Part 1: Assistive Technology Case Study

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

To make hardware & software recommendations for the student, it is first important to

consider the areas where the student is struggling to succeed independently and target

assistive technology tools to those skill sets. As Stanberry and Raskind (2017) point

out, “ Children with ADHD may struggle in school due to poor handwriting, math

challenges, and/or inattention”. These concerns, combined with the student’s dyslexia

which may cause a struggle with mastering fundamental literacy skills and reading

comprehension, means the student will likely require a number of different assistive

technologies in order to succeed in class.

Stanberry and Raskind provide several suggested tools such as MathPad for a student

struggling with math to help organize work electronically and have the potential to read

answers aloud. If the student is struggling with reading comprehension, the Kurzweil

3000 software program allows the student to convert print text to electronic text to assist

with fluency and speed in reading as well as use bookmarks and highlighter features

while taking notes. Additionally, a voice recognition program, such as Dragon Naturally

Speaking, could greatly assist the student with writing assignments and composing text.

In order to be most effective, the student should have consistent access to these

software tools. Since the programs are all compatible with an iPad, providing the
student with his/her own device would ensure convenient access. The iPad also offers

note taking and calendar features which would be helpful if the student requires

assistance with organization.

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.

For all classes, organizational tools from the iPad, such as the calendar and note taking

feature should be utilized. Some specific considerations are included below:

English - Allowing access to graphic organizers on the iPad and a word

processor will assist with writing assignments. Dragon Naturally Speaking or a

speech prediction software tool can also greatly alleviate the strain of in class

writing assignments. For reading comprehension assignments, “In later grades,

students with dyslexia will need to access text that is above their academic ability

in order to complete class assignments.” (Hamman, 2018) Kurzweil 3000 may be

utilized as a text-to-speech option for reading comprehension assignments.

Math - MathPad or MathPad Plus should be used in class to allow the student to

organize work electronically. Akpan & Beard (2014) assert, “The program is ideal

for students who need help organizing or navigating math problems or who have

difficulties doing math with traditional pencil and paper.” For assignments that

require students to explain their work in lengthier written comments, students

 should be allowed access to the same tools utilized in English and Social Studies

for writing composition.

Social Studies - Since Social Studies classes rely heavily on reading

comprehension skills and the need to complete written assignments, the student

should be provided with the same tools being used in English class. Teachers

should also consider providing guided notes or copies of teacher notes where

appropriate based on the material being covered in class.

Science - When science coursework is relying heavily on math skills, the student

should be given the opportunity to use MathPad as an extension of work being

done in math class. For multi- step science labs, the student may require

frequent check-ins and breaking down the lab into smaller chunks in order to

maintain focus. Additionally, reading or writing based assignments will benefit the

same tools being used for these skills in English and Social Studies.

3. Make recommendations to the principal where the school might be able to find

funding for this project.

In terms of funding, assistive technology may be acquired through health insurance, but

“a demonstration of medical necessity for the product or equipment and a prescription

from a doctor or other professional will be required” (Assistive Technology Industry

Association, 2017).
Although a huge variety of funding options exist in the form of private organizations,

advocacy groups, and federal services, each state also has its own program to assist

with acquisition and funding so this would be a good first step in looking for funding

outside of the student’s school or district. In Maryland, this is accomplished through the

MDTAP (Maryland Technology Assistance Program) which provides a lending library

and loan resources for individual funding.

Sources:

Akpan, Jospeh P. & Beard, Lawrence, A. (2014). Assistive technology and mathematics
education. Universal Journal of Educational Research 2(3): 219-222.
doi:10.13189/ujer.2014.020303
Assistive Technology Industry Association. (2017). AT resources funding guide.
Retrieved from: https://www.atia.org/at-resources/what-is-at/resources-funding-
guide/

Hamman, Jessica. (12 April 2018). Accommodating students with dyslexia. edutopia.
Retrieved from: https://www.edutopia.org/article/accommodating-students-
dyslexia

Stanberry, K. & Raskind, M. (4 Oct. 2017). Assistive technology for ADHA challenges at
school. ADDitude. Retrieved from: https://www.additudemag.com/change-the-
program/

Part II: Assistive Technology Interview

Interview with Rebecca Litwin, Middle School Teacher at the Delaware Valley Friends

Schools, a school specializing in special education services for students in grades 3-12.

1.Discuss your educational background and why did you choose to work with assistive

technology. Describe a student with a challenging learning disability and how you

supported him/her using assistive technology hardware and/or software.

Rebecca taught English at Wootton High School for 5 years to grades 10th & 11th

grade with a mix of high achieving learners and students with learning disabilities. In this

placement, she used chromebooks in class to provide students with the opportunity to

type long assignments. Currently, she teaches 6th & 7th grade English and social

studies at Delaware Valley Friends School which is a school that specializes in students

who learn differently. Most of the students have ADHD, EF Disorder, auditory

processing, dyslexia, or other language based learning disorders. The school is a one-

to-one school with Apple products, so each student in grades 6-12 receives a laptop

with assistive technology, and students in grades 3-5 receive ipads.

Currently, she has a student who has auditory processing, dysgraphia, and high

anxiety. He struggled with taking notes in social studies using the note taking method

that is used across the school’s curriculum. He would use his personal ipad to take

pictures of the note sheet and his Apple pen to write the notes; the pen then translated

his writing into type, so that he could read it and access the information later. In English,

he used Learning Ally to assist with his auditory processing. He would listen to the text
being read and follow along in the book. He used a mix of school given tech and his

own tech to aid in his learning.

2.What assistive technology software do you find most helpful for students with

disabilities? Why?

Her students mostly use speech to text, text to speech, and Learning Ally. Speech to

text helps them to type up their thoughts. Often they struggle with handwriting,

especially if they have dyslexia/dysgraphia, so this helps them get their ideas onto the

page. Text to speech helps them read longer passages online. This has aided in their

research abilities. Learning Ally is an assistive technology originally made for blind

students. They have a collection of books that volunteers have made into audiobooks.

Students can follow along with the reading as the text is provided on the page. This

helps with their fluency and confidence in reading. It also helps them comprehend what

they’re reading because they’re not spending as much time decoding the text, and they

can focus on what’s actually happening in the book.

I know that our school also uses other technologies in their Language Arts class that

mostly focuses on reading and decoding.

3.What assistive technology hardware do you find most useful for students with

disabilities? Why?
All students receive laptops that allow them to use assistive technologies and this

consistent access is most helpful. Most teachers also provide students with a classroom

set of headphones to use speech to text, which they often use in a testing environment,

as our testing is on their laptops.

4.What are some emerging assistive technologies? How will they help students?

Although she is not currently working with any emerging assistive technologies in her

classes, her school continues to partner with Apple on new possibilities to enhance

student learning.

5.What is the process for teachers of accessing assistive technologies in the school

system?

We are told about most of our technologies during our new teacher orientation. We also

have a tech department that helps us to utilize these programs, and they make sure we

know how to use them and are using them correctly.

Summary: Integration into my Classroom

One of the themes that stood out to me during my interview with Rebecca is how

valuable it is for her students to receive individual devices for consistent access to the

assistive technology needs. Her school is Apple based whereas my students primarily
use Chromebooks, but many of the technology tools used by her students are

Chromebook compatible as well so by ensuring daily access for students in my classes,

I can provide a good first step in meeting their assistive technology needs. She

mentioned the preference for her students to use speech to text and text to speech tools

which could certainly be integrated into my class since many of these programs offer

Spanish language options. Finally, the importance of teacher training is clear when she

mentioned a dedicated technology department at her school that works with teachers to

ensure they are comfortable with the assistive technology being used in their classes.

This type of training is not always readily offered at my school but since my classes do

not include co-taught sections I would like to be more proactive in seeking out

opportunities for this and perhaps coordinating to individual case managers to best

address student needs.