Monday, February 16, 2009

Assistive Technology


http://www.dynavoxtech.com/
DynaVox is a company that for the last 16 years has helped those people with hearing or language disabilities who need an alternative way of communicating. On their website you can find a list of products that can help those students who don’t participate greatly in class due to their language disability. There are interactive picture and phrase board, writers, and more. All with the purpose of helping students communicate themselves. As a teacher, having access to a page like this might help whenever parents ask what else can they do to help their child communicate more while at home. Not to mention that it can also be a device for within the classroom. Having ideas as to what is available out there, can only improve the options that can be provided to students.
Similar pages like, http://www.assistivetech.com/corporate/home.aspx, who also provide a variety of assistive devices like text readers with synthesized speech, portable devices and more.


http://www.rfbd.org/
Reading for the Blind and Dyslexic is the website for audio-books available to students with disabilities. They offer a vast variety of books, in every subject and every grade. Even when it requires an annual fee, for those students whose modifications include having their books read to them, it can save a lot of work. This way, more students will be able to obtain their class material at their own time, without having to disrupt the teachers. Being able to provide students with disability with access to a book, even when they are unable of reading it themselves, is an easier way of following the IEP’s. Therefore giving schools, school personnel and teachers access to a page like RFB&D will aid in making available a better education.

http://www.ablelinktech.com/
AbleLink Technology was created by a Daniel Davies, who has been closely related to families with children with intellectual and cognitive disabilities; having an older brother with severe mental retardation. AbleLink focuses on research and the developmente of assistive technology for individuals with cognitive disabilities. Interesting enough, they are very similar to regular computers, cell phones or PDA’s, but their mere functions and programs are simpler to manage and understand; including bigger pictures, voice commands, schedulers and more. They have products like their Visual Assistant which can provide task-prompting-support step-by step, and with visuals to each of the steps to follow. Teachers usually face questions from parents with students with disabilities, especially those who are soon to finish school, in relation to what can they recommend to keep helping their children once out of school and promote their independence. Well, this is an excellent source for those students!