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Technology Toolbox: Assistive Technology in the Classroom

Most general education teachers have limited knowledge or hands-on experience with assistive technology. This technology comes in all forms of high and low tech devices to help students with disabilities learn and allows them to access the curriculum.


 * __Great Website __**: Illinois Assistive Technology Program

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The Illinois Assistive Technology Program is run out of the state capital and serves all Illinois residents with disabilities. Through this program, families of students, teachers and adults with disabilities are able to search for devices (speech recognition software, switches, etc.). There is a loan program in which the technology can be rented out for a trial period (of up to 5 weeks) for people with disabilities. The website allows people to search for thousands of these assistive devices. There is also a link to help people/teachers with assistive technologies that are under $10 (beneficial for some students who do not qualify for special education, but would benefit from extra support).


 * __Support for Special Education Teachers: __**Adapted Learning

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The saying on the website is “Find what you need. Share what you have.” One of the greatest challenges I have as a special education teacher is creating and adapting curriculum to meet the needs of my diverse students. I have spent hundreds of dollars of my own money on software programs like BoardMaker and Writing with Symbols to do this. This website allows educators to upload worksheets, activities, communication device overlays, and interactive curriculum boards (Intelikeys) for others to download and use.


 * Augmentative Communication Devices: DynaVox Mayer-Johnson **

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This website shows you a few of the options out there for augmentative communication devices. The devices can be as low tech as a picture exchange communication system (via Boardmaker pictures) or as high tech as a M3. (“  The M³ is a dynamic display device with concrete scenes and symbols that represent ideas and objects. It is ideal for users who use images to establish the context or topic of an interaction” [] ).

**Caverly, David C. (2008). Techtalk: Assistive Technology for Writing. Journal of Developmental Education, v31 n 3 p36-37. ** Students with disabilities who struggle with reading also have great difficulty with writing. This article looks at a number of writing programs (i.e. Outlining/mapping programs like //Inspiration// (2008), //Draft: Builder// (DonJohnston Inc., 2008), or //Visual Thesaurus// (ThinkMap Inc., 2008)) that assist students in throughout the writing process. There is a great need for teachers to be knowledgeable in picking the right writing program for the right students at the right time. This article mentioned a number of programs I had never heard of before that I cannot wait to investigate further. There are programs that help with prewriting, editing, and even organizing sources in APA and MLA style.

When I originally began this course, I wanted to write a grant for speech recognition software so I could help my students with disabilities become more independent with their writing. The role of technology in classrooms is ever evolving. Most classrooms have computers for students to use. Speech recognition software allows students with disabilities (learning and physical) to take ownership over their own learning and writing by being able to have their thoughts transcribed onto the screen for them.
 * Garner, Teresa J. (2008). Speech Recognition for Students with Disabilities in Writing. Physical Disabilities: Education and Related Services, v26 n 2 p43-43. **