BOS Special Education Needs

http://www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/special_ed/faq_secondary.html

Using technology for social interaction skills instruction for children and adolescents with Asperger's Syndrome

http://www.closingthegap.com/home/detail_full.lasso

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Alternative Input Devices for Students

Alternative Input Devices for Students with Physical Disabilities

Switches:
Switches control the flow of electrical power to a device that the user
wants to turn on or off. Switches can be activated by almost any part of the
body a person is able to voluntarily and reliably control—for example,
switches are available that can be activated by the use of an arm, hand, finger,
leg, foot, head, or chin. They also may be controlled by less obvious move-
ments of the eyebrow, or the rib cage with access through controlled breath-
ing. While the movement does not have to be big, it must be controllable and
reliable, and often considerable training is required before the use of the
switch is reliable.

Basic Adaptive Keyboards:
Basic keyboard adaptations that assist physically dis-
abled students to use computers include replacing standard keys with larger
keys that are easier to see and touch, reducing the number of keys on the key-
board, placing letter keys in alphabetical order, and providing keys that are
brightly colored and easy to read. Other keyboards are much smaller than
their traditional counterparts and have keyboard surfaces that are much more
sensitive to touch. These keyboards are excellent for individuals with a limited
range of motion or for individuals who have a difficult time applying pressure
to keys.

Touch-Sensitive Screens:
Touch-sensitive screens are very popular with young
computer users and with individuals who have severe developmental or phys-
ical disabilities. This technology allows the user to simply touch the computer
screen to perform a function. Many touch-sensitive screens come complete
with multiple screen overlays that can be used to perform a variety of tasks.
Similarly, many companies provide additional software that enables the users
to create their own overlays.

Infrared Sensors with Pneumatic Switches:
Use of an infrared sensor worn on the
head, along with use of a pneumatic switch, can enable physically disabled stu-
dents to interact with the computer. As the user looks at the computer screen,
the cursor follows the user’s head movement. Moving the head to the left
moves the cursor in the same direction on the screen. Thus, users can position
the cursor anywhere on the screen by moving their head left, right, up, or
down. The pneumatic switch, which is activated by inhaling or exhaling
through a plastic tube, enables the user to use the mouse. When the user sips
or puffs on the switch, the computer responds as if the mouse button had been
clicked. In this manner, the user can move a cursor and click on items dis-
played on the computer screen. Special software is used in conjunction with
these movements to allow the user to type out information on a facsimile of a
keyboard that is displayed on the computer monitor.

Voice Recognition:
Using voice recognition software, the user can bypass the key-
board and just speak to the computer. By programming the computer with a
set of predefined instructions, the user can control the computer by verbally
issuing commands into a microphone. In most cases, the reliability of the
system can be enhanced by having the user “train” the computer to recognize
his or her speech patterns. Voice recognition systems allow students to operate
a variety of application programs, to dictate to a word processor, and to enter
data into spreadsheets.

Devices to Assist Students with Visual Impairments

Closed-Circuit Television Magnification (CCTV):
CCTV is designed to enlarge
any type of text or graphic material by using a small vertically mounted
video camera with a zoom lens directly connected to a monitor for display-
ing the image. The text or graphic material is placed under the camera lens
on a sliding reading stand and the image is projected on the attached video
monitor. CCTVs allow the user to adjust the magnification, contrast,
brightness, and focus, and to change the background display to either
black or white, or in some cases, color. Older CCTVs, while still useful for
many classroom applications, are expensive and cumbersome to move. But
the newer, smaller versions of this technology are portable, and thus much
easier for students to use.

Computer Screen Magnification:
Most computers sold today allow for the
magnification of the screen through the use of special software. Typically,
the user can select a portion of the screen and then enlarge that section up
to 16 times the original size. Although the user is somewhat inconve-
nienced by having to view a smaller portion of the original screen as the
magnification increases, this technology makes it possible for students with
visual impairments to use computers in ways similar to their nondisabled
peers.

Descriptive Video Services (DVS):
DVS technology inserts a narrative verbal
description of visual elements—such as sets and costumes, characters’ phys-
icaldescriptions, and facial expressions—into pauses in a program’s dialogue.
The majority of television sets and VCRs manufactured in the past six years
have been designed with a “second audio program” (or SAP) switch that
can be turned on so that the user can automatically hear descriptive video.
DVS is available for both standard VHS and DVS formatted videotapes.
DVS technologies help students by providing them with access to informa-
tion, and through the increased opportunities to discuss programs and
movies that are part of the popular culture, by providing them with oppor-
tunities for increased socialization and knowledge building.

Screen Readers:
Screen reader software represents what is known as a text-to-
speech application, which analyzes letters, words, and sentences and con-
verts them into synthetic or digital speech. Today, text-to-speech software is
common in many software packages, including many word processing and
educational software programs in math, reading, and spelling. In some
instances, the student can adjust the volume, pitch, and speed of reading, and
even choose between a male or a female voice. With synthetic speech, the
computer reads text passages, analyzes the phonetic structure of words, and
attempts to reconstruct the words by putting together a string of synthetic
phonemes that are then “spoken” by the computer. However, when the
words are not phonetically predictble, the results can be difficult to under-
stand. In contrast, digital speech is composed of actual recordings of human
speech. While digital speech is much easier to understand, it requires a large
amount of storage because each word that the computer may encounter
must be prerecorded. Consequently, its use is often not feasible for class-
roominstruction. As more low-cost options for storing electronic information
become available, however, this technology will likely be used more extensively
to assist students who have communication disorders or visual impairments.

Optical Character Recognition (OCR):
OCR technology enables blind stu-
dents to place books or other print materials on a scanner and have the text
interpreted and read using synthetic or digital speech. The first OCR
system for individuals with visual impairments was introduced in 1976,
when Ray Kurzweil invented the Kurzweil Reader. The early Kurzweil
Reader was about the size of a small photocopy machine and was consid-
ered to be a truly remarkable advance for students with visual disabilities.
While the device was often found in libraries, it was too bulky and expen-
sive to be available to students in the classroom. Today, there are portable
stand-alone OCR devices and devices that can attach to other computers
and scanners.

Braille Notetakers:
Braille notetakers are small, portable devices that enable
students to enter and store Braille characters in the form of words and sen-
tences. The notetakers use the same six keys found on a traditional Braille
writer used for making a paper copy of Braille. However, most notetakers
allow users to review what they have written by listening to the text-to-
speech function of the device. In addition, software translators allow the
Braille to be converted into text. The stored files can then be used with a
standard word processor or a screen reader. To get a hard copy of the infor-
mation that was entered, the user can connect the notetaker directly to a
standard printer for text output or a Braille printer for Braille output.
Similarly, a paperless Braille display can be attached to a computer or a per-
sonal notetaker that can display up to 80 characters simultaneously. Devices
such as the Braille notetaker that combine Braille with computer technol-
ogy have made Braille much more useful than it was in the past.

Devices to assist students.

Devices to Assist Students with Hearing Impairments

Hearing Aids:
The hearing aid is a miniature public address system worn by
the user (listener). It works best in quiet, structured settings, where the
speaker is no more than a few feet away and extraneous noise is minimized.
Hearing aids are generally available in four styles: body-worn, behind-the-
ear, eyeglass, and in-the-ear. School-age children most often use postauricu-
lar hearing aids, which are designed to fit unobtrusively behind the ear.
Almost all people with hearing loss, including “nerve loss,” can benefit to
some extent from hearing aids.

Frequency-Modulated (FM) Amplification Systems:
Also known as an auditory
trainer, the FM transmission device creates a direct link between the
teacher, who wears a microphone, and the student, who wears a hearing
aid. In this system, background noise is reduced and the teacher and stu-
dents are free to move around the room. For more than 40 years, FM sys-
tems have been used by teachers and students in the classroom, and they
are still one of the most commonly used auditory enhancement devices in
schools because of their versatility and portability for use in or out of the
school building.

Audio Loops:
The audio loop is another type of amplification system. It was
introduced in an attempt to meet the need to control the sound level of the
teacher’s voice, to maintain consistency in auditory cues between home
and school, to deal more effectively with background noise, and to provide
maximum mobility within a classroom. An adaptation of the FM device
described above, the audio loop directs sound from its source directly to
the listener’s ear through a specially equipped hearing aid. Sound may be
transmitted through a wire connection or by using radio waves. Audio
loops can be built into the walls of a room or created to surround only a
certain section of seats in a room.

Infrared Systems:
Infrared systems transmit clean, clear sound invisibly to
hearing impaired listeners. They provide better hearing in public places
without the hassle of wires and cords, and they suffer less from interference
emanating from pagers and other outside radio signals, but they may have
limited accessibility because of issues related to line-of-site or distance
between the emitter and the transceiver. Nevertheless, as costs come down,
the popularity of infrared systems is increasing.

Cochlear Implants:
A cochlear implant is a relatively new device designed to
provide sound information for people with profound hearing impairments.
While hearing aids and other assistive devices are designed to amplify
sound, an implant can actually enable the wearer to hear sounds that were
previously indistinguishable. The implant, which is surgically placed
beneath the skin, bypasses the damaged parts of the inner ear and stimu-
lates nerves that have not been stimulated before. Signals are sent contin-
uously when sound is present in the environment, but special circuitry in
the speech processor reduces unwanted background noise.

Telecommunication Devices for the Deaf (TDDs):
The TDD, which enables a
person with no hearing to make or receive telephone calls, is the most
widely known telecommunication device used today. The TDD is attached
to a telephone and resembles a small keyboard with a screen to display the
incoming or outgoing messages. Some TDDs have a paper printout to
record a permanent copy of the conversation. To use a TDD, the user types
a message on the keyboard that is automatically converted into tones and
transmitted over the phone line to another TDD, which converts the mes-
sage back into text form. In this system, both the sender and the receiver
of the message must have access to the technology. Although these tech-
nologies are not typically used in the classroom environment, they enable
students with disabilities to interact with each other outside of the school
environment for both academic and social reasons, just as their nondisabled
peersdo.

Captioned Television:
Captioning refers to the addition of text to a visual dis-
play, where the words that are spoken are seen as text. The early form of
captioning was seen primarily as subtitles for translating foreign films.
There are two kinds of captions, open and closed. Open captioning is
seldom used, because it cannot be turned off and is consequently unpopu-
lar with the general public. Conversely, closed captioning is very common
and it can be turned on or off by the user on all modern televisions. Since
1993, all television manufacturers have been required to place built-in
decoders in their products to provide individuals with hearing impairments
with access to closed captioned television programs and videos for educa-
tional and recreational purposes. Given that consumers purchase more
than 20 million televisions each year, the majority of classrooms and private
homes in this country have access to this technology.

Live Speech Captioning:
Live speech captioning is another variation of this
technology that allows individuals with hearing impairments to access
words as they are being spoken. This technology works much like steno key-
boards that are used to record judicial proceedings. When captioning is
used in educational settings, a stenographer typically enters information as
the teacher talks and the text is displayed on a computer monitor. This
technology has proven to be very helpful for students with hearing disabil-
ities who are enrolled in college courses or who attend public lectures.

Catering for a difference websites

http://www.abilityhub.com/
http://www.abilitynet.org.uk/
http://www.apple.com/accessibility/
http://www.independentliving.org/links/links-computers-internet-disability.html
http://codi.buffalo.edu/archives/computing/index.htm
http://www.enablemart.com/
http://www.csudh.edu/soe/tbe550/spec.html
http://www.csudh.edu/soe/tbe550/spec/sld006.htm
http://www.rit.edu/~nrcgsh/arts/gallaudet.htm
http://www.futureofchildren.org/usr_doc/vol10no2Art5.pdf
http://www.techlearning.com/story/showArticle.php?articleID=45400052
http://www.eric.ed.gov:80/ERICWebPortal/custom/portlets/recordDetails/detailmini.jsp?_nfpb=true&_&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=ED315936&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=eric_accno&accno=ED315936
http://www.newhorizons.org/spneeds/inclusion/teaching/front_teaching.html#technology
http://www.futurelab.org.uk/resources/documents/lit_reviews/Learning_Difficulties_Review.pdf
http://www.newhorizons.org/spneeds/inclusion/teaching/kahn.htm
http://www.newhorizons.org/spneeds/inclusion/teaching/sax.htm
http://www.netc.org/cdrom/fueling/pdf/fueling.pdf
http://www.ataccess.org/