Assistive Technology

 Assistive Technology

As a special education teacher, I feel that I am pretty familiar with assistive technology. Luckily in many of many classes, assistive technology was covered. Assistive technology are tools used by an individual to help perform tasks that could be challenging or difficult.  Assistive technology can help many people for different struggles they may have such as hearing, vision, physical, fine motor, memory, and more. These tools help make different aspects of life accessible and more equal to everyone. These assistive tools can range from low tech to high tech.  These tools do not all have to be technology based such as iPads, communication devices, etc. 

Low tech assistive technology are tools that do not require training, may not be too expensive, and are not complex. Some of these tools may not require technology at all! Some examples of low tech assistive technology are fidgets, pencil grips, using large fonts, using a different font color, walking cane, highlighters, and paper organizers. 

Mid tech assistive technology are tools that are a step above low tech. These tools may require some training, may be battery operated, and could have come complex features. Some examples of mid tech assistive technology are wheelchairs, hearing aides, and non-electronic communication boards (on paper).

High tech assistive technology are tools that have digital complex components, require training, and can get expensive. Examples of high tech tools are speech to text, text to speech, electric wheel chair, digital communication boards, and screen readers.

Image source: Assistive Technology

Accessibility features on iPad

There are many features on the iPad that I explored. There are different accessibility features based on what the individual may need assistance with. On Apple's website, there is a list separated by category (vision, hearing, physical, etc). Under each category there is a list of the different accessibility features. You can click on each feature and it will tell you how to use it and what it does. A couple of interesting features that I found I put on this infographic. 

This first feature is assistive touch. When this feature is turned on, a little white square with a dot appears on your screen. You can drag this around to put it where you'd like on the screen. When the circle is pressed, it opens up to a couple of options on your screen. You can press home screen, notifications, device, controls, and you can customize it. By using the assistive touch, you do not have to use any buttons or multi-finger gestures. I have used this before on my phone due to my home button breaking and my screen cracking. It worked great!

We all know that our apple products have Siri, but I know that I forget how much more she can actually do. My grandpa, who had severe vision loss, would use siri because he could see what his phone said. Siri can send text messages, open apps, set timers, and so much more. Since I don't rely too much on Siri, I forget how much she can do to help those that could need it. Along with Siri, the display text and size can be changed on an apple device. If seeing the screen is a problem, it can be changed!

VoiceOver and Live Listen were other features that I thought were interesting. Live Listen allows you to hear through your devices microphone. When the feature is turned on, either AirPods or hearing devices can be connected and the sounds will come through the microphone and through the headphones. VoiceOver is a screen reader. It gives auditory details about what exactly is on the screen.

Image source: Personal photo

I think assistive technology is a wonderful thing. I think a lot of teachers use low-tech assistive technology without even realizing it. One thing that I wish could happen in schools is there to be professional development about assistive technology. I think if teachers knew more about it and were able to collaborate with their co-workers and other teachers, there would be better ways to use it.