Danielle Damante May 5, 2019

Review of Literature

Topic:

How Assistive Technology Benefits Secondary Special Education Students in the English

Content Area

University of Arkansas

Danielle Damante

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Danielle Damante May 5, 2019

Abstract

This literature review discusses the research on assistive technology within secondary,

special education. The focus of this review is to understand the needs of special education

students, and to identify what assistive technology is, and what types are available. Additionally,

the review discusses barriers involving assistive technology and how to implement assistive

technology into the English content area, with its benefits. The sole purpose of this review is to

help educators understand the importance of incorporating assistive technology into special

education classrooms, as it greatly enhances the lives of the disabled.

Keywords: assistive technology, special education, barriers, secondary education

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Introduction

Being an educator comes with many responsibilities regarding children and their

education. It is our duty to ensure they are receiving the best quality of learning possible,

regardless of ability, background, culture, etc. More specifically, we must ensure the different

populations within education are getting the same quality education as every other child. For

instance, the special education population. This is the idea that prompted this literature review.

Many teachers turn to technology to help modify learning for their students, especially students

placed within special education. We can call this technology, assistive technology. Assistive

technology can be used in a variety of content areas; however, I will be focusing on the English

content area within secondary education. The ultimate goal of this literature review is to explain

how assistive technology benefits secondary special education students and how it is

implemented within the English content area. This review of literature will answer the following

questions. Are educators fully understanding the needs of students within SPED? Are they

researching and fully understanding just how assistive technology works? Are schools properly

training teachers to use this special technology for their students and implementing it correctly?

Lastly, do educators see the full benefits of using assistive technology for SPED students?

Assistive technology has the ability to completely change the way a student learns, for the better.

Methods

The author utilized the University of Arkansas research database to collect roughly 30

different research articles to aid in writing this review of literature. The author used search terms

such as special education, assistive technology, and English within secondary education. These

three terms were used separately and combined to find the most appropriate articles for this

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review of literature. The author excluded research that was too outdated, pertained to elementary

education, or discussed students not within special education unless it was a comparison among

the two populations.

Understanding the Needs of Special Education Students

To better understand why we need assistive technologies for students within special

education, we must first understand the individual needs of special education students. The

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA, defines special education as specially

designed instruction, at no cost to the parents, to meet the unique needs of a child with a

disability (Giangreco et al., 2010). In 1975, the IDEA was passed by Congress due to the

growing concerns that some states were not providing a proper education to children with

disabilities (Lipkin et al., 2015). Additionally, a learning plan must be designed. This is called an

Individualized Education Plan, or IEP. An IEP is designed specifically to the student and helps

identify the types of assistance the student should, and will, receive within their educational

setting, based upon their disabilities (Fernandez-Lopez et al., 2013). To meet these unique needs

of children with disabilities, we can also use assistive technology to modify, and adapt our

teaching methods to assist these students. With that being said, IDEA defines a child with a

disability as an individual with an intellectual disability, learning disability, or other health

impairment. Examples of these are, hearing impairment, speech impairment, visual impairment,

emotional disturbance, orthopedic impairment, autism, traumatic brain injury, specific learning

disability, deaf-blindness, etc. (Center for Parent Information & Resources). Students within

special education show difficulties in learning due to these cognitive, sensorial, or physical

disabilities, and they must learn to perform daily activities autonomously, improve their

communication, develop cognitive abilities and acquire new knowledge within their schooling

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(Fernandez-Lopez et al., 2013). Special education instructors and the school districts they work

within should be required to provide assistive technology for an appropriate and least restrictive

education (Lee et al., 2005).

Understanding Assistive Technologies

In today’s educational world, the number of students with learning disabilities in general,

secondary education classrooms has increased considerably. Due to this, teachers must design

and implement a learning environment that challenges students to reach their full potential

(Messinger-Willman & Marino, 2010). The Assistive Technology Act of 2004 defines [Assistive

Technology] AT as “any item, piece of equipment, or product system, whether acquired

commercially, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve functional

capabilities of individuals with disabilities” (Individuals with Disabilities Education

Improvement Act, 2004). Assistive technologies are designed to help students of all ages and

disabilities give full participation in daily activities. Human performance is usually the primary

focus when it comes to using assistive technology and educators attempt to seek out any possible

resources to help the student succeed (Edyburn, 2000). Within the area of special education there

are many different ways in which we can use assistive technology, and we base this off the type

of disability present within the individual.

The first discussion for assistive technologies is for the visually impaired. A study done

by Stacy Kelly in 2011 showed that less than half of visually impaired students were using the

assistive technology needed to succeed regardless of grade level (Kelly, 2011). Visually impaired

people aren’t always blind; some people living with a visual impairment can still see, but it is not

good eye-sight. The first type of AT we think of when it comes to visual impairments is the use

of braille. Technologies that use braille consist of a Braille notetaker, Braille keyboard, Braille

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displays, Text-to Braille transcription software (Hersh et al., 2010). These methods aren’t

necessarily convenient for everyday use, as they are not, for the most part, portable. However,

mobile assistive technologies are being developed rapidly that help people who struggle with

different visual impairments. These mobile assistive technologies are portable, lightweight, and

better benefit this special population (Hakobyan, 2012). Additionally, advancements in

technology have allowed for other innovations in this area such as speech recognition, non-

speech auditory feedback, haptic feedback, and multimodal input. This allows for increased

accessibility to devices for people with visual impairments as well (Hakobyan, 2012).

Along with visually impaired learners, individuals with hearing disabilities also pose a

hurdle for educators. When it comes to the hearing-impaired population, there are three

categories: Hearing Assistive technology, Alerting devices, and Communication supportive

technology (Muhammed et al., 2015). Hearing assistive technology includes hearing aids,

cochlear implants, F.M. systems, infrared systems, and loop systems. Alerting devices aren’t as

common, however, the most important is the category involving communication supportive

technology. This helps hearing impaired persons share their thoughts to the external world

(Muhammed et al., 2015).

As for the other populations within special education whether it be physically disabled, or

learning disabled, there are ample technologies to assist them within their personal, and

educational lives. Other types of assistive technologies that can prove to help special education

students within the classroom are, but are not limited to, electronic organizers, portable or

adaptable keyboards, and audio books (Ogirima et al., 2017).

Barriers to AT Use

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Based on the research found, it is apparent that there are multiple barriers to using assistive

technology within the special education classroom. One of the main barriers found is properly

training teachers to use this technology within their classrooms. We have more technology than

ever to help support students with special needs, however, schools are lacking the motivation and

scheduling during the school days to provide sufficient training in using assistive technologies

(Zhou, 2012). More barriers to be noted were the lack of knowledge on how to use theses

assistive technologies, not knowing what assistive technologies were available to the educators,

the lack of confidence within the educators to use assistive technology within their classroom,

and lack of technological resources and materials (Lee et al., 2005).

The proper training of teachers has arisen as the number one barrier, and a common

theme for discussion throughout research. A survey study of middle school teachers reported that

35% of these teachers did not have access to training whatsoever. To add to that, 35% of teachers

did not have trainings for high incidence disabilities, and 47% did not have training with literacy

(Flanagan et al., 2013). More on this issue tells us that schools lack professional development

opportunities for educators to take on the time to explore, experiment, and study assistive

technologies for their classroom (Messinger-Willman & Marino, 2010).

It is important to acknowledge that there are educational institutions that have designed

their own set of competencies for assistive technology and offer certification programs for

teachers that help them develop knowledge beyond the basics (Lahm, 2003). Another side of

this issue with training is that teacher preparation programs are also not fully preparing future

educators on how to utilize assistive technology within their classroom, especially within the

SPED classroom (Naraian & Surabian, 2014). There are multiple studies that show there are few

programs for SPED teachers that included courses or even in-class sessions regarding the

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application of assistive technology (Judge & Simms, 2009). Increasing overall knowledge and

experience in the field of assistive technology will lead to a positive increase in educational

opportunities for special education students, and lead to an overall increase in learning outcomes

as well (Erdem, 2017).To continue, schools that have courses on assistive technology are not

making them required to take, but rather making them an elective course for future educators. If

schools were to teach all education students about assistive technology then they would be

setting the stage for great successes with their future students and all the abilities, or disabilities,

they encompass (King & Allen, 2018). When it comes to evaluation the use of AT within the

special education classroom, assessment has been criticized. Assessment can fail to correctly

show the impact of AT within the students’ lives (Copley & Ziviani, 2004). Therefore, educators

must find alternative ways to evaluate the use of AT within their classroom to show its

effectiveness.

Another significant barrier to using assistive technology is funding. IDEA is the primary

funding source for assistive technology, but it is limited (Kemp et al., 2000). There are ample

funding opportunities for assistive technology devices, however, an amendment made on the

Tech Act of 1998 by the Office of Rehabilitation and Special Services made it more complicated

to receive funding (Hwa et al., 2009). Successful AT programs are located in countries that have

higher incomes and budgets, such as Norway. Norway’s AT policy is set up so that people who

need it can easily access or receive AT under their national insurance scheme (Boot et al., 2018).

Implementation of Assistive Technologies in the English Classroom

Assistive technology has the ability to enhance literacy, comprehension, reading skills,

and writing skills for students, especially those within special education. It is essential to students

within secondary education to be provided with appropriate instructional support to make sure

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they succeed and gain confidence that allows them to learn independently as well (Ok et al.,

2017). There are many examples found in research on how to effectively implement assistive

technology within a particular content area, like English, with success.

The first example we find is the use of smart pens to help students with learning

disabilities. There is a special type of pen called the Livescribe pen. This smart pen has a built-in

microphone, camera on the tip of the pen, and can record audio to help capture everything the

student is writing (Ok et al., 2017). A second use of this pen allows for text-to-speech feedback

for the student which additionally helps with reading difficulties. A second example of assistive

technology implementation within the English classroom, within special education is software

use to assist in the reading of documents, articles, or textbooks.

A study done in Taiwan used a software called Kurzweil 3000 where students were able

to scan whole articles, or textbooks, and have the software read it back to them. The results of

using this software were positive in that it helped students with dyslexia better understand word

meanings, and helped their reading ability (Chiang et al.,2011 Another example of computer

software takes uses special education students within a general education classroom using certain

types of assistive technology to help improve writing and literacy skills. This software includes

personal spell checkers, talking word processors, and word prediction software. Word processors

themselves have the ability to allow students with learning disabilities to use their strengths to

take over their assignments versus only seeing their weaknesses (Hetzroni & Schreiber, 2004).

Additionally, this type of assistive technology improved written outcomes and allowed for

students to structure and organize their own writing assignments. Once again, the literature tells

us that using computer software can be beneficial for students with disabilities (Cullen et al.,

2008).

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Another type of assistive technology the literature provides information on are electronic

devices such as iPads or tablets. Using electronic text within the English classroom, increases

reading comprehension and promotes content area learning (Anderson-Inman et al., 2007). These

devices give the option for electronic text versus printed text. Although using e-text is easy to

implement, instructors must be aware of how they are implementing it within their classroom to

be sure they are using it effectively. To use e-text in a meaningful way, an instructor must

include embedded supports, multiple modalities, and links to other useful resources (Anderson-

Inman et al., 2007).

Computers, iPads, tablets, etc. also give the ability to create and design platforms or

applications that can tailor to individual needs whether it be cognitive, sensorial, or mobility

impairments (Fernandez-Lopez et al., 2013). A platform was designed for a study in Spain that

allowed users to choose between four educational activities to help with basic learning skills in a

content area of their choice, including English. A great benefit to this platform is that it allowed

for the students to work independently and successfully, making them feel more confident in

learning. In addition to using these technologies, schools can use computer labs that provide

assistive technologies. Many AT software companies give free trials on their software for

educators to try out, which help educators do their research and build a list of software they’d

like to use and incorporate into their teaching methods (King & Allen, 2018). Additionally,

within the English classroom, SPED teachers can use speech-to-text recognition to help improve,

and assist learning in students basic reading, writing, and spelling skills (Shadiev, 2017).

There are many other assistive technologies available rather than the ones listed above.

Effective research and studies are still needing to be done to show how their implementation and

effectiveness plays about in the special education classroom.

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Benefits of Assistive Technology

Besides the fact that assistive technology allows special education students to perform

tasks they usually cannot accomplish on their own, another benefit of AT is that it enables a child

with multiple disabilities the ability to master their own environment, or control it for the most

part (Copley & Ziviani, 2004). Additionally, in regard to content area in schools, like English,

assistive technology has the ability to help improve handwriting, reading skills, and motor skills.

(Copley & Ziviani, 2004). Assistive technology has the ability to improve behavior and increase

communication, starting at young ages (Parette & Stoner, 2007). Not only do students reap the

benefits of assistive technology, but so do teachers. Teachers reported that collaborating on using

devices for assistive technology helped to create a community of support in which they shared

their successes and failures with the AT (Wong & Law, 2016).

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Conclusion

Upon completion of this review of literature, it is determined that assistive technology

plays a significant role within education, especially special education. Implementation of

assistive technology can greatly impact individuals within special education. Certain assistive

technologies have the ability to increase comprehension, writing skills, reading skills, and overall

literacy skills within the English content area. More importantly, assistive technologies give

students with disabilities the opportunity to fulfill daily activities, whether personal or

educational, independently and confidently. The first step in implementing assistive technology

within a classroom is to identify, and understand, the needs of your students. An educator must

be able to understand the individual disabilities of students within special education and make a

plan to assist them to the best of their ability. Secondly, educational professionals of any kind,

must be able to understand exactly what assistive technology is, and all the AT that is available

to their students. There are going to be many barriers regarding AT such as teaching training,

funding, lack of materials, etc., however, these barriers can be overcome with proper research

and dedication.

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