The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act has placed a great emphasis on using modern technology to enable the disabled learner to have a more level playing field. Choices made according to the Act must reflect the genuine need of an individual student.
Reading Technology
- Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology for scanning written text –
- large desk-top scanners that are used to scan a page of text
- small pen-sized units that are hand-drawn along text one line at a time
- tape recorders for reading aloud as well as dictation
Writing Technology
- the word processor, a well-known software technology for manipulating text
- dictation software with a microphone, to create typewritten text from speech
- spellcheck technology
- word prediction software that completes a word once the first letter is typed
- software that “maps” the brainstorming process, making a visual map or flow chart
Math Technology
- calculators
- talking-calculators with built-in speech synthesizers that state a number, math symbol, or answer
- touch screens
- talking-math worksheets that position the cursor and speak the numerals shown on the screen.
Constraints on Use
- an assistive technology device will be allowed as an accommodation or test modification when it is an integral part of the student’s instructional program
- certain test manufacturers state allowable uses of assistive technology on their websites – but not all technological accommodations are considered “standard”
- non-standard accommodations mean that the student’s test scores cannot be aggregated into the total collection of test scores from a group