Assistive Technology for

Students
Assistive Technology Services
Are Required By Law

The Individuals with Disabilities

Education Act (IDEA) defines
assistive technology as “any
service that directly assists a child
with a disability in the selection,
acquisition, or use of an assistive
technology device.” (IDEA,1997)
What Is An Assistive
Technology Device?

IDEA defines an assistive

technology device 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 a child with a
Why Are They Necessary?
They help provide a student
access to the least restrictive
educational environment.
They increase a student’s day to
day functional skills.
They help to motivate a student to
achieve to the best of his/her
ability.
Using Assistive Technology

Method Accommodations
Material Accommodations
Technology Accommodations.
Method Accommodations
Allowing extra time for completing
assignments
Reducing the number of problems
Constructing study guides
Enlarging worksheets
Providing worksheets with partial
answers
Reducing number of problems on
page
Material Accommodations
Class assignments in audio taped
or electronic formats.
Computers with screen enlargers,
optical character readers (which
convert print to electronic format),
or speech output.
The use of readers or scribes for
exams or class assignments.
The use of cassette recorders and
laptop computers for note taking.
Technology
Accommodations
Speech Recognition ("Voice
Recognition") Systems allow
students to control their computer
by simply speaking.
Personal Reading Machines scan a
printed page and instantaneously
read the page out loud.
SMART Boards are interactive
white boards that can enhance
instruction and learning for
“SMART” Boards Are A Smart
Way To Go