Assistive Technology

The following videos highlight some tools and technologies that aid students in need of assistive technology.

In the first video, "Assistive Technology in Action - Meet Mason," a six year old boy with a visual impairment uses a special kind of typewriter called a Mountbatten brailer, that types in braille instead of ink letters. He also uses a smart tablet and a SmartBoard. The smart tablet and the SmartBoard have larger letters and utilize sound, making it easier for Mason to read from them. This way, Mason can participate with the rest of his class. He is also learning braille so that he'll continue to be able to keep up with his classmates as he gets older.

In the second video, "Assistive Technology in Action - Meet Elle," a 14 year-old paraplegic student tried many assistive technologies with varying results until achieving the most success with the DynaVox. The DynaVox allows Elle to communicate through pictures. A camera tracks her eye movements, and the picture she looks at triggers voice software that "speaks" for her. The DynaVox allows Elle to communicate more rapidly with her peers and teachers.

In the third video, "Assistive Technology Makes a Difference for Lukas Bratcher," a high school student is able to participate in band even though his limbs have limited movement capacity. An innovative descendant of a disabled musician invented a special tool that allows Lukas to play the euphonium using a joystick control. Lukas has become an accomplished musician and hopes to get a scholarship to continue his music education at the collegiate level.

The prevailing theme of these examples is that innovative technology has allowed these students to experience the same level of growth, advancement and enrichment that their peers without disabilities enjoy; without such technologies, it would not have been possible for Mason, Elle, and Lukas to experience education so fully. These children have flourished because these tools have given them an opportunity to participate in educational activities with their classmates that would otherwise have been out of their reach.