Adaptive+and+Assistive+Technologies





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**__Adaptive and Assistive Technologies __**

**__Blindness __**

Students who are blind can benefit from this assistive technology equipment: **Brail embossers: **These are essentially printers that print Braille instead of standard text. People who are Braille literate can “read” this printed output with their fingers.

**__Relative Advantage: __**

Various educational materials can be printed out in Braille form making it possible for students who are blind to read them. It’s cost effectiveness and efficiency makes Braille materials more accessible to students **Electronic note-takers **: are portable devices that are used to input and output information in formats such as refreshable Braille and/or crisp synthesized speech. Most note takers will give you the ability to take notes, read e-mail, create calendars and more.

**__Relative Advantages: __**
 * Allows students to take notes in class.
 * They can print the notes out in Braille or access them in the audio format.
 * Allows vision disabled students to read their own email.

**__Links: __** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">[|What is a Braille Embosser?] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in;">[|Blindness Products from Enablemart]

**__<span style="color: #00a249; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Hearing __** **__<span style="color: #00a249; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Loss __** <span style="color: blue; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 18pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.25in;">Students who are hearing impaired can benefit from this assistive technology equipment: **<span style="color: blue; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14pt;">Turbo Ear **<span style="color: blue; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14pt;"> is a personal amplifier that greatly increases the volume of sounds. **__<span style="color: #00a249; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Links __** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 18pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.25in;">[|Turbo Ear]

**__<span style="color: #00a249; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Relative Advantages __**
 * <span style="color: blue; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 18pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.25in 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">Allows individuals to watch and listen to videos and listen to lectures.
 * <span style="color: blue; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 18pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.25in 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">They can also participate in personal conversations and group discussions better because they can hear what is being said.

**__<span style="color: #00a249; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Speech/Language Disabled: __** <span style="color: blue; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 18pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.25in;">These individuals have difficulty speaking, reading, and/or writing and they would be able to use this assistive technology equipment: **<span style="color: blue; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14pt;">TextSpeak **<span style="color: blue; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14pt;">™ TS text-to-speech keyboard series converts text to voice while you type. Completely integrated DSP technology works without a PC and is simple to use. **__<span style="color: #00a249; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Relative Advantages __**


 * **<span style="color: blue; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14pt;">These devices assist voice impaired individuals and speech limitations. **
 * **<span style="color: blue; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14pt;">This equipment allows people who cannot speak or have difficulty in speaking to type the words and have them spoken orally in either a male or female voice, allowing them to participate in discussions, saying the pledge, or asking a question in class. **

**<span style="color: blue; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14pt;">QuickTalker Communication Devices **<span style="color: blue; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14pt;"> are a fun, gender neutral solution for beginning communicators. They feature a sleek design with rounded edges and common sense controls. **__<span style="color: #00a249; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Relative Advantages __**
 * **<span style="color: blue; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14pt;">They are fun for beginning communicators. **
 * **<span style="color: blue; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14pt;">They can assist young students with communication disabilities by allowing them to communicate with their teachers by allowing them to participate in lessons and make requests for the restroom, something to drink and other personal needs to be met. **
 * **<span style="color: blue; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14pt;">The case is durable and it should last a long time. **
 * **<span style="color: blue; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14pt;">It has a built in handle which makes it easy to take from class to class etc. **
 * **<span style="color: blue; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14pt;">It has the flexibility to be customized for the level and learning experience of each student. **

**__<span style="color: #00a249; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16pt;">Links: __** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 18pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.25in;">[|QuickTalker] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 18pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.25in;">[|TextSpeak Video Demonstration: Works Right Out of the Box] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 18pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.25in;">[| Video Demo Series: Talking on the Telephone with Text Speak]

**__<span style="color: #00a249; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Learning Disabled and Students with Aspergers & Autism: __** **<span style="color: blue; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14pt;">The ITalk2 **<span style="color: blue; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14pt;">is a two way message communicator that is ideal for choice making. The device gives the user the freedom to choose between two activities, food choices, choices or two of anything else that you can imagine. **__<span style="color: #00a249; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Relative Advantage __** <span style="color: blue; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 18pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.25in 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">It provides communication opportunities so every student has the chance to learn the power of communication.
 * <span style="color: blue; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 18pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.25in 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">Using the iTalk2™ Communicator will provide opportunities for students to:
 * <span style="color: blue; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 18pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.25in 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">Experience the advantage of two-message communication.
 * <span style="color: blue; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 18pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.25in 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">They now can be engaged in learning communication skills by commenting, making choices and telling jokes.
 * <span style="color: blue; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 18pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.25in 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">Students will gain the experience of using new language in a variety of environments.

**<span style="color: blue; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14pt;">Teach Me to Talk **<span style="color: blue; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14pt;">is a language and speech stimulation program that enables students to focus on individual words. Many students need to hear a word repeated, up to 20, 30 or more times before they can produce it themselves. Teach Me to Talk provides this opportunity with four different learning activities included in the software.

**__<span style="color: #00a249; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Relative Advantages __**


 * **<span style="color: blue; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14pt;">Students will learn to use vocabulary groups include animals, clothing, food, household items, transportation and words that begin with b, p and m. **
 * **<span style="color: blue; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14pt;">Story time uses rhyme, rhythm and repetition to help students to learn language and dev lop emerging literacy skills. **

**__<span style="color: #00a249; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Links __**

[|*]<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">[|***iTalk2 Communicator****] <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">** [|**Teach Me to Talk**] **

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">** __ Resources __ **

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">** [|**Enablemart.com and Learning-Education**] ** <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">** [|**Assistive-Technology: Enabling Dreams Edutopia**] ** <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">** [|**Inclusive Design Research Centre - Resources on Web Access**] ** <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">** [|**Learning & Education Tools & Aids | Reading Programs | Writing Aids | Enablemart.com**] **