Brenda Garrett – Literary Review

Kara Dawson, Pavlo Antonenko, Holly Lane, and Jiawen Zhu provide information on

assistive technology in the article, “Assistive Technologies to Support Students with Dyslexia”

(2019), which is available to help students with dyslexia in the classroom. There are many

different types of assistive technology in the forms of extensions, websites, and applications

(apps). Some AT only works with certain operating systems, such as MacOS and iOS, Microsoft

Windows, Android, and Chrome OS. When it comes to choosing which to use, it is typically

based on user preferences and school availability. Students who have been diagnosed with

dyslexia often use more than one type of assistive technology to learn and function

independently. The different types of AT will help with reading, writing, and spelling.

There are many assistive technologies for reading support. They all work the same way;

they allow users to listen to the text aloud. Examples of AT for reading are Speak It! Natural

Reader, Book share, Mercury Reader, Beeline Reader, Voice Dream Reader, and Audible. Along

with AT for reading support there are many AT options available for writing and spelling

support, as well. Examples of the AT available to writing and spelling supports are Standard

word processors, Voice typing, Co-Writer Universal, Write: Out loud, and Siri.

If we do not make use of assistive technology, in the classroom, we would be doing the

students a disservice. These types of technologies allow a general education classroom to be

truly inclusive. This helps keep the content engaging in a way that allows learners with dyslexia

to fully benefit without being singled out from other students. While AT cannot replace certain

interventions, it can promote learning and communication more effectively when used in tandem

with intervention. A student who has dyslexia will always have dyslexia, but will not always

have supports provided by a school system. As an educator, my job is to prepare students for the
real world, and being able to provide a student with the knowledge to choose, utilize, and explore

the AT possibilities that will help them throughout their entire life.
 Reference

Dawson, K., Antonenko, P., Lane, H., & Zhu, J. (2019). Assistive Technologies to Support

Students With Dyslexia. TEACHING Exceptional Children, 51(3), 226–239.

https://doi.org/10.1177/0040059918794027