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A teaching approach that allows educators to meet the varying needs of students in a class.

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Any item or technology that can be used increase, maintain or improve the capabilities of a person.

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Assistive technology is technology used by individuals with disabilities in order to perform functions that might otherwise be difficult or impossible. Assistive technology can include mobility devices such as walkers and wheelchairs, as well as hardware, software, and peripherals that assist people with disabilities in accessing computers or other information technologies. For example, people with limited hand function may use a keyboard with large keys or a special mouse to operate a computer, people who are blind may use software that reads text on the screen in a computer-generated voice, people with low vision may use software that enlarges screen content, people who are deaf may use a TTY (text telephone), or people with speech impairments may use a device that speaks out loud as they enter text via a keyboard.

A formal, legal definition of assistive technology was first published in the Technology-Related Assistance for Individuals with Disabilities Act of 1988 (The Tech Act). This act was amended in 1994; in 1998, it was repealed and replaced with the Assistive Technology Act of 1998 ("AT Act"). Throughout this history, the original definition of assistive technology remained consistent. This same definition was used in the Access Board's Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility Standards, developed as required by 1998 amendments to Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act.

A tremendous variety of assistive technology is available today, providing the opportunity for nearly all people to access information technology (IT). However, an individual's having proper assistive technology is no guarantee of having access. IT accessibility is dependent on accessible design. IT products must be designed and created in ways that allow all users to access them, including those who use assistive technologies.

Find some examples of assistive technology being used by students with disabilities in the video series AT in Action by The Family Center on Technology and Disability (FCTD) and PACER Center.

For more information, see the Knowledge Base article What is accessible electronic and information technology?

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Assistive technology is technology used by individuals with disabilities in order to perform functions that might otherwise be difficult or impossible. Assistive technology can include mobility devices such as walkers and wheelchairs, as well as hardware, software, and peripherals that assist people with disabilities in accessing computers or other information technologies.

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School of Professional Studies at Wake Forest University

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Learn about this innovative teaching approach and how it adapts to each student’s unique learning needs while encouraging engagement and inclusivity.

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Types of Assistive Technology (AT)

Assistive technology isn't new. In fact, it has been a part of the human experience for thousands of years. It is believed that eyeglasses were invented in Italy between 1268 and 1289; and, the first recorded use of a wheelchair dates back to 5th Century China.

Assistive technology can range from no and low tech solutions to high tech solutions. For example:

using paint to help with wayfinding ("to get to the elevator follow the blue line on the floor")

homemade grips (wrapping duct tape around a pencil or pipe insulation around a spoon handle)

speech generating devices that can be activated using eye gaze

Assistive technology solutions may be store bought, such as speech recognition software; modified such as placing tennis balls on a walker to make it easier to glide over carpets; and, even custom made such as creating a prosthetic hand using a 3D printer.

Throughout this site, we will use the following ten categories below to group AT solutions. It may not surprise you to learn that AT may fit into more than one category depending upon the person's needs as well as how and where the person uses the AT.

Vision

Products for people who are blind or visually impaired, including AT used for daily living activities, accessing computers, wayfinding, and other needs. Examples include:

magnifiers,

talking devices such as a talking thermostat,

Braille displays,

screen reading software,

text-to-speech systems using Optical Character Recognition (OCR),

large print materials, and

phones with large tactile buttons.

Want to know more or explore a sampling of products? Check out the resource below.

Hearing

Products for people who are Deaf or hard of hearing, including AT used daily living activities, communication, and other needs. Examples include:

personal amplification systems,

wireless TV listening systems,

vibrating alarm clocks,

doorbell with flashing light alert,

portable closed captioning system,

face-to-face dual keyboard communication system,

amplified telephones,

phone with captioning, and

mobile devices with texting or specialized apps.

Want to know more or explore a sampling of products? Check out the resource below.

Speech communication

Products for people with speech disabilities who need assistance with speaking including face-to-face communication. Examples include:

voice amplification systems,

fluency assistance devices,

artificial larynx,

communication boards,

speech output software,

symbol-making software, and

speech generating devices.

Want to know more or explore a sampling of products? Check out the resource below.

Learning, cognition, and developmental

Products for people who need assistance with learning, attention, memory, and organization. Examples include:

Want to know more or explore a sampling of products? Check out the resource below.

Mobility, seating, and positioning

Products for people who need mobility assistance. Examples include:

Want to know more or explore a sampling of products? Check out the resource below.

Daily Living

Products for people with disabilities and older adults with functional limitations due to aging. These products increase independence when performing activities of daily living such as bathing, dressing, personal hygiene, eating and other basic home/life activities including shopping and money management. Examples include:

dressing aids such as zipper pulls and button hooks,

long handle shoe horn,

Reacher,

adapted kitchen tools and eating utensils,

walker carrying bag,

wheelchair cup holder,

book stand,

automatic soap dispenser,

vacuum robot, and

switch-adapted appliances.

Environmental Adaptations

Products designed to increase access to homes, businesses, and other buildings by people with disabilities and include systems to open/lock doors, control lighting, temperature and other environmental needs. Examples include:

Want to know more or explore a sampling of products? Check out the resource below.

Vehicle modification and transportation

Products that promote safe access to transportation and increase independence through vehicle adaptations. Examples include:

Computers and related peripherals

Products that help people with disabilities access and use computers. Examples include:

specialized software such as screen magnification software for people with low vision,

alternative keyboards and input devices, and

voice recognition.

Want to know more or explore a sampling of products? Here are a few resources to get you started.

Recreation, sports, and leisure

Products that help people with disabilities participate in sports, recreation, and leisure activities. Examples include:

switch adapted toys,

playing card shuffler,

camera mounts, and

adapted sporting equipment.

Want to know more or explore a sampling of products? Here are a few resources to get you started.

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Assistive technology isn't new. In fact, it has been a part of the human experience since Ancient times. Assistive technology can range from no and low tech solutions to high tech solutions.

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Page 4: Differentiate Instructional Elements

As teachers begin to differentiate instruction, there are three main instructional elements that they can adjust to meet the needs of their learners:

Content-the knowledge and skills students need to master

Process-the activities students use to master the content

Product-the method students use to demonstrate learning

Differentiating instruction involves making changes to one or more of these elements. There is no prescribed way to differentiate instruction: The changes a teacher makes to each of the classroom elements depends on the needs of his or her students.

For Your Information

The learning environment is sometimes included as one of the classroom elements associated with differentiated instruction. It refers to the organization and atmosphere of the classroom. Without an effective learning environment with rules, procedures, and respect for others, differentiating content, process, and product might be more difficult to accomplish and may not result in the expected positive outcomes. Some ways in which the teacher can differentiate the learning environment include:

Creating places in the room where students can work quietly without distraction while also providing areas where students can work together

Offering multicultural materials

Developing procedures for students to get help when they are working with other students

Making adjustments to these instructional elements often requires teachers to change their approach to instruction. Listen as Carol Ann Tomlinson discusses why this is often the biggest challenge teachers encounter when they begin to differentiate instruction (time: 1:14).

Carol Ann Tomlinson, EdD
Professor of Educational Leadership, Foundations, and Policy
The University of Virginia
Charlottesville, VA

Transcript: Carol Ann Tomlinson, EdD

I think the biggest challenge in differentiation is not differentiation itself but change. There really is nothing that is particularly complicated about what differentiation asks teachers to do. But most of us develop pretty deep ruts of teaching within our first two or three years, and those ruts and routines become the rhythm of the day. And differentiation does ask you to break out of those. So I think it really is not so much adopting a new thing but shedding the old thing that really is the challenge. For example, most teachers have learned to direct classrooms with sort of a frontal control mechanism with the belief that we have to be standing in front of the kids for them to learn anything, and that if we let them work collaboratively or independently they would self-destruct. We are much more comfortable giving one set of directions and asking everybody to do the same thing and start and stop at the same time. And those are pretty big patterns, and it's a little hard to differentiate instruction and maintain those patterns. So it's frequently learning to think in a new way, I think, that's the greatest challenge.

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IRIS | Page 4: Differentiate Instructional Elements

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As teachers begin to differentiate instruction, there are three main instructional elements that they can adjust to meet the needs of their learners: Content-the knowledge and skills students need to master Process-the activities students use to master the content Product-the method students use to demonstrate learning Differentiating instruction involves making changes to one or more of these elements.

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Google Images

Iris.Peabody.Vanderbilt.edu

https://sps.wfu.edu/articles/what-is-differentiated-instruction/

https://www.washington.edu/accesscomputing/what-assistive-technology

https://mn.gov/admin/at/getting-started/understanding-at/types/