are often lightweight and portable, allowing them to be used anywhere.

Here are some examples of mid-tech devices that can help students with disabilities:

• Amplification systems can be useful for students with hearing impairments, as well as for students who have difficulty focusing on what the teacher is saying.
• Specialized calculators, such as those with large displays or speech output, can be helpful to students with vision impairments.
• Hand-held talking dictionaries can be useful to students who have difficulty with reading or spelling.
• Talking switches can help nonverbal students participate more fully in classroom and social activities. The teacher can record short messages, which the student can play back as needed.

High-Tech Devices

When low- and mid-tech solutions are not useful, the evaluation Team should consider a variety of high-tech assistive technologies. It is important to remember, however, that the most expensive assistive technology is not necessarily the best choice.

The Team should take into account the effort needed to obtain and learn to use a device. For a device to be effective, the student should be able to use the technology in a short, reasonable period of time and feel comfortable using the technology. If a device takes months to master, the student will lose valuable instructional time.

The following is a sampling of high-tech devices that can be used to help students with disabilities participate in the general curriculum.

• Mouse emulators allow physically challenged students to operate computers in a variety of ways. Examples include trackballs, headsticks, touchscreens, and eyegaze systems. Students can also use these devices to select letters from an onscreen keyboard.
• Digital whiteboards allow the teacher to save and print anything that is written on a whiteboard. These devices can be useful to students who have difficulty copying notes from the board.
• Text-to-speech software enables a computer to speak digital text. Talking word processing software provides students with auditory feedback, enabling them to more easily correct spelling and grammar errors.
• Word prediction software can be helpful to students with physical disabilities, as well as students with learning disabilities, because it minimizes physical effort. When the student types a letter, the software presents a list of word choices that begin with that letter.
• Speech recognition software allows a student to speak into the computer through a microphone and have the text appear on the computer screen.
• Augmentative communication tools and applications enable non-verbal students to communicate. The user selects symbols or pictures from a menu or series of menus, and the device speaks the words.

Because there are thousands of assistive technology tools on the market, plus many general tools that can function as assistive technology, all of them are not described on this website. AbleData (http://www.abledata.com/) provides a searchable database of nearly 40,000 assistive technology products, including everything from low-tech to high-tech devices. This federally funded, non-commercial service also offers fact sheets, a telephone hotline, and links to disability-related organizations.

Newer Technologies

It is important to note that, as technology evolves, there are an increasing number of general technology tools that may meet the needs of students of disabilities. One advantage of buying tools created for a mass market, rather than a specialized one, is that they are often less expensive. Perhaps even more important, though, is that students may be more inclined to use these tools. Instead of being embarrassed or humiliated by having to use a device that none of their peers are using, students with disabilities can use the same devices as their peers, perhaps with different applications.

The growing use of tablets and mobile devices has been accompanied by a remarkable growth in the number of applications, or apps, available for these devices. Many of these apps may be useful for students with disabilities. Some apps are designed specifically for people with disabilities, such as communication software for people who are unable to speak. In addition, apps designed for a general audience, such as a colorful app for learning the alphabet or a time management app, may also be helpful for students with disabilities. Apps tend to be low-cost or even free, and they have begun to take the place of some of the specialized tools that have been purchased in the past for students with disabilities.

Many assistive technology tools can also be helpful for students without disabilities. For example, an application that reads text aloud may be helpful for students who are learning English. The same application may be useful to students who need to improve their skills in proofreading their own written work. Providing all students with access to these devices helps realize the goal of accommodating the needs of all students.

With the thousands of apps that are available, it is important to carefully review and assess which specific apps will meet a student’s needs. Recommendations are available from many sources, including Apps as Assistive Technology (http://www.mainecite.org/index.php/apps-as-assistive-technology-at), a website created by the Maine Department of Education’s assistive technology program. Georgia’s assistive technology program offers a searchable database of apps both Apple and Android devices, called Our Favorite Apps (http://www.gatfl.org/).