1. Maine AIM Program Training Webinar Success Stories About Students with Physical Disabilities Accessing AIM

2. Presenters Deb Dimmick ALLTECH Shannon McFarland, Pine Tree Society

3. Objectives Participants will understand How physical disabilities impact student access to curriculum materials. Technologies that support student success. Built-in accessibility features of frequently used technologies. How students are appropriately matched to the right technologies.

4. What are Accessible Instructional Materials (AIM)? Specialized formats of curricular content that can be used by and with learners who are unable to read or use standard print materials. Braille. Large print. Audio. Digital text.

5. What is a physical disability? IDEA refers to physical disabilities as orthopedic impairment, and in C.F.R. Sec 300.7 states: "Orthopedic impairment means a severe orthopedic impairment that adversely affects a child's educational performance.”

6. Why AIM for students with physical disabilities? Significant barriers to accessing curriculum materials: o Carrying materials. o Opening books/magazines, websites, etc. o Turning pages. o Making notes. Innovative and adaptive uses of technology support students with physical disabilities in having meaningful access to both digital (and standard print) materials.

7. Stories to be told… Ryan Colin Torie Julia Joe Camryn

8. Ryan AboutPhysical Characteristics 5-year-old boy. Student in an elementary functional skills class. Likes participating in class groups, sing- alongs, and using the computer. Non-ambulatory and non-verbal. Learning delays. Some gross motor movement. Poor motor control.

9. Ryan’s Low Tech Adapted Books

10. Ryan’s Book with VOCA Boardmaker Plus. o Voice Output Communication Aid (VOCA). Video demonstration of “Cupcake” book.

11. Ryan’s Book with Computer Access

12. Close-up of Switch Interface

13. Colin AboutPhysical Characteristics High school student. In a Functional Skills classroom. Enjoys being part of class discussions and listening to stories. Cerebral palsy. Significant vision impairment. Poor speech intelligibility. Poor motor control.

14. Colin’s Access to News- 2-You (N2Y)

15. Key “Shortcuts” in N2Y

16. Programmable Switch Interface

17. Colin’s N2Y Setup

18. Demonstration of Colin’s Access to N2Y

19. Torie AboutPhysical Characteristics High school student. Variety of reading interests. Uses a variety of access methods and materials. Uses Tango AAC device and “TangoLink” computer access feature. Uses auto and 2-switch scanning. Working on head pointer and eyegaze access Cerebral palsy. Gross and fine motor challenges.

20. Torie’s Head Pointer, AAC Device, Switches

21. Torie’s Page Turning Strategies

22. Torie’s AAC Device & Access

23. Julia AboutPhysical Characteristics Kindergartner. Writes and paints with her feet. Highly verbal and social. Goal is to be treated the same as her peers. Amyoplasia. Cannot grasp or hold with her hands. Articulate speech. Growing rapidly.

24. More Julia

25. Julia’s Wireless Wave Roller Trackball Mouse Placed on Julia’s footrest. o Left, right, and drag click. Mounted with Velcro ®. Access to instructional materials. o Digital books. o Worksheets. o Writing journals. o Websites.

26. Julia and Her Trackball Mouse

27. Julia’s Voice/Speech Recognition Julia uses her speech and articulation skills. o Transcribe text. o Utilize navigation commands. Access to instructional materials. o Digital books. o Websites.

28. Joe AboutPhysical Characteristics Soon to be 17-years- old. 11 th grade student. Suffered a motor vehicle accident. Plagued by fatigue as transitioning back to school. Spinal cord injury – cervical level injury. Blood pressure has a tendency to drop, resulting in the need for a tilted wheelchair position.

29. More Joe

30. Joe’s Voice/Speech Recognition Tablet iPad 3 rd Generation. Stylus with cuff. Use of Siri: o Phone calls. o Select and play music. o Hear and compose text messages. o Use Maps and get directions. o Read notifications. o Find calendar information. o Add reminders. Access to instructional materials. o Bookshare and Learning Ally.

31. Camryn AboutPhysical Characteristics 12-years-old. Hard-working student. “Generalized Ligamentous Laxity of Ligaments.” “Essential Tremors.” Degenerative disorder. Fine and gross motor delays. Hand tremors. Fatigue.

32. More Camryn

33. Camryn’s Cruise Trackpad Camryn controls cursor speed and direction with a single, soft touch of a control ring. Requires no hand or wrist movement.

34. Camryn’s Built-in Access to AIM Mac and Windows: o Virtual Keyboard. o Sticky Keys. o Cursor movement. o Cursor size/color. o Automator.

35. Resources Please refer to each of our Speaker’s Notes for many more resources and associated websites.

36. Summary A diverse array of technologies support students with widely varying physical disabilities to access AIM. A thorough understanding of the student’s needs, preferences, characteristics, challenges, and goals is required for a successful match between the individual and the technology.

37. Thank You Please visit or contact the Maine AIM Program online. maine-aim.org info@maine-aim.org