Council of Great City Schools Conference October 27, 2011 Boston, Massachusetts Presented by: Norma Villanueva, M.Ed District of Columbia Public Schools

1975 Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EFAHCA):  Access to special education  Access to public school buildings 1997 Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA):  Access to the general curriculum  Involvement in the general curriculum  Progress with the general curriculum 2004 Individuals With Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA):  Improve access to the general curriculum with NIMAC and NIMAS provisions, and processes for the preparation, delivery, and purchase of digitized instructional materials

 Challenges with accessing and giving meaning to text  Students who are blind or visually impaired  Students who have physical disabilities which make holding a book or turning pages difficult  Students who have learning disabilities which affect reading

 Students without print disabilities receive textbooks and other core instructional materials during the first days of school  Students with print disabilities typically receive textbooks and other core instructional materials weeks or even months after school has begun and sometimes, not at all

 Failure to receive accessible texts and other core instructional materials at the same time as non-disabled peers results in poor academic and post-secondary outcomes for students with print disabilities

 Youth with low incidence disabilities (such as print disabilities) show the lowest rates of engagement in school of all disability categories (U.S. Department of Education, 2005)  Youth with print disabilities experience high rates of segregation into separate classes, separate programs, and separate schools  Only 45% of students with severe visual impairments have a high school diploma (American Federation of the Blind, 2006)

 Lack of accessible textbooks and other core instructional materials=low rates of school engagement  Lack of accessible textbooks and other core instructional materials=inability to keep up with non-disabled peers; academic failure; segregation into separate classes, programs, and schools  Lack of accessible textbooks and other core instructional materials=frustration with academic failure; high school drop out; and simply aging out of the educational system

 Among all high school graduates, those with severe visual impairments are about as likely as are those with full sight to have taken college courses, but are less likely to have completed college with an earned degree (American Federation of the Blind, 2006)  Prison statistic show that as many as 60% of inmates have disabilities that affect reading.  Youth with low incidence disabilities show the lowest rates of engagement in work or preparation for work shortly after high school of all disability categories (U.S. Department of Education, 2005)  Individuals with visual impairments are among the most likely to work relatively few hours (Marder, Cardoso, & Wagner, 2003)  Individuals who are legally blind have a 70% rate of unemployment (Lighthouse for the Visually Impaired and Blind, 2011)

 Bookshare  Assistive Technology

 Conduct Functional Vision Assessment, Learning Media Assessment, Educational Assessment, and/or Occupational Therapy Assessment  Conduct Assistive Technology Assessment

 Assistive technology (AT) is an umbrella term that includes assistive, adaptive, and rehabilitation devices for individuals with disabilities.  Assistive technology also includes the process used in selecting, locating, and using such devices.  Assistive technology promotes greater independence and more positive outcomes by enabling people to perform tasks that are difficult or otherwise impossible to accomplish.

 Download text from Bookshare’s online library of accessible media  Based on assessment results, recommend to the student’s IEP team the most appropriate AT device to facilitate use:  Audio  Electronic Braille  Text and speech  Enlarged Text

reads digital talking books navigates through book shelves, such as textbooks, novels, magazines, personal text and voice recorded notes and music uses built in text to speech to read books in text format includes an integrated microphone to record voice notes portable - no need to bring CDs … it stores everything in its SD memory card, providing up to 15 hours of uninterrupted listening time plays NLS download books and NLS book cartridges plays back through stereo headphones or secondary small speakers uses USB port to transfer books and music from PC

 a computer application for reading digital audio books  provides easy navigation through a book structure  combines the audio and text mode that let students read the text on screen simultaneously with audio input and is fully accessible to print disabled persons  navigates by page, chapter, heading and section  inserts bookmarks to return to a spot or to mark important passages

 A laptop isn’t just a fun piece of technology for Wallace, a student at Woodrow Wilson High School.  It’s the difference between being able to read his book for English class and not.  Wallace is visually impaired, and his IEP team provided him with assistive technology like a laptop computer and Victor Reader Soft so that he can read his books aloud or zoom in text to access the print with his remaining sight.

“Before I started using the assistive technology, I did not like to read books at all. I couldn’t even really see the words on the page,” said Wallace. “Once I started using the screen reader, reading got a lot easier for me because I could listen, and I am a good listener and comprehend better by listening.”

 Text-to-speech reads Bookshare content  Has eHighlighter and Note tools  Provides access to classroom content  Allows students with print disabilities to access electronic books available from Bookshare  Supports reading comprehension  Enables students to highlight key information and create an outline to organize their content  Permits Bookshare members to download the Read:Out:Loud 6 Bookshare Edition for free  Provides access through both the Windows and the Mac version of Bookshare

Braillenote Appex, 32 Refreshable Braille display

 18 or 32 refreshable braille cells  Speech output with choice of TTS  Stereo speakers  Internal Omni Directional Microphone  Built-in Ethernet port  Built-in Wi-Fi  Built-In Bluetooth 2.1  One high-speed USB 2.0  3 high speed USB 2.0 host ports  Optional GPS receiver via Bluetooth

 Word Processor: Translates between Braille and text formats including Microsoft Word  Book Reader: Reads books from Bookshare, Learning Ally, audible and numerous other sources. Reads Braille or text formats  Allows students to listen to audio books, from sources such as National Library Services (NLS) and Learning Ally and offers powerful DAISY navigation  Students are able to use the Web Browser and E- Mail  Students use Voice Memos: Record lectures, class notes and memos  Media Player: Permits students to listen in stereo to MP3, WAV and Windows Media files.

 Enjoys reading Bookshare books with the Braillenote refreshable Braille cells.  Krystian likes having the choice of Text-To- Speech audio feature on his braillenote.  He can carry his Braillenote device anywhere.  He is currently reading the Harry Potter series. Each book in the collection can take up to 15 volumes of Braille books to transcribe.  An entire book in the Harry Potter series can be downloaded onto an SD card, which prevents Krystian from having to carry too many heavy Braille books around. Instead, he can read the Braille directly from his Braillenote device.

iPad

Mainstream, portable device with accessible features for blind and visually impaired students Voice Over - a Text-To-Speech Zoom Feature – a text magnification ability Contrast Adjustment - Black on white or White on Black Read-To-Go Apps - to read the Bookshare books. Books can be converted as PDF or EPUB format and sync with iPad

Crichelle, who has held multiple leadership positions in her school, now reads using large print on an iPad. She commented, “I was always behind. I had to wait so long for my books while they enlarged the print. Now I have several choices of college for next year and have to decide where I want to go. There are no barriers in front of me. They have been knocked down.”

Switch access

Switches

 Through switch access, students with physical disabilities are able to:  access computer applications  perform simple tasks, such as click and activate  respond to a computer prompt  scan and select the right choice  switch access technology enhances students’ expressive and receptive communication skills and allows students to learn with their classmates in inclusive settings

 Sabrina suffers from paralysis, and as a result, she is unable to hold a book, turn the pages, or access her computer without assistive and adaptive devices.  She is now able to read grade-level books with Victor Reader Soft using her laptop computer with switch access.  She is able to turn the book on and off, pause and resume play, and control the page navigation with switches activated by head and finger movement.  The switch access and the ability to control the page movement has empowered Sabrina and allowed her to participate in an inclusive learning environment.

 Bookshare is an online library of accessible media for readers with print disabilities.  Accessible books as digital text over the Internet - used as audio, electronic braille, text + speech, enlarged text  Over 145,000 members  Over 10,000 schools and other organizations  Over 120,000 titles + periodicals  books added every month 35 Bookshare believes that people with print disabilities should have the same ease of access to books and periodicals that people without disabilities enjoy.

36  In October 2007, Bookshare was awarded funding from the Federal Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) to:  Provide Bookshare content and services FREE to all U.S. qualified students with a print disability of any age  Expand the Bookshare collection  Focus on educational materials requested by teachers  Add textbooks from the NIMAC and publishers  Scan Once, Share Many

 Increases receipt of textbooks and other core instructional materials at the same time as for students without print disabilities  Improves academic achievement  Enhances opportunities for positive post- secondary outcomes  Increases time spent in general education settings with non-disabled peers  Increases access to the general curriculum  Reduces need for dedicated aides  Facilitates students’ long-term independence

 Adopt a culture of accountability for ALL students AND their educational achievement  Fully embrace technology as the means by which students with print disabilities can access the general curriculum  Speak in terms of services and supports rather than of specialized programs  Make the assignment of a dedicated aide the last resort rather than the first resort  Assume that the general education class is the best and least restrictive educational environment  Commit unconditionally to ensuring that students with print disabilities receive textbooks and other core instructional materials at the same time as their non-disabled peers  Take equal access to the general curriculum seriously  Practice the principals of universal design of instruction  Move from a culture of enabling and “care taking” to a culture of empowering and facilitating students’ long-term independence