1. Assistive Technology Brooke Phillips ED 505 Dr. McMillin

2. What is assistive technology?  AT is any tool that helps students with disabilities do things more quickly, easily, or independently.  AT can provide accommodations, modifications or adaptations made to the environment, curriculum, instruction, or assessment practices.  AT supports students participation in learning experiences in the least restrictive environment.

3.  Assistive Technology Act  The Assistive Technology Act was first passed by Congress and signed by the President as the Technology-Related Assistance Act of 1988. It’s often called the Tech Act for short and has been reauthorized in 1994, 1998, and 2004. The most current version of the Act is authorized through 2010.  The Tech Act is intended to promote people’s awareness of, and access to, assistive technology (AT) devices and services. The Act seeks to provide AT to persons with disabilities, so they can more fully participate in education, employment, and daily activities on a level playing field with other members of their communities. The Act covers people with disabilities of all ages, all disabilities, in all environments (early intervention, K-12, post-secondary, vocational rehabilitation, community living, aging services, etc.). Laws regarding assistive technology

4.  Americans with Disabilities Act ( ADA )  The ADA prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in employment, state and local government, public accommodations, commercial facilities, transportation, and telecommunications.  Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)  Guarantees that eligible children and youth with disabilities would have a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) available to them, designed to meet their unique educational needs. Laws regarding assistive technology

5.  Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act  Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act requires that all electronic and information technologies developed and used by any Federal government agency must be accessible to people with disabilities.  Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act Amendments of 1998  Schools are required to integrate academic, vocational and technical training, increase the use of technology, provide professional development opportunities to staff, develop and implement evaluations of program quality, expand and modernize quality programs, and link secondary and post- secondary vocational education. Laws regarding assistive technology

6.  The Hearing Aid Compatibility Act of 1988  This law requires that all telephone equipment manufactured or imported for use in the United States after August 1989 be compatible with hearing aids.  The Television Decoder Circuitry Act of 1990, Section 3  The deaf and hearing impaired should have access to information and entertainment via television medium to the fullest extent possible through technology. This law requires that new televisions with at least a 13-inch screen must have the built-in capacity to display closed-captioned TV transmissions. Laws regarding assistive technology

7.  Telecommunications Act of 1996  This law requires that telecommunications equipment and services be accessible to and usable by persons with disabilities.  Federal Government Procurement of Accessible Information Technology  Individuals with disabilities cannot be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance or under any program or activity conducted by any Executive agency or by the United States Postal Service. Laws regarding assistive technology

8.  Workforce Investment Act of 1998 Laws regarding assistive technology

9. Hearing Impaired  Technology that helps with people who have some for of hearing deficit  Most common HAT is a hearing aide  There are also devices that are called an audio loop that is connected to a sound system to enhance the sound of televisions and other devices

10. Seeing Impaired  Students with visual impairments can complete homework, do research, take tests, and read books along with their sighted classmates, thanks to advances in technology.  Examples:  Students with visual impairments can complete homework, do research, take tests, and read books along with their sighted classmates, thanks to advances in technology.  Stand-alone products designed specifically for people who are blind or visually impaired, including personal digital assistants (PDAs) and electronic book players provide portable access to books, phone numbers, appointment calendars, and more.  Optical character recognition systems scan printed material and speak the text. Braille embossers turn text files into hard-copy braille.

11. Learning Disabled  AT for kids with LD is defined as any device, piece of equipment or system that helps bypass, work around or compensate for an individual's specific learning deficits.  Abbreviation expanders  Alternative keyboards  Audio books  Electronic math worksheets  Freeform database software  Graphic organizers and outlining  Information/data managers  Optical character recognition  Personal FM listening systems  Portable word processors  Proofreading programs  Speech-recognition programs  Speech synthesizers/screen readers  Talking calculators  Talking spell checkers and electronic dictionaries  Variable-speed tape recorders  Word-prediction programs

12. Physically Disabled  There are many different types of technologies available to those that are physically disabled. These devices help people who are physically disabled to function in society.  Alternative keyboards  Keyguards  Automatic page turner  Speech generating devices  Integrated powered mobility controls

13.  SC Curriculum Access through AT. (2012). Retrieved June 10, 2014, from www.sc.edu/scatp/cdrom/ atused.htmlwww.sc.edu/scatp/cdrom/  Assistive Technology Act. (2013). Retrived June 10, 2014, from http://nichcy.org/laws/atahttp://nichcy.org/laws/ata  Assistive Technology Laws. (n.d.). Retrieved June 10, 2014, from http://www.fctd.info/resources/ techlaws.phphttp://www.fctd.info/resources/ Resources

14.  Hearing Assistive Technology. (n.d.). Retrieved June 10, 2014, from http://www.hearingloss.org/ content/hearing-assistive-technologyhttp://www.hearingloss.org/  Assistive Technology. (n.d.). Retrieved June 10, 2014, from http://www.afb.org/info/living-with-vision- loss/using-technology/assistive-technology/123http://www.afb.org/info/living-with-vision-  Raskind Ph.D., Marshall and Stanberry, Kristin. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.greatschools.org/special- education/assistive-technology/702-assistive- technology-for-kids-with-learning-disabilities-an- overview.gshttp://www.greatschools.org/special- Resources

15.  Physical Disabilities. (n.d.). Retrieved June 10, 2014, from http://www.spectronicsinoz.com/physical- disabilitieshttp://www.spectronicsinoz.com/physical- Resources