Technology can make the life of a person with disabilities much easier and less stressful. This can impact how well a student does in school. There are new forms of technology that can help a student read, write, and communicate with others.
A student with a hearing impairment can use a QUE proReader. When discussing a reading with the class, I could have the reading highlighted and annotated, so that the student would know what part the class would be discussing (Wikibooks, 2010).
A student with low vision could use a DAISY talking book, which stands for Digital Accessible Information System. This is the new form of talking books, that replaces the old, bigger, less advanced technology. Microsoft partnered with DAISY to create an application that allows a Word document to be saved in a DAISY format. This would allow the student to have class notes on the talking book. "Some of the features that make the DAISY system effective are image files, video playback, and support for standard files such as .wav, .jpeg, etc" (Wikibooks, 2009) The Kindle DX would be useful because it can convert text to spoken words. Unfortunately, the menu does not have this function, so the student would need some assistance with that part of it (Wikibooks, 2010).
A student with a broken right arm might also benefit from an e-reader, although it is not necessary. Having to hold a book and turn the page with one arm might be difficult, and simply pushing a button on an e-reader would be a little easier. When this student has to write a paper, they could use speech recognition software. This would allow them to speak into a microphone that would then convert the words into text. This would be useful because typing a paper with one hand, whether it is the dominant hand or not, takes much longer than typing with both hands. Obviously, if the student is right handed and needs to hand write a paper, this task would be nearly impossible. This technology would make writing the paper possible. On a computer, the student would also be able to issue commands using this software (Wikibooks, 2011).
A DAISY talking book might also be of use for a student with autism. Unlike an e-reader, the talking book would read to the student, so if their reading level was not at that of the other students in class, they would not be so left out (Wikibooks, 2010).
All of this technology could be useful in my classroom, depending on the disabilities of my students. I feel as though the most likely would be the broken arm. It would be very easy to put the software on the classroom computer in order to incorporate the needs of the student. I don't think the school I work in would buy an e-reader for any student, so if someone did need one, it would most likely be the responsibility of the student/family to get it. This would be out of my control, so I would not be able to rely on that technology.
References
Wikibooks (2011). Assistive technology in education/speech recognition software. Retrieved from http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Assistive_Technology_in_Education/Speech_Recognition_Software
Wikibooks (2010). Assistive technology in education/ebooks. Retrieved from http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Assistive_Technology_in_Education/eBook
Wikibooks (2009). Assistive technology in education/DAISY. Retrieved from http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Assistive_Technology_in_Education/DAISY
In your post you mention that the school would probably not buy an eReader for a student. However, if the IEP team decides that the student does in fact need one to be successful in the classroom, then it is the schools's responsibility to purchase one for him or her.
ReplyDeleteGood job this week.