Leah Shaw

EDTC625 Fall 2017

Assistive Technology Case Study

I. Case Study

1. Make recommendation for hardware and software for the student.

In order to meet the needs of the student, I recommend the student be issued an iPad. There are
several technologies built into the device that will help the student.

 Auto-Correction-device will automatically correct misspelled words

 Auto-Capitalization- device will automatically capitalize first letter of sentence and proper nouns
 Keyboard shortcuts- student can create a shortcut for frequent difficult words
 Predictive text- student begins typing and iPad suggests words that begin with those letters
 Speech to Text- student speaks and iPad writes it
 VoiceOver- iPad will speak each item that is tapped on device
 Text to Speech- iPad will speak aloud when “reading webpages and text in other apps”
(Meersma, n.d.).
 Voice Memos- student or teacher voice recording of important information
 Camera to photocopy notes written by teacher and in-class resources (so student doesn’t have to
write them, but can reference them later)
 Guided Access feature restricts student from moving to another app

Additionally, there are apps that should be added to the device to help the student:
 DyslexiaKey is a keyboard font for iPad which is “a specific font created specifically for dyslexic
individuals” (Patel, 2016).
 Focused@Will is an app which reduces the sound frequency of speaking voices. It “scientifically
optimized music to reduce your distractions” (Dulcetta, 2017).
 LearningAlly is an audiobook app (http://www.learningally.org) which also highlights the text as it
reads, helping students with ADHD to focus.
 Evernote https://evernote.com which lets the student “capture, organize, and share notes from
anywhere” and syncs across devices (https://evernote.com). This will promote organizational
skills for the child with ADHD.

2. Give advice to the student's key academic faculty (English, Math, Social Studies and Science) on
general integration in their classrooms for this student and hardware.
Leah Shaw
EDTC625 Fall 2017
Assistive Technology Case Study
The student should be utilizing any/all of the text-enhancing features as detailed above. Teachers
should be willing to record “voice memos” on student’s device. Recordings can include descriptions of
homework assignments, reminders of calendar events, information for the parents, etc. The student and
peers may also utilized the voice recording feature for reminders, group work guidelines and
responsibilities, etc. The student should be encouraged to use the camera app feature to take
photographs of written resources (so student doesn’t have to hand write them), visual aids (maps, charts,
diagrams), and other important information. Teachers should turn on Guided Access when student is in
one particular app, in order to discourage the student from jumping to another app.
Teachers should allow student to use headphones and listen to the Focused@Will app when
completing an individual project assignment. This helps reduce the classroom noise and will allow the
student the opportunity to focus. Teachers should encourage the student to utilize Evernote to store
online information.

3. Make recommendation to the principal where the school might be able to find funding for this project.

There are multiple option for securing funding for the device and recommended apps. It’s
possible to raise enough money with in-house events. 1) Hosting a school dance with paid admission.
Volunteers could sell refreshments and a teacher sponsor could act as the DJ. 2) Using proceeds from a
seasonal festival. The proceeds from silent auction items and refreshment sales could fund it entirely.
Additionally, the internet offers a lot of options with crowdsourcing sites (ex.
https://www.donorschoose.org), fundraising (ex. http://www.fundingfactory.com) or locating grants (ex
http://www.digitalwish.com/dw/digitalwish/home or https://www.grants.gov). Finally, it’s possible that the
child’s family already owns an iPad for the students’ use; funds would only need to be secured for the
recommended apps.
Leah Shaw
EDTC625 Fall 2017
Assistive Technology Case Study

REFERENCES

Dulcetta. (July 13, 2017). Focus@will. Retrieved from:

(https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/focus-will/id638810714?mt=8)

Meersma, B. (n.d.) Tablet comparison. Retrieved from :

http://dyslexia.yale.edu/resources/tools-technology/tech-tips/tablet-comparison/

Patel, A. (May 12, 2016). DyslexiaKey - Making typing less frustrating for dyslexia. Retrieved from :

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/dyslexiakey-making-typing-less-frustrating-for-dyslexia/id957626
10?mt=8