Assistive Technology
for Students with Blindness or Visual Impairment
The type of
disability I am choosing to research assistive technology is blindness and
visual Impairment. According to IDEA
from the idea.ed.gov website, visual impairment including blindness means an
impairment in vision that, even with correction, adversely affects a child's educational
performance. This definition is used for
partial sight and blind students. This
type of disability puts students at a huge disadvantage because most of our
classrooms in public schools are set up to be visually stimulating with aids
like diagrams and posters to help students learn. There is good news though with the level of
technology today, many types of AT technology is available to help get the
student the education they need in the least restrictive environment.
The first assistive
technology I would like to discuss with portable not takers. These are devices that are very portable, about
the size of a book and take electronic Braille notes. Teaching VisuallyImpaired explains that these portable note takers can be used by Braille
learners to read books, write assignments, find directions, record lectures and
even listen to podcasts. Now visually
impaired students have the information they need transcribed readily so they
can communicate with teachers and classmates, especially if those people don't
read Braille. These devices are expensive
and can cost up to $6,000, making them not available for all visually impaired
and blind students unless they can get it with government assistance.
Another assistive
technology I would like to bring up for the blind and visually impaired is
audio books. Again TeachingVisually Impaired explains that the use of audio books can be a very
invaluable especially with pairing it with books in large print or
Braille. Audio books can have a wide
variety of formats and can be played back on many different devices that are
much easier for students to gain access for learning. Regular printed books can even be scanned in
as pdf documents and then be read back to a student with the use of adaptive
technology or in embossed Braille. The
government also has the National
Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS) to provide a free library
program Braille and audio materials through the mail free of charge.
For the future of
assistive technology, computer scientist Chieko Askawa and her team is trying
to bring technology form digital to the physical world. She has worked since 1982 to develop
technologies to facilitate computer use for the blind, but her new project call
NavCog
is trying to use today's personal gadgets to help students navigate around
schools and campuses. This technology
places beacons with Bluetooth emitters around campus and then guides the
visually impaired and blind through their phone app with a Siri-like voice. In the future they would like to also pair
with facial recognition software that can identify acquaintances when they walk
by and inform users when people they encounter are not talking to them.
References
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