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The Rehabilitation Act of 1973

This law was the first law giving people with disabilities civil rights. Section 504(a) states that no one with a disability can be left out of any program that receives federal money, including public schools (Rehabilitation Act, 1973).

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With this law, students with disabilities could no longer be legally excluded from school, included school related events and activities. This law gave civil rights to students with disabilities. No more discrimination or exclusion based on ability.

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To fully have an understanding of how the disability laws have improved the lives of individuals with a disability, we need to take a moment and think about who you know in your life with a disability. Relatives, a friend, fellow church goer, or a cashier from your favorite store.

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Do you know a student with a disability? 

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My connection is my youngest son, Ethan. As I read through the disability laws and analyzed their progression and focus on the progression of AT, I understood the need for such laws. While I can see progression has been made incrementally, there is constant need for more action.

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Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975

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Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975

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This law ensures all children with disabilities must receive a free and appropriate public education. Schools are now required to create an Individualized Education Program to meet each student’s specific needs (U.S. Government Accountability Office, 2013).

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Students with disabilities now receive public education tailored to the individual through a legal contract between the student and school at no cost. Previously, students with disabilities were in school, but not receiving education appropriate to the disabled student.

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According to the U.S. Department of Education (n.d.), students with disabilities are entitled to a free appropriate public education under Federal law. Students with disabilities have the same right to K-12 public education that students without disabilities have. Section 504 and Title II require public schools to provide appropriate education and modifications, aids, and related services free of charge to students with disabilities.

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IEP Definition, Purpose & Example - Video | Study.com

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Learn the definition, purpose, and examples of the Individualized Education Program (IEP) in this 5-minute video. Watch now and test your knowledge with a quiz.

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1988 – Technology Related Assistance for Individuals with Disabilities Act

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1988 – Technology Related Assistance for Individuals with Disabilities Act

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With this law, financial aid in the form of grants are given by the Federal government to the states to aid people with disabilities to gain access to technology-related assistance, like speech devices and adaptive computers(Technology-Related Assistance Act, 1988).

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While money has been made available, there often seems to be a confusion on where the money goes.

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On The Issues - Education: Special Ed Funding Allocation

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With access to AT, individuals with disabilities achieved further independence in education and in their personal life; aiding in a improved quality of life and lowered barriers to equality in education/work force.

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Is money enough for AT to be successful 

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Is money enough for AT to be successful 

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Assistive Technology in Special Education

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Assistive Technology in Special Education

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The ADA made it illegal to discriminate against people with disabilities in public and private facilities, work place, transportation, and schools regardless of receiving federal funding or not (Americans with Disabilities Act, 1990).

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An individual with a disability now had the legal right to enter a restaurant, use the public transportation, apply for a job, or take a college class just like anyone else.

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No Limits on Individuals with Disabilities' 

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No Limits on Individuals with Disabilities' 

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Listen to how people with disabilities are impacting our world. When we remove discrimination and allow the use of AT, a person's disability becomes the background and their talent is viewed center stage.

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Podcast · Katie Healey, PhD, CPACC · Discover a new figure or event in disability history each day!

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The start of a tech revolution and a face lift for 1973

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 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1990

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 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1990

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According to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. §§ 1400–1482, prelim. 2025), students with disabilities are guaranteed access to special education services and transition services. This law called for professional development for special education teachers, parent training, student use of AT, just to name a few.

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Students with a disability now had the support from highly trained teachers, parent training programs, specifically designed learning goals, and advancements in technology and assistive technology.

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November is Assistive Tech Awareness month, and to celebrate, we're looking at the foundations of assistive technology and how we got to where we are today.

Assistive technology is described by the World Health Organisationas 'an umbrella term covering the systems and services related to the delivery of assistive products and services'. Assistive products are ones that foster better daily experiences and wellbeing when implemented. They can range from things that assist with mobility and personal transport to communication aids, prostheses, vision and hearing support - and things that help with specific tasks like reading and learning, such as our own C-Pen Reader 2.

Many devices can be afforded the title of 'assistive technology' even if that's not the purpose they're designed or marketed for. For example, somebody who struggles with their mobility can use verbal commands with their Alexa device to turn up their heating, therefore making Alexa a piece of assistive technology for that person. Without assistive technology, some people might find that they're excluded from spaces and experiences they want to be included in or are locked into low incomes, dependence or a lack of personal dignity.

Assistive technology in history

It's not easy to pinpoint the first assistive technology , as they're devices that are likely to have been created, used and forgotten by the time we developed writing. The earliest prehistoric peoples would have used mobility aids such as walking sticks and crutches, and the idea of utilizing a piece of polished crystal as a magnifying glass to help with reading is at least as ancient as 424 BC. Additionally, the ancestors of the wheelchair can be evidenced to the beginning of the sixth century. One of the most recognizable forms of assistive technology - a pair of glasses - can be attributed to their invention by Salvino D'Armate in Italy in 1284, but when it comes to supporting visual impairments using assistive technology, many people herald the beginning of the age of invention of Braille type around 1824.

The golden age of assistive technology

Although the past has been filled with more assistive tech than we might think, most regard the golden age of assistive technology as the one we're living in now. The late 1970s represents a watershed in terms of how many of us thought about assistive technology and saw a shift towards supporting neurodiversity. It's also when we see the genesis of many of the reading and speech support technologies that we're familiar with today, alongside a focus on creating and implementing devices that can support learning and improve quality of life.
Reading and writing support - major modern milestones
Although less of a talking point than assistive devices that help people stay mobile or comfortable, reading and writing support tech has a long and vitally important history in the story of assistive technology.

1961: The first recognizable text-to-speech system is created by John Larry Kelly Jr. using an IBM computer at Bell Labs. It's a rudimentary system, but the foundation for everything that comes after it - many people get on board and start exploring the possibilities of TTS over the next two decades.

1980: The Don Johnston Human Learning Tools Company develops its first assistive writing tools, Co:Writer and Write:OutLoud. They're mainly adopted by schools, but colleges and workplaces pick up the idea as the 80s turn into the 90s.

1985: The first version of Microsoft Windows is released. Compared to other OS builds at the time, it has simplified and intuitive UX priorities and revolutionizes the writing process for many people with dyslexia, but it'll be another decade or so before dedicated reading support emerges alongside writing support within the base OS.

1989: Freedom Scientific pioneer JAWS for DOS. It's a screen reader system for DOS systems saw market dominance and still exists in other forms today. It's not the first screen-based TTS, but it's the most functional available to users for around five years either side.

1995: Accessibility features are built into Windows OS for the first time.

1998: An innovative technology is patented - a small sensor that can scan images and fit into a small, handheld device around the size of a pen. It's this tech that prompts the genesis of a company in Lund, Sweden: you'll know them later as C-Pen.

1999: The first iteration of Narrator, a Microsoft screen reader solution, became included in every copy of Windows. It marks the beginning of screen reader tech in a mainstream software setting, breaking down the idea that assistive tech and tech are two separate entities.

2000-5: Research and innovation gain sway in a shifting consumer electronics industry - the 'tech boom' is over, and tech is now an inbuilt necessity, not a new novelty. Assistive devices aren't a key focus of the movement yet, but they're gaining traction as focuses pivot to education and learning within the developing personal tech space - lots of TTS systems and names you might recognize from the EdTech industry pop up around now.

2007: Debut of the LiveScribe SmartPen. It's a physical notetaking system that computerizes handwritten information as it's written.

2008: Scanning Pens are appointed as UK seller for C-Pen, bringing handheld reading support to schools and businesses nationwide - and soon many others.

2011: The first of the "Hey," generation of assistive tech appears - iOS' Siri. It's followed in 2014 by Amazon Echo's Alexa and makes accessing information far easier than ever before - on-the-go knowledge acquisition can be entirely verbal, with the need for a keyboard and reading wholly eliminated.

2020-1: Without assistive tech like online learning environments, handheld reading supports, text-to-speech software and other accessibility tech, learning would have been even more severely compromised during social distancing protocol - especially for vulnerable learners who might have been used to in-person support.

Assistive tech has the power to change lives. But many people still don't have access to the support they need in order to lead rich and fulfilling lives, succeed in education and progress into careers they love.

Scanning Pens' C-Pen Reader 2 combines award-winning text-to-speech technology with a simple and effective implementation that opens up the world of words for readers of all ages, from the classroom to the office to reading at home. Find out more about how the C-Pen Reader 2 can change the narrative for good and become part of your assistive technology story at Scanning Pens.

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November is Assistive Tech Awareness month, and we're celebrating by looking at the foundations of assistive technology and how we got to where we are today.

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The 504 and IEP are both major wins for individuals with a disability, but you need to understand the differences in order to understand one's legal rights.

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The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a law that makes available a free appropriate public education to eligible children with disabilities throughout the nation and ensures special education and related services to those children, supports early intervention services for infants and toddlers and their families, and awards competitive discretionary grants (U.S. Department of Education, n.d.).

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"IDEA ’97: Overview - The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Amendments of 1997 were signed into law on June 4, 1997. This Act strengthens academic expectations and accountability for the nation's 5.8 million children with disabilities and bridges the gap that has too often existed between what children with disabilities learn and what is required in regular curriculum" (National Association of Special Education Teachers, n.d.).

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As the result of this law the United States saw more students with disabilities began learning side by side with their peers instead of in separate classrooms. It has been found that with the right services or AT support individuals with a disability can thrive in an inclusive environment along side typical peers. Every student has the right to have equal and fair access to learning. Even if fair looks different for each when it come to technology used.

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Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004

This version of IDEA focused on accountability — schools had to show that students with disabilities were making progress. It also made sure that assistive technology was still included in planning (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 2004).

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These amendments strengthen accountability for the school to provide an appropriate education to all students and made them accountable for tracking progression and implementing all documented supports in an IEP. To ensure accommodations, services and supports like AT are effective and given when there is a seen need.

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Progression: the process of developing or moving gradually towards a more advanced state (Cambridge University Press, n.d.).

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Civil Rights for individuals with disabilities includes the right for the use of AT.

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With this law, students with a disability have a legal contract between them and the school. This contract includes support or accommodations that would aid in learning new skills alongside their peers. This contract is very important in laying the ground work of utilizing AT as apart of this legal contract.

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An individual with disabilities now receive state support through their school and public programs, which allows individuals access to assistive technologies tailored to their needs.

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This was huge shift in the United States, now with it being illegal to flat out discriminate against a person with a disability this opened the door to many job opportunities and education advancements for an induvial with an disability. This meant that those with disabilities that need to use AT in order to complete or full fill a job role could no longer be seen as an undesirable job candidate.

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"Improve technological resources and integrate technology, including universally designed technologies, into the lives of children with disabilities, parents of children with disabilities, school personnel, and others through curricula, services, and assistive technologies" (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 20 U.S.C. §§ 1400–1482, prelim. 2025). AT is now in the forefront of the federal governments mind and its evident how important it is to aid in a students independence and education.

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According to the National Association of Special Education Teachers (n.d.), IDEA '97, "Assistive Technology/Technology Integration - Every year, new technology comes on the market that can enhance the learning of students with exceptionalities. The right technology can provide a student with a disability access to learning opportunities few dared to dream of just a decade ago and provide them the means for academic success." Students now on 504 or IEP are to be evaluated for AT and gives the support to make achievements academically.

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"IDEA 2004 included a new provision requiring the special education and related services, supplemental aids and services outlined on a student's IEP need to be based on peer-reviewed research to the extent practicable"( LD Online, n.d.).

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"Fact: Students with disabilities are often dependent on teachers or parents to help with academic tasks. Assistive technology can allow these students to complete academic tasks on their own. This in turn helps them become more independent and to rely on adult support less and less over time"(Vanderbilt University, IRIS Center).

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Teachers who use only traditional classroom instruction and materials might discover that students with disabilities have difficulty accessing the general education curriculum. In response, teachers can provide accommodations—that is, adaptations or changes to educational environments and practices designed to help students overcome the challenges presented by their disabilities. Among these accommodations is the subject of[.....]