"Techtalk: Assistive Technology" by David C. Caverly & Debra Fitzgibbons, published in the Journal of Developmental Education in 2007.
This article is an introduction to assistive technology (AT)and gives a few examples of the wide range that AT includes. While I had always thought that AT was high-tech stuff like voice recognition software and other space-age technology that I have always found foreign, this article taught me that AT can be as simple as changing the size of a pencil or the way the student holds the pencil.
Caveryly and Fitzgibbons set AT at three different levels: no-tech, low-tech, and high-tech. Other examples of AT include changing the screen background or highlighting key words, screen enlargement software, screen reader programs like Kurzweil, and hyperlinks. While AT always seemed like a vast, intimidating frontier to me, this article really put me at ease as far as my personal knowledge about AT. Yes, there is still a TON that I don't know; however, the research out there is quite extensive, and with a myriad of tutorials and articles, I am really looking forward to the research I have ahead of me, so I can find out about all the other cool AT there is out there!
I suppose I shouldn't be surprised at the seemingly endless possibilities for students with AT with the level of technology that pervades our everyday society. When there's an "app" for everything, and I can Skype with a friend 22 hours across the globe, shouldn't EVERY student have the access to the AT that they need to scaffold and support their learning? Yet, as I read this article, my mind kept turning to the students that I substitute teach for in the Rochester City School District, who desperately need these types of assistance, but will probably never recieve it because of the inequity that exists in our society. AT is definitely great, but what about the students that will never see all of the great technology designed to fulfill their needs?
Kurzweil Educational Systems Website
http://www.kurzweiledu.com/
I had a similar awakening as I shared an office with one of our district assistive technology people this past year. I was amazed at the number of hardware and software tools available for all sorts of visual, auditory, and other physical impairments. And voice recognition is not space-age any more. Check out Dragon Naturally Speaking and depending on your phone...Google voice search capabilities.
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