DIFFERENTIATION

The iPad and How Its Capabilities Can Help Those With Special Needs
 There are many
different ways to adapt
an iPad or iPhone XR
for students with
special needs.
It all starts with
looking at the
Settings of the
iOS 12 device.
Accessibility

Within the General

tab of the Settings,
there is an area
called
‘Accessibility’.
Within this section,
there are settings
grouped by Vision,
Interaction, Media,
Hearing, and
Learning.
 Magnifier
The magnifier is found in
the Vision section of
Accessibility.
Once turned on, it is used by
triple clicking the power
button when using the
camera.
This is a good option for
those who have visual
impairments and have a
hard time seeing distance.
Closed Captioning
and Subtitles
For those students with
hearing impairments,
subtitles and closed
captioning is available.
Not only do the iPad or
iPhone XR have this
feature, but the student is
also able to customize the
text to their preference.
Whether the student needs higher or lower
opacity, color, font, size, highlighting
capabilities, or outlining, it is available. This is
good for hearing impaired students in a variety of
age ranges.
 Guided Access
Guided Access is incredibly
helpful for students with many
different struggles.
This is a feature that can be
turned on by a teacher or parent.
It can be turned on and off with a
passcode and the adult can put
strict time limits on use of the
iPad or iPhone XR.
The Guided Access keeps the
student in one app at a time. It
works well for timed breaks,
focusing on tasks, and for children
who use their iPads as a device
that speaks for them. It can help
that particular student with easy
access to their communication.
 Switch Control
Switch Control works for those
students with mobility issues who
can’t control their arm or hand
movements, and easier, single buttons
or switches might be of better use for
them.
Using the Switch Control feature
enables multiple external switches to
be linked to the iPad or iPhone XR.
With the Recipe option, a student is
able to have specific instructions for
the switches, like turning pages and
specific controls in gaming apps.
Recipes for the switches can also be
programmed to make a series of
instructions.
 Assistive Touch
Assistive Touch is a big ‘floating’
button on the screen called a Top
Level Menu. This menu includes
up to six important apps or icons
a student needs.
This helps those with limited
mobility issues.
The feature on the iOS 12 device
also has an opacity option for
visually impaired students or
those who might be easily
distracted.
LED Flash for Alerts

Any time a student receives

an alert, whether it’s from a
teacher, getting an email,
time to see the nurse for
medication, or from an app
they’re using in class, LED
Flash can help those who are
hearing impaired.
Instead of relying on a ringer
or the vibrate option, the
iPad/iPhone will flash and
light up when the device is
alerting them to something
they may need.
Speak Screen
The Speak Screen is
found in the Speech
section of the
Accessibility tab.
This is great for students
with vision issues. This
way, a student can hear
what is on the screen
rather than seeing it.

Within this option, a

student can speed up or
slow down the pace of
speech they’re hearing,
choose a preferred voice,
and pause and rewind.
 There are many different features
that are available on an iPad/iPhone
XR iOS 12 device that enable
students with arrays abilities to work
more comfortably and productively.
The ones included here are only a
few and just scratch the surface.
When looking at an iPad or iPhone,
it should be viewed as a gateway for
learning, for students of all abilities,
regardless of difficulty. This
presentation hopefully has shown
that any student can have success
using this tool.