By: Carla L. Lewis-Irizarry, MPA City University of New York (CUNY) School of Professional Studies (SPS) 2011 Association for Education and Rehabilitation for the Blind and Visually Impaired (AER) Regional Conference Boston Park Plaza, Boston, MA August 12-14, 2011

OBJECTIVES

This presentation will show attendees:  The different forms of assistive technology used for students with visual Impairments.

 The role assistive technology plays with students with disabilities in higher education.

 Assistive technology as a universal design.

ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY DEFINED

 Any item, piece of equipment, or system whether acquired commercially, modified, or customized, that is commonly used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities.

 Assistive technology helps people with disabilities accomplish daily living tasks, communicate, succeed in education, secure employment, and participate in recreational and community services.

LEGISLATION & REGULATIONS

 The Assistive Technology Act of 1998 was amended on October 25, 2004 to support programs of grants to States to address the assistive technology needs of individuals with disabilities, and for other purposes.

 Over 54,000,000 individuals in the United States have disabilities, with almost half experiencing severe disabilities that affect their ability to see, hear, communicate, reason, walk, or perform other basic life functions.

Source: U.S. Department of Education: Legislation, Regulation, and guidance. Assistive Technology Act of 2004, P.L. 108-364; 29 U.S.C 3001 et seq. Retrieved on December 21, 2010, from ( http://www2.ed.gov/programs/atsg/legislation.html

).

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Disability is a natural part of the human experience and in no way diminishes the right of individuals to:

 Live independently   Enjoy self-determination and make choices Benefit from an education   Pursue meaningful careers Enjoy full inclusion and integration in the economic, political, social, cultural, and educational mainstream of society in the United States (Public Law 108-364 108th Congress).

ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY AS A UNIVERSAL DESIGN (UD)

 universal design (UD) is “the design of products and environments to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design” (

http://www.design.ncsu.edu/cud/univ_design/ud.htm

)  The field of universal design can provide a starting point for developing a framework for instruction.

 When developers created universal design (UD) principles as they created information technology; they minimize the need for assistive technology and, in situations where assistive technology was needed, they ensured new products and services are compatible with commonly used assistive hardware and software.

 Universal design web pages allow students who are blind and using text-to-speech systems to gain access to information, communicate with peers and teachers, and take advantage of distance learning options. Accessible instructional software’s (on disks, CD’s, or other media) allows students with many types of disabilities and students without disabilities to participate side by side in simulations and other computer-based activities.

STUDENTS & THE USE OF TECHNOLOGY

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Students with disabilities should be taught to use technology in ways that :

 maximize their independence, productivity, and participation in all academic and employment activities.

 facilitate successful transitions between academic settings and employment.

 lead to successful, self determined adult lives.

 Technology can be used to support mentoring relationships, gaining access to information, participating in science labs, communicating in class discussions, practicing in self-advocacy, conducting independent living skills, and work-base learning opportunities.

 The following are some examples and the many ways that technology can be used creativity by students with disabilities to maximize their independence, productivity, and participation in academic studies and careers:  Maximize independence in academic and employment tasks  Participate in classroom discussions   Gain access to peers, mentors, and role models Self-advocate  Gain access to full range of educational options

 Participate in experiences not otherwise possible  Succeed in work-based learning experiences  Secure high levels of independent living  Prepare for transitions to college and careers  Work side by side with peers  Master academic tasks that they cannot accomplish otherwise  Enter high-tech field careers  Participate in community and recreational activities

STUDENTS WHO ARE BLIND OR VISUALLY IMPAIRED WITH ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY

 When selecting technology and well-defined strategies for their use, students with disabilities can demonstrate and apply their knowledge and fully participate in educational, career, and recreational activities.

 Technology specialists should work closely with students to first determine what they need to accomplish by using a computer. Technology choices for people with disabilities should be driven with short term and long term needs.

 The end user of the technology should ultimately determine what works best. Here are some many types of assistive technology organized by disability type to consider for students with disabilities.

LOW VISION

 For some people with visual impairments, the standard size of letters on the screen, blackboard, white board, or printed documents is too small to read. Some people distinguish one color from another others have visual field limitations that result in tunnel vision or alternating areas of total blindness and vision.  Some are hypersensitive to light.  The most common computer adaption for people with visual impairments is software to enlarge screen images.

   Most screen magnification software can also reverse the screen to black on white to white on black for people with light sensitivity. Some software programs also provide speech outputs to reduce the eye strain associated with reading large blocks of text with screen enlargement alone.

antiglare screens can make screens easier to read.

A standard desktop scanner can be combined with screen enlargement technology to magnify printed text. With this system, each page of text is scanned and the results are displayed in large print on the computer screen, which saves time and money to print from a copier machine.

 Closed circuit television (CCTV) magnifiers available in both stationary and portable models can be used to magnify printed materials, pictures, and objects.

BLINDNESS

 Individuals who have no functional sight use standard keyboards; however, Braille input devices are available and Braille key labels can assist with keyboard use.  For people who are blind, speech output is the most popular form of assistive technology. Screen reader software and a speech synthesizer read text presented on the screen by word processing, web browsers, e mail, and other software.

 Scanners with optical character recognition combined with an accessible computer system provide independent access to printed materials for students who are blind.  These systems read printed content and store it electronically on computers, where it can be read using speech synthesizes (like jaws and zoom text) or printed using Braille transition software and Braille embossers.

 Talking calculators, thermometers, and other specialized devices that provide audio output can enhance the participation and success of students who are blind, particularly those in science, math, and engineering fields.

ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY COMMONLY USED BY VISUALLY IMPAIRED OR BLIND STUDENTS

         Zoom text Jaws CCTV Livescribe Pen Open book Braille embossers Scanners Talking calculators Victor Reader Stream  IOS Devices Large print keyboard Eye pal polo Versa & Versa + Ginger Read & Write Gold (windows & Mac) Pac Mate Omni E-book readers (Nook, kindle) KNFB Reader on a Symbian device

SPECIALIZED DEVICES

VICTOR READER STREAM

VICTOR READER STREAM

 Reads books, text files, and plays MP3 files  Reads Daisy books from RFB&D, Book Share, and NLS  Costs: $359

ADAPTED MAINSTREAM DEVICES

KNFB Reader on a Symbian device

KNFB Reader on a Symbian Device

 Takes picture of texts and OCR’s it  Reads accessible text documents and PDF files  Costs: Classic: $1,995, KNFB Mobile: $2,095, And KNFB Mobile without phone is $1,585

UNIVERSIAL DESIGN

IOS DEVICES

IOS DEVICES

 Can read all accessible text and PDF files  Has OCR apps  All iBooks are accessible  Has Audible app  E-mail, word processing, spreadsheets, slideshows, and thousands of other accessible apps  Cost: iPad: $499-$827, iPhone: $99-$299, iPod: $229 $399, Apple wireless keyboard: $69

STRENGTHS & WEAKNESSES

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Victor Reader Stream:

 The best at reading books and text files  Books are free for the blind  Has the biggest library of books for the blind  Moderately priced  There ’s not much else it can do but read books play music, and make audio recordings

STRENGTHS & WEAKNESSES

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KNFB Reader:

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The best at OCR on the go

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Can read text and PDF files

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Has some PDA and phone features

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It’s very expensive

STRENGTHS & WEAKNESSES

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IOS devices:

 Can read iBooks, text files, and PDFs  Has OCR apps  Can do a lot more things than the other two devices  Moderate price for an all in one device  Is not as good at reading books and OCR when compared to the other devices   Apps, iBooks, and wireless keyboard are extra costs It’s not “special.” It’s universally design

 The Victor Reader Stream is the best at reading books on the go for a modest price  The KNFB Reader is the best at reading hard copy documents on the go but it’s expensive  IOS devices can read books and OCR but not as good as the other devices. It has a wide range of features which are accessible and it’s moderately priced  I predict that IOS devices will surpass the other two in the future

CONCLUSION

 Assistive technology ensures that the opportunities technology provides are accessible to everyone contributes to a level playing field in college and employment, results in successful careers for more citizens, and thereby strengthen the economy.