Category: Assistive Technology

It’s all too rare to find a realistic, relatable and respectful depiction of a person with disabilities in a Hollywood movie. But “Out of My Mind,” a feature film now airing on Disney Plus, does so beautifully.

The film, starring newcomer Phoebe-Rae Taylor, tells the story of Melody Brooks, a non-verbal middle school student who lives with cerebral palsy. Melody is highly intelligent, but due to her disabilities, she has spent her elementary school years in a special education classroom where she is not sufficiently challenged.  When her unrealized potential attracts the attention of one of her teachers, he recommends that Melody be mainstreamed. But how will she keep up with her classmates if she is unable to speak?  The answer becomes clear after Melody obtains an augmentative communication device. With her new communicator, Melody is able to express herself like never before.  She excels in her mainstream classroom, makes friends, and discovers her true potential.

Directed by Amber Sealey, and also starring Judith Light, Rosemarie Dewitt, Luke Kirby, Michael Chernus, and the voice of Jennifer Aniston, “Out of My Mind,” is based on a popular young adult novel by Sharon M. Draper. When it premiered at the Sundance Festival in January, the film was greeted with two standing ovations! Its young star was heralded for her “pitch perfect” performance.

Like her character, Phoebe-Rae Taylor has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair. In casting the film, Sealey was determined to cast a disabled actor as Melody. She also cast many other disabled and neurodiverse actors in the film.

As she told Disability Scoop, “It was really important to me to fill the cast with actors of all abilities and neuro-diversities. We were going to explore in real time what it was like to make the first mainstream movie about a kid with a disability played by a kid with that same disability.”

Actors on the film set, were supported by “a team of disability consultants who worked to ensure accessibility on set and authentic representation on screen.”

“Out of My Mind,” was Brit Phoebe-Rae’s first acting experience. She was cast after submitting a home-made audition tape.

In a quote from Sundance, the actor noted that “It’s quite uncanny, really, how much I related to Melody.”

Taylor acknowledged “that she has experienced many of the same situations that Melody encounters in the film, including hurtful and ignorant comments from others. I think that really helped me to get into the character. I just really related to her, a lot.”

She hopes the film will make viewers recognize how much they have in common with their disabled peers.

Students with functional needs (commonly referred to as special needs), like those with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), physical disabilities or visual impairment, need a little extra help in the classroom. Assistive technologies help students participate fully in the world around them and reach their full potential.

Explore the different types of assistive technologies you can use in your classroom and how your students can uniquely benefit from assistive devices.

Understanding Assistive Technology in the Classroom

Assistive technology refers to devices, software, tools and equipment designed to help students with cognitive and physical disabilities enhance their skill sets and overcome learning challenges. These devices and tools come in a range of options and help users interact with their world in a better way.

Assistive Technology and Its Relevance in Modern Education

The purpose of assistive technology is to support an individual’s independence, productivity and quality of life. In modern education, assistive technology may also include robotics, mobile accessibility and artificial intelligence to provide more effective and personalized learning solutions for students.

Assistive technology has been proven to have a significant impact on improving self-regulation among students. Specific assistive technology tools can promote problem-solving skills, enhance student achievement and engagement, and provide a more positive learning experience.

Technology that supports students with disabilities enables these individuals to participate and interact with classroom activities, helping increase student achievement and attainment. Because student assistive technology is easier to navigate than traditional learning tools, students may show increased engagement and attention during learning tasks.

Empowering Students With Disabilities Through Technology

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) ensures that eligible children with disabilities receive special education services that provide equality of opportunity, independence and participation. As a special education teacher, you can leverage assistive technology to provide an inclusive learning environment. Every child has unique needs and abilities. Assistive technology and devices make it possible to empower children of all abilities to reach their full potential.

By providing assistive technology, you can support the inclusion of all students in the classroom and during extracurricular activities. When students actively engage in their learning, they may also develop an improved sense of independence and self-sufficiency.

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The Benefits of Assistive Technology in Education

Students often learn best by doing. Assistive technology supplies students with hands-on learning aids, making learning more fun. Every assistive technology device strengthens a student’s skills through the act of playing. Many of these devices are outfitted with vibrant colors and engaging designs that fuel a student’s empowerment for learning.

Using assistive technology in your classroom can help students in several ways.

1. Helps Teach Cause-and-Effect Relationships

A big part of learning is understanding how actions lead to events, such as predicting what would happen if a button is pushed on an assistive technology device, such as a capability switch. Assistive technology helps students make connections between cause-and-effect relationships, making them feel in control of their learning and boosting their self-esteem.

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2. Aids Group Instruction and Sharing Time

Interacting in groups is an important part of a student’s education. Circle time, for example, is where students engage with one another and learn social skills. Group instruction also teaches students how to follow directions for their next task or activity.

In group settings, students with functional needs can use assistive technology to better engage with you and their classmates — all while promoting sharing and fun. For instance, you might pass around an assistive technology music device or switch-adapted toy. This inclusion at circle time can encourage interaction and relationship-building among your students and set them up for future success.

3. Strengthens Fine Motor Skills

Fine motor skills enable the smaller muscles in hands, wrists, fingers, feet and toes to move. These complex, precise movements require a coordinated effort between the eyes, brain and muscles. In an educational setting, these skills allow students to reach, grasp and manipulate objects like a pencil.

Picking up objects or playing with toys can be difficult for some students with physical disabilities. Assistive technologies adapt objects so students can use everyday items more confidently. Small manipulatives and activity boxes are examples of devices that can strengthen students’ fine motor skills in school and at home.

4. Improves Visual Tracking

Students with visual impairment may have difficulty tracking and paying visual attention to moving objects, including gross motor movements. Assistive technology can support students who are partially sighted or blind or have low vision. Magnification software and visual tracking tools can make daily life easier for these individuals.

Some elements of visual tracking tools may include sliding features, lights and auditory components to promote engagement and learning.

Who Benefits From Assistive Technology in the Classroom?

Assistive technology helps students with functional needs participate in learning and develop essential skills.

1. Students Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired

Approximately 3% of children under the age of 18 in the U.S. are visually impaired or blind, even when wearing contact lenses or glasses. Globally, roughly 19 million children under the age of 14 have visual impairment, which can affect a child’s academic performance, self-esteem and social interactions. Early intervention for eye conditions is essential, particularly for children with developmental disorders as they are more likely to have vision difficulties.

Students who are blind or visually impaired may have difficulty:

• Reading and writing.
• Distinguishing colors.
• Recognizing shapes.
• Navigating classrooms.

Assistive technology offers audiovisual assistance tools by reading educational content out loud to students, and some offer Braille support as well. Students with partial visual abilities can use assistive technology tools to learn and communicate using various features, such as:

• Bright lights
• Sounds
• Tactile cues
• Magnified graphics

For example, tactile symbol communicators — types of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices — have large, textured icons with bright, colorful hues that enable students with visual impairment to better communicate. Another assistive technology example, a musical lightbox, helps students with visual impairment strengthen their writing skills by providing a backlight for tracing.

2. Students Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing

Approximately 34 million children around the world have hearing loss or deafness. Roughly 60% of these cases result from preventable causes, which can be mitigated by interventions like assistive technology and specialized education programs. Students who are deaf or hard of hearing may have difficulties following along with class instruction and communicating with their teachers and peers.

Hearing implants and hearing aids are essential, but assistive technology can also support students with hearing loss to communicate more independently and confidently. In your special education classroom, you can help these students by using assistive devices. Some assistive technology tools that benefit students with hearing impairment are:

• Assistive Listening Devices: Most of these devices follow the basic principle of magnifying a video or instructor’s voice or sound, which is then translated to a student’s hearing aid or cochlear implant, allowing them to follow along with lessons.
• Infrared Systems: Infrared systems transmit audio signals to a magnetic field around a student’s head — produced by a receiver — which a hearing aid can tap into. These systems are usually used by adults in theaters or conference rooms, but are equally beneficial for students in classroom settings.
• Communicators: If your student has communication difficulties, they may benefit from using a communicator. Communicators generate speech so students have an easier time interacting with their teachers and peers.

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3. Students With Speech Disabilities

Nearly one in 14 children have a developmental language disorder, which interferes with a students’ ability to learn, understand and use language.

Students with speech disabilities may find it hard to communicate due to articulation, voice or fluency differences. Common examples of speech difficulties include stuttering, having a lisp or having trouble putting words into sentences. Some students with speech disabilities may also find it challenging to learn new words, make conversation or follow directions because they do not fully comprehend the words a teacher is saying.

Speech-to-text software and word prediction tools are great assistive technologies that make it easier for students to communicate with their peers and teachers.

Students with speech disabilities can also benefit from AAC devices like communicators. Communicators can be high- or low-tech, depending on the use of electricity and batteries. Low-tech communicators can be as simple as a pen and paper, while high-tech models use electronic communication boards and keyboards to help learners communicate with others via digitized speech.

4. Students Who Need Mobility Assistance

Some students require mobility assistance because of certain physical limitations, which they were either born with or developed from an illness or injury. Common disabilities that require mobility assistance include:

• Amputation
• Arthritis
• Multiple sclerosis
• Muscular dystrophy
• Fibromyalgia
• Cerebral palsy

Assistive technology can help students with fine and gross motor movements. Students who need gross motor assistance benefit from assistive technologies like flexible furniture, standing desks and exercise balls. For fine motor skills, individuals can use a switch-activated device to increase functioning in a classroom, gaining access to devices and toys instrumental to learning.

5. Students With Learning, Cognitive or Developmental Disabilities

Learning, cognitive and developmental disabilities are an umbrella category of many disabilities with varying challenges, including:

• Brain or spinal injuries
• ASD
• Epilepsy
• Language delay

Students with these disabilities require additional support and guidance through lessons. Audiobooks and speech recognition software are great assistive technologies for these students, along with versatile assistive technologies like communicators and memory aids.

Examples of Assistive Technology in the Classroom

As we learn more about students with functional needs, more technologies are developed to help them overcome their unique challenges. Some of the most current and comprehensive assistive technologies that aid student learning include the following.

1. Speech Programs

Speech programs are high-tech AAC tools, most of which are Speech Generating Devices that translate a typed message into digitized speech. These can also do the opposite, translating spoken words into digitized text for students with stronger oral language skills than writing or typing skills.

For students who are visually impaired, speech synthesizers and screen readers may be beneficial. Text-to-speech software programs display text and read aloud to the student, highlighting each sentence to improve visual tracking as well.

2. Communicators

We’ve touched on communicators briefly when explaining how assistive technology can help. Communicators are AAC devices that enable students with special needs to share their ideas and feelings without talking. Many students can benefit from using communicators, namely those who are visually impaired, hard of hearing or have speech difficulties.

Many types of communicators tailor to students’ unique needs. When choosing a communication device for your learner, consider their needs and how they will interact with the device. As an example, if your student has motor restrictions, they will benefit from communicators with larger switches. If they regularly navigate the school building, they may prefer wearable communication devices so they can communicate on the go.

3. Timers

Some students have trouble with pacing. Timers and schedulers are effective assistive technology tools that help students mentally prepare for task changes. These devices also keep them knowledgeable about how much time they have left to complete their current task.

For students who are visually impaired, choose a timer that displays the remaining time in a vibrant color so they, too, can easily decipher how much time is left.

4. Computer Keyboards

Assistive technology keyboards have altered appearances and easier functionalities than a typical keyboard. There are many computer keyboards for students with disabilities, each customized to meet the user’s unique needs.

Most have special overlays with larger font sizes — about 11 times larger than a typical keyboard’s — and group keys by color and location. Others have reduced input choices and graphic aids to benefit comprehension, some of which are customizable to complement your student’s tasks and abilities.

5. Switch-Adapted Learning Toys

Students, especially younger ones, learn by exploring the world around them. Switch-adapted learning toys enable students to learn through play. These toys help learners build communication skills, improve sensory-motor development and practice visual tracking and attention — plus, they benefit cognitive development.

6. iPad Accessibility Tools

iPads help students communicate, learn and play. They’re also debatably more accessible than computers, because iPads have accessibility features like Assistive Touch, Guided Access and other customizable elements.

You can purchase other assistive iPad accessories, including:

• Mounts: Some students, like those with mobility limitations, can’t easily hold onto an iPad. Mounts allow students to attach their iPads to their tabletop or wheelchair.
• Switches: Students can use capability switches to interact with their iPads, like scrolling through screens or using compatible apps.
• Styluses: Students who struggle with fine motor movements may benefit from styluses. Styluses allow them to operate touch screens using their mouths, hands or heads.

7. Sip and Puff Switches

Some assistive technologies and devices require a student to use their hands, sensory-motor capacity or mobility to some degree. A sip and puff switch enables individuals — typically those with severe physical impairments — to activate a device with either a “sip” or “puff” using a mouthpiece. The sip or puff creates either negative or positive air pressure, enabling the user to control two devices with a single switch.

The positive or negative air pressure transmits a signal to the assistive device and enacts certain commands on a connected computer. Sip and puff switches allow students to use air to navigate technology as if they were using a mouse or keyboard. These devices can also be used to control wheelchairs or direct a stylus for interactive elements.

How Do You Integrate Assistive Technology in the Classroom?

Having the right assistive technologies and knowing the proper way to integrate them into your classroom is equally important. No matter the type of assistive technology you use or the group of students you teach, the best ways to integrate assistive technology into your classroom include:

1. Know What Works

Assistive technologies are individualized tools. What works for one student isn’t guaranteed to work for the next. It’s important to recognize each student’s needs and match them with the right assistive technology.

2. Let Your Students Play and Explore

Give your students access to a variety of assistive technologies and allow them to be curious about these unique tools. As they explore these new devices, they will discover different ways to communicate and learn new skills. Allowing students to freely use assistive technology can help them learn more about themselves and the world around them. You’ll also gain the benefit of seeing what tools your students prefer to engage with and how those tools enable their independence.

3. Maintain Ongoing Training

Administrators play an important role in teachers’ education and awareness of students with disabilities. It’s important for teachers to work with these students appropriately to make the right accommodations.

If you’re an administrator, maintain a consistent training schedule to keep teachers up to date on recent technology and proper terminology, emphasizing the importance of equal treatment and education for students who require additional learning aids.

Looking for Ways to Integrate Assistive Technology Into Your Classroom? Browse Our Classroom Kits Today

Students with special needs are excited and eager to learn. Assistive technologies enable these learners to do just that, providing the empowerment and encouragement they need to excel in their academics and personal lives.

At Enabling Devices, we create assistive technologies for people of all abilities and actual and development ages to live prosperous and fulfilling lives. We work with individuals, teachers and therapists to find the best devices for every student’s needs. We want to work with you, too.

We invite you to browse our online catalog of classroom kits and other assistive technologies. If you want to work with someone who will help you find the best devices for your students, our friendly sales department staff are ready and willing to help! Contact us online or call us at 800-832-8697.

Whether you’re a football fan or just in it for the beer and Buffalo wings, you’ve probably taken note of the eagerly awaited TV commercials that air during the Super Bowl. Advertisers spend millions of dollars to reserve coveted spots during the game when they know they can capture the attention of millions of American consumers. Though media outlets such as The New York Times claimed Super Bowl 2019 “played it safe” with its advertisements this year, one Microsoft commercial called “We All Win” was a standout.

The commercial features a group of children with physical disabilities who describe how Xbox’s adaptive controllers make it possible for them to play video games, just like their friends. Depending on the user’s abilities, the controller can be used with the user’s hands, feet, head or mouth. Or as one boy in the ad puts it: “No matter how your body is, or how fast you are, you can play.”

Although ads featuring people with disabilities are still few and far between, we are seeing them more frequently than in the past. In fact, this isn’t the first Super Bowl ad that portrayed people with special needs using Microsoft products. In 2014, the company aired a commercial starring Steve Gleason, a retired NFL player with Lou Gehrig’s disease, who used a Microsoft Surface Pro tablet with eye tracking technology in order to communicate. A year later, the company created another Super Bowl commercial that demonstrated how Microsoft’s technology helped a young boy with prostheses participate in athletics.

At Enabling Devices, we spend our days creating and adapting toys and other products so that people with disabilities can get in the game. Whether it’s switch-adapted toys, augmentative & alternative communication devices, assistive technology, sensory or training products, Enabling Devices is working to make all aspects of life more accessible to people with disabilities.

Kudos Microsoft! We’re glad to see that companies like yours are doing their part to raise awareness about the needs of all people and to encourage inclusive play and universal access. In the future, we hope that other companies will follow their lead.

 

 

Imagine knowing what you would like to say, but not being able to say it? Thanks to augmentative and alternative (AAC) devices, many children and adults with communication disorders are finding their voices.

POSM (patient operated selector mechanism), a “sip-and-puff typewriter controller” in 1960 and the “Comhandi, an electronic letter board” a few years later, twenty-first century technology has taken AAC to an entirely new level.  Today, individuals who are non-verbal or unable to speak clearly due to autism, deafness, developmental disabilities, cerebral palsy, strokes, vocal and swallowing disorders have many options for self-expression.

When choosing a communication device, it’s essential to take the user’s individual needs into account. Not every communicator is appropriate for every person. If you’re unsure what kind of device to purchase, consult with a therapist, special educator or reach out to the folks at . We’ll be happy to point you in the right direction.

For the beginner

Is basic communication what you’re after? These one and two message communicators are easy to use. Record songs, jokes and greetings. Use them at home, work, to start a conversation, or to order at a restaurant. Learn to activate one or two messages, then move up to three, four or six!

Big Talks #4200

This basic communicator records one 20-second message. Big Talks come in five colors and also act as a switch that can activate another device.

Talkable II #2400

This basic communicator records two messages of 20 seconds each. Includes built-in holder to display a word, picture or icon. Also available as Talkable III (records three messages) and Talkable IV (records four messages) and Talkable IV with 12 levels. Each level has room for four 6-second messages.

For the visually impaired

Bright lights and colors, high contrast, and easy to recognize textures make our communicators for the visually impaired easy to use.

Talkable II for VI # 2600

Our Talkable II for the visually impaired is purposely designed with two different colored switches, each outlined in black, to make finding and activating the device’s switch easy to locate.  The Talkable II features 20 seconds total recording time. Users can record one or two messages. This communicator is also a good choice for users who have difficulty with fine motor control.

Cheap Talk 6 for VI #6056

This communicator’s bright red and yellow switches make it easy for visually impaired users to find and select their pre-recorded messages. With six levels, the Cheap Talk 6 provides up to 225 seconds of recording time.

Totally Tactile Communicator #2046Y and #2046

This communicator is a great choice for those new to communication devices or who prefer using touch to select the device’s pre-recorded messages. The Totally Tactile Communicator offers six levels and 300 seconds of recording time.

For those on the go

Wearable tech is all the rage, so why be weighed down by a large or bulky device?

Wrist Talker #3037 and #3037B

This single-message communicator looks like a wristwatch and allows the user to record a 10 second greeting.

Hip Talk Plus #5020

This totally portable communicator, worn around the waist includes 300 seconds of recording time, auditory cueing and fantastic sound quality. Enabling Devices also sells two similar devices: the Hip Talk 12 with levels #5013, which enables the user to record 60 five-second messages and the Hip Talk #5004, which allows the user to record 4 five-second messages.

Small Talk with built-in icon holder #4201

A more portable version of our popular Big Talk, the small talk includes a special holder that displays an icon, word or photo.

Talk 4 with Levels #2500

This powerful communication device gives users access to 12 recording levels and 300 seconds of recording time. The Talk 4 offers single jack automatic scanning with LED illumination and three scanning speeds. Weighing less than one pound and equipped with an adjustable carrying strap, this communicator is both functional and portable!

For fun and learning

These communicators will help children to express themselves while they play.

Lego Communicators #1049D and #1049L Who doesn’t love Lego? This one message communicator will motivate children to learn language while inspiring creativity.

Talking Bubble with Lights and Vibration #2230 This four-message recorder/player helps its user to communicate while also providing visual and tactile sensory experiences.

Brand new!

Hot off the press, our new Language Facilitator #5310 promotes functional communication. Mirror, mirror … This two switch communicator helps users learn to speak by recording and playing back their utterances. At the same time, the Language Facilitator’s attached mirror provides users with an opportunity to see how their mouths move when making particular sounds.

iPads for communicating

When considering AAC devices, don’t overlook the communication opportunities afforded by iPad technology. According to Andrew Leibs, writing for About Tech,

“Apps on portable devices such as the iPad, can help non-verbal children to communicate basic needs. Intuitive apps that employ colorful images and sounds can also hold a child’s attention long enough to learn and offer effective tools to build vocabulary and reinforce word knowledge.”

Enabling Devices’ iPad Wireless Switches #1164 and #1167 provide access to hundreds of compatible apps available on your Bluetooth-equipped iPad, iPhone or Android device. Both switches have internal interfaces, so there’s no need for wires.

Don’t forget the iPad Mounting Systems!

Enabling Devices offers a Tabletop system #1589, which includes a mounting platform, designed for easy access to all of the iPad’s electronic ports and a removable tabletop base to hold your iPad at just the right angle.

The Mounting System #1556 includes a mounting platform, an expandable light duty arm and a clamp with which you can mount the system to a wheelchair or tabletop. The iPad Mounting Platform #1566 can also be purchased separately.

A free chart of switch accessible apps can be found on our website.

 

March is not only the first month of spring, it’s also National Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month. While raising awareness about disabilities and the obstacles facing individuals with disabilities is an ongoing effort, in recent years, advances in technology have gone a long way toward making the obstacles they face, more surmountable.

“Mobile devices have become incredibly popular for their ability to weave modern conveniences such as Internet access and social networking into the fabric of daily life,” writes Larry Greenemeier for Scientific American. “For people with disabilities, however, these devices have the potential to unlock unprecedented new possibilities for communication, navigation and independence.”

With the introduction of Apple’s iPad in 2010, people with all sorts of disabilities could gain access to hundreds of apps by just activating a switch. For those new to switch technology, switches come in a variety of shapes, colors, sizes and types. The choice of which switch to use depends upon users’ abilities as well as how they plan to interact with the technology. Enabling Devices offers switches and switch-related accessories to make iPad use accessible to everyone. Check out these products:

1. The iPad Wireless Switch Interface (Item # 1166)

To use your own switches with your iPad, you’ll need switch interface. Just plug in the switch of your choice and gain access to hundreds of switch accessible apps on your Bluetooth-equipped iPad or tablet! Our new model features six modes that provide additional functions. To see a demonstration of how to operate the iPad wireless switch device, click here….

2. iPad Wireless Switch (Item # 1164)

The one switch is the simplest type of switch. A great tool for teaching kids about cause and effect and making choices, one switch devices are also appropriate for beginning users and those with significant cognitive or physical impairment,” says Enabling Devices tech guru, Vinny Livoti! To see a demonstration of how to operate the iPad wireless switch, click here.

3. iPad Wireless Two Switch (Item # 1167)

The two switch is somewhat more complex than the one switch and gives users more navigation options. Those who are physically and cognitively able and/or more experienced with switch technology, may prefer two switch interface because it is faster, and doesn’t have the same timing requirements as the one switch, Livoti explains. Setting up two switch scanning is easy, says Livoti. To see a demonstration of how to operate the iPad wireless switch, click here.

“The first switch moves the cursor around the screen and the second switch makes the user’s selection.” Be sure to turn off auto scanning!

4. Switch Control

Apple’s IOS 7 and the recently introduced IOS 9 have built in switch control, so users can access their iPads, iPhones or tablets by using one or multiple switches or even by using the device’s screen as a switch!

As Apple.com explains:  “Switch Control allows you to navigate sequentially through onscreen items and perform specific actions using a variety of Bluetooth-enabled switch hardware. Switch Control is customizable for both beginners and advanced users — you can simplify existing actions or create your own.”

Once you’ve decided what kind of switch suits you best, it’s time to explore apps! You can find an extensive of switch accessible apps for the iPad and apps specifically for individuals on the autism spectrum, here.
If you have thoughts about technological accessibility you’d like to share, we’d love to hear from you. Talk to us on Facebook or Twitter.

Interested in learning more about Enabling Devices? Visit our website at enablingdevices.com or read our blog.