Brian Hyland

Assistive Technology
Exploring the George Lucas Educational Foundation website, Edutopia
Five resources:
1. Technology-Rich Literacy Experience for Students With Reading Disabilities, by Ted
Hasselbring (2014)
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/udio-tech-platform-reading-disabilities-ted-hasselbring
This link introduces Udio, an online environment designed to engage and support middle school
students who face literacy challenges. It is a great resource for teachers to utilize in the
classroom because reading and literacy is such an integral part of education. This site allows the
teacher to find technology to help those students struggling with reading and comprehension,
particularly if the school district in under-staffed.
2. Disabled Bodies, Able Minds, by Diane Curtis (2005)
http://www.edutopia.org/assistive-technology-class-school-participation
Assistive technology, including speech-generation devices and joystick technology, makes it
possible for students with physical and mobility challenges to participate more fully in class and
school activities. This article discusses different technological advances to help students with
physical disabilities communicate effectively despite their physical limitations.
3. TechMatrix
http://techmatrix.org/
TechMatrix, funded through a grant by the U.S. Department of Education and maintained by
theAmerican Institutes for Research (AIR), is a searchable database of over 400 assistive and
educational technology tools and resources. The products are searchable by content area, grade
level, IDEA disability category, and the type of instructional support. Essentially, this resources
is a database that connects users to many kinds of technology to help students with all
disabilities. It is useful for both teachers and parents because it is a specific search engine for
assistive technology.

Brian Hyland

4. Assistive Technology and the 1:1 Student, by Andrew Marcinek (2012)

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/assistive-technology-one-to-one-andrew-marcinek
Marcinek, in a story about Burlington High's 1:1 program, describes one student's easy use of the
iPad as assistive technology. This articles centers around the advantages of the new iPad on
helping students with different physical and intellectual disabilities communicate and learn more
effectively.
5. Out of Sight: Technology Helps Visually Impaired Students Thrive, by Sara Ring (2008)
http://www.edutopia.org/edward-r-murrow-technology-visually-impaired
Ring discusses the tools that make learning accessible for visually impaired students at one
Brooklyn high school. Visually impaired students require a lot of assistance and
educational/assistive technology is a fantastic resource to help them comprehend, navigate their
surroundings, and communicate with the teachers and their peers.

How this site can help parents:

The Edutopia website would be beneficial to parents because it is fairly easy to navigate.
Furthermore, the site contains loads of information on various assistive technologies to help with
many different disabilities. It features links to organizations as well as scholarly, peer-reviewed
articles discussing various technology to help students with disabilities.