Assistive Technologies for Children with Disabilities
Universal Design
The inventors of technological devices often employ a wide variety of
design principles in order to be sure that they can be used by the widest
variety of people. "Universal Design" is the name for all of
these principles taken together. Because they have such a wide variety
of students (who in turn have such a wide variety of needs), schools usually
look for educational technologies that adhere to the dictates of universal
design. It is usually easier—and frequently less expensive—to purchase
this kind of equipment for everybody than it is to ignore accessibility
issues and wind up purchasing extra technologies for students who can't
use equipment that has already been bought.
By law, public property and facilities intended for public use must meet
certain accessibility guidelines set down by the Americans with Disabilities
Act. Even this Web site has been designed to conform to the standards
of the ADA.
To learn more about the American's with Disabilities Act visit this Web
site:
http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada/adahom1.htm
Assistive Technologies
Sometimes the standards of universal design are not as universal as one
might hope. When a piece of technology is still inaccessible to students
with special needs, educators and students can turn to assistive technologies
for help.
Just a few of the assistive technologies available for students who need
them are:
- Trackballs instead of mice.
- Software that magnifies a computer screen's text and graphics.
- Software that reads text aloud.
- Adjustable chairs and desks.
- Oversized keyboards for typing.
- Software that converts speech into text.
If your child has a disability of any kind, be sure to talk to his or
her teacher about what kinds of facilities the school has available to
minimize any obstacles to his or her learning. Don't be afraid to make
suggestions—schools rely on the experience parents.
Below are links to Web sites that can help parents (and teachers) learn
about technologies designed to assist children with special needs:
Assistivetech.net
http://www.assistivetech.net/index.php
The mission of this site is to provide increased access to information
on assistive technology devices and services as well as other community
resources for people with disabilities and the general public.
AT Network
http://www.atnet.org/
California's Assistive Technologies Network, developed by The California
Foundation for Independent Living Centers. Offers a wide array of information
about assistive technologies in California.
Federation for Children with Special Needs
http://www.fcsn.org/
Provides information, support, and assistance to parents of children with
disabilities.
OSERS - Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services
http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/osers/index.html
A branch of the U.S. Department of Education, OSERS has information about
government programs addressing issues special education.
Special Education Resources on the Internet (SERI)
http://www.seriweb.com
An excellent directory of Web sites arranged by category, including links
for "Special Needs and Technology Resources" and "Parents
and Educator's Resources."
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