Adeline Flores EDU 214 Dr. Flowers Technology in special education Technology has opened many educational doors for children, especially those with disabilities. Alternative solutions in technology have helped accomplish this in the past few years. Children with disabilities often feel better about themselves as a result of technology. Technology is the great equalizer for students with disabilities that might prevent them from participating in school, With technology, a student that is physically unable to speak can communicate with a spoken language. Using a portable voice synthesizer, a student can ask and respond to questions in the regular classroom. By using a portable voice synthesizer it eliminates the obstacle that may have forced the student to be placed in a special education classroom which would need an instructional aide or an interpreter. A voice synthesizer generates and combines basic elements of sound to produce simulated speech. A voice synthesizer is a computerized device that accepts input, interprets data and produces audible language. It is capable of translating any text from a computer document, a keyboard, a joystick or an eye, head or foot movement, These devices are available for students that are blind or visually impaired and those with reading disabilities. A speech synthesizer can provide an electronic means of verbal communication for students who are unable to speak or have visual impairments. In an example of a student that is visually impaired, the ability to take notes during a lecture and to then to review them later is not possible. With a voice synthesizer, the student can type lecture notes into a laptop and have a text to speech software program read them back for review. Another use for the voice synthesizer‘would be used for the student that has a speech impairment, The device can allow the student to communicate and participate in the class. This is easily done by loading a computer text file into a software program. Of course, the initial setup is time consuming, but is only has be done on the initial setup. Though a voice synthesizer allows a non-vocal user to communicate with spoken words and people who are visually impaired can hear written text. The challenge of becoming proficient with these devices may be greater for some individuals because of their physical restrictions. ‘The voice synthesizer has proven to be a very valuable to students with visual and speech impairments. It has allowed special education student to integrate and take classes in the so called regular classroom. It also eliminates the need for extra staff to be by the student side to help them get through a class.Works Cited ‘Thompson, Charles Speech Recognition Technology: An Application to beginning Reading Instruction Technical Report http://www eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/custom/portlets/recordDetails/detailmini jsp?_nfpb=true & &ERICExtSearch SearchValue_0-ED202050&ERICExtSearch_ SearchType_0=no&accno= ED292059 http://www. voicesynthesizer.org/ http://www.tfeine.com