In this post I want to talk about assistive technology, a concept that I’ve seen in Clàudia’s post. Assistive technology (AT) can be defined as “any item, piece of equipment, or product system, whether acquired commercially off the shelf, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve the functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities.” (National Institute of Standards and Technology). So any adaptive device or service that helps the children to be more independent when doing tasks can be considered as AT. Moreover, they normally help to increase participation or achievement for students with a disability.
Its main objective is to give children with disabilities access to literacy and communication in the school, home and community. To make it, there is a huge variety of different types of devices that can be low tech (e.g. markers, objects) or high tech (e.g. electronic devices), low cost or high cost, etc. Also, some of them are more specific or helpful to some type of visual impairment than to another, so you can choose which one suits better to your needs.
I’ve found a website where a woman with visual impairment explains briefly a list of 26 different assistive technology tools and offer some related links and good examples of when these items can be useful. These are the tools mentioned:
Audio description: additional narration track that describes visual information for people who otherwise might not be able to see it.
Blindness cane: used to navigate unfamiliar environments.
Computer: can be used as assistive technology in the classroom (e.g. taking notes that they can read) and they also have many useful accessibility settings of their own.
Device camera of cell phones/ tablets: it can be use as AT (e.g. magnify menus) and there are many different AT apps that uses it.
Electronic books: some include large print or have text-to-speech read for people with visual impairment or print disability.
File formats: some can be edited or used for reading information (instead of print ones) for people with visual disabilities.
Guide: person who accompanies people with visual impairment or blindness.
High resolution images: used to present graphics clearly so that they can be magnified as necessary.
Image descriptions/alt text: they are read out loud by screen readers to tell someone what is in an image.
Jingle/auditory feedback: adding sound to something (e.g. enabling sound feedback on the computer or adding a noisemaker to a ball).
Keyboard: have access to a modified keyboard for typing (e.g. Braille).
Large print: enlarge the print to a higher one, normally size 18 font or larger.
Magnifier: have access to a magnifier or magnifying glass to look at small details of objects or read short amounts of text.
Note taker: portable device that allows users to create documents in an accessible format.
Overhead lighting: can make a big difference in how someone with low vision can work or walk around a room, as nice, bright lights can allow people to see everything around them with finer detail.
Paper size: have a larger paper size in addition to large print so that no additional information is cut off.
Quality pens: write with large, high-contrast pens, as many people with low vision have difficulty distinguishing grey pencil lead on white paper.
Raised dots: can provide information in a tactile way for people with vision loss.
Screen reader: is a software program that reads all of the text on a computer screen using a synthesized voice.
Tactile materials: allow users to learn by touch.
Underline/line tracker: cam be use underneath lines of text to make people that have trouble tracking text with their eyes easier to focus on.
Virtual assistants: perform tasks or services for users based on spoken commands or questions.
Wayfinding: orientation and mobility techniques and tools that allow users to navigate more easily.
External display: can be used to further magnify or enlarge information on a screen.
Yellow on black/high contrast display: black text on a white background can provide lots of glare, so many users benefit from having a high contrast display (e.g. light test on a dark background).
Zoom: allow users to magnify displays without external magnification aids.
I believe assistive technology tools are very helpful for people with visual impairment but also for their families and other professionals working with them because they can feel more empowered and autonomous when facing the world. Moreover, if they have knowledge of these tools, they can be able to carry out more specific interventions to improve children’s performance in school and in their day to day life. What do you think about it, do you know any other AT?
Bibliography:
Paths to literacy. Overview of Assistive Technology. [Consulta: 8 de desembre de 2020]. An overview of assistive technology for students who are blind or visually impaired, including those with additional disabilities | Paths to Literacy
Perkins School for the blind. (2020). A to Z of Assistive Technology for Low Vision. [Consulta: 8 de desembre de 2020]. A to Z of Assistive Technology for Low Vision | Paths to Technology | Perkins eLearning
Judit Capell
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