Technology and Special Needs learner

Technologies used to aid student with visual impairment

A practical way on how teachers can utilize technologiesPresented By: Usha Baldeo , dekerda, Rajesh Motie and Shenelle Roberts

Definition of visual impairment Benefits of technology use to aid visual

impairment Examples of technological devices use

to aid visual impairment Practical ways teachers can utilize

these technology

Objectives

"Visual impairment including blindness" means an impairment in

vision that, even with correction, adversely affects a child's

educational performance. The term includes both partial sight and

blindness. This impairment refers to abnormality of the eyes, the

optic nerve or the visual center for the brain resulting in decreased

visual acuity.https://arksped.k12.ar.us/rules_regs_08/3.%20SPED%20ELIGIBILITY%20CRITERIA%20AND%20PROGRAM%20GUIDELINES%20FOR%20CHILDREN/PART%20I%20ELIGIBILITY%20CRITERIA%20AGES%205-21/L.%20VISUAL%20IMPAIRMENT%20INCLUDING%20BLINDNESS.pdf

What is visual impairment?

Cognitively, students can attend to various tasks at the same time.

Academically, technology allows users to feel a part of the classroom and develop reading and phonetic skills.

Linguistically, students can develop and understanding of the difference between written and spoken forms of language.

Behaviorally, It fosters better communication with the user and the instructor.

Benefits of technology use to aid visual impairment

Examples of Technologies used to aid visual impairment

Text to speech

software

Braille and speech device

Voice recognition software Audio books

Video Magnifiers/

CCTV’S

Text to speech devices

Practical ways teachers can utilize these technologies as a learning tool

These devices can be use across the curriculum . For instance, reading comprehension students can listen to stories just by simple touching bottoms then use another form of visual tech device to answer the questions. This can aid in fluency, listening skill and word pronunciation etc. (type to speech device (laptop) watch this videohttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FKYjo8sFCw

Students will listen to the story” Three little pigs” via the laptop

Say what they learnt about and from the story

Record in their now words the beginning, middle and ending of the story using any text to speech device

Example of Text to speech devices

Braille Displays

Braille displays are hardware that enables visually impaired students to read. Teacher can prepare the same reading lesson and using this device, blind students can open documents and edit , and browse the Internet.

Voice recognition software

Voice recognition software can be used to facilitate various stages of the writing process, it can be fine-tuned for specific writing assignments in various subjects such as history or science.

Audio books

This device can be used to facilitate reading for visually impaired students, The teacher can download books fromBookshare.org which is a repository of over 57,000 digital books The books, can be read in Braille or with synthesized speech software, and contains page numbers, information from the title page, and mark-up indicators to direct users to the beginning of chapters and pages.  Students can download their books and free book-reading speech software from the Bookshare.org website.  

Video Magnifiers or Closed Circuit Televisions (CCTVs)

A television video camera combination can be installed in the classroom to be used by students who are visually impaired to magnify the print in books etc. It can also be used to in all subject areas including different types of crafts like needlepoint.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLaUx7BJ4r0&feature=related

Example of Technology used in the Florida School for the deaf and blind