Laura Savary

Case Study

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

● Hardware: The hardware that I would suggest be used by the student would be an iPad.

The reason that I am recommending an iPad is because they are somewhat all

encompassing. They have a variety of uses and skills that can be downloaded on to them.

They can be customized and differentiated with the right settings and apps for students.

These devices are lightweight and portable making it easy for a child to carry with them.

They are easy to navigate and program. iPads are a tool that can be used for many

domains as well, “students with disabilities can download apps that provide visual,

auditory and tactile learning opportunities, but could also be used as learning tools for

any student” (Quick, N). Apple makes this hardware very accessible. The company

states that it has a variety of ways to accommodate needs for example, “If you prefer to

hear what you’re reading or writing, Speak Screen can add auditory reinforcement. Safari

Reader reduces visual clutter when you’re exploring the web. And Guided Access helps

you stay focused in a specific app.” These functions would be great for a child with

dyslexia and ADD. The way that iPads can be set to reduce distractions can help the

student stay focused on the assignment at hand. The iPad can also be used to teach

independence when a child gets older. They can learn about what tools suit them and

experiment with picking the best ones after they have had practice with the hardware for

a while. This hardware is a tool that a child can easily navigate and customize. It fits the

needs of every child. They are portable and great for all the different kinds of software

the child may need in order to be successful.

Laura Savary

● Software: I am choosing to recommend 2 types of software. The needs of a student with

ADD and dyslexia can be very different. I'd like to give this student all the support they

need. Since an iPad can really be used to fit the user, I am suggesting Dragon Speech

Recognition as the 1st type of software the child be given access to. Dragon Speech

Recognition is a speech to text software that learns the speaking patterns of the user. The

software students can, “simply dictates the answers to homework questions or recites the

words of an essay or paper as Dragon sets it all out in text.” This software can help

research online and compose emails. What I really like about Dragon Speech is that the

student will still need to do the work. To indent, the child will tell Dragon to indent. This

is great because this way the teacher can see if the student knows those pieces of writing.

Students spend time teaching Dragon what their voice sounds like so the software can be

as accurate as possible when in use. Dragon is great for students with dyslexia who many

have trouble writing and responding to assignments. I would also recommend Natural

Reader. Natural Reader is a text to speech software that can turn basically any text into

spoken word. These files can then be downloaded and saved. The speed of the reading

can be adjusted for volume and speed. The files can be transferred so the child can take

them home with them for homework help. According to Understood.com these types of

software are great because “Allows kids to focus on comprehension instead of sounding

out words.” For elementary students this is a crucial skill and taking away the pressure of

reading and letting them just understand will dramatically improve their schooling.

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.
Laura Savary

● The best way to begin to integrate these technologies into the classroom is training. I

think that each teacher will need to be trained on the technology before they can go about

using it in day to day instruction. “The occasional training session isn’t enough, says

Karen Heilbronner, director of secondary special education for California’s San Ramon

Valley Unified School District.” says, EdTech Magazine. Their district offers group and

individual training year-round. Other things that can be done is consistency and fidelity.

Do not just modify the lesson one time to fit the needs, this is something that needs to

happen every time for the child to be successful. Always offer the use of the text to

speech and speech to text software. Accommodate and give the child a quiet space if

necessary so they can use their technology. I believe that our teachers need to be flexible

and ready to accommodate whenever necessary. The student should be treated like

everyone else. A child with these disabilities may require extra time on assignments. It's

crucial that teachers follow the IEP and ask for help when they need it. We have to

remember that children with disabilities are just as capable as others. The technology is

there to assist and level the playing field so that they have equal access to what is being

taught. It is really a team effort so teachers should not hesitate to lean on each other for

support.

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

● Funding and money are a tricky topic in an educational setting. Teachers, administrators

and parents are constantly looking for ways to get more money. In a case like this, ieally

the funding would be provided by the district. According to the Individuals with

Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) if the technology is mandated in the IEP the district
Laura Savary

must supply it. So, I would first recommend that the school try and get these hard and

software written into the IEP. If this does not work, there are a number of companies and

programs that give grants to those who need funding for assistive technology. The

Assistive Technology Industry Association has a page dedicated to finding funding for

these types of tools, the site says, “ATIA Funding Resources Guide identifies various

sources and resources that you can investigate and explore as prospective funding

options.” They have a section about grants that can be awarded to schools. They cover

organizations that give funding as well as state and federal programs. I would encourage

my administration to check out what this organization has to offer.

Laura Savary

References

Apple Inc. (2020). Accessibility-iPad. Retrieved from,

https://www.apple.com/accessibility/ipad/learning/

Assistive Technology Industry Association (ATIA). (2020). AT resources funding guide.

Retrieved from https://www.atia.org/at-resources/what-is-at/resources-funding-guide/

Dyslexia Help. (2020). 10 helpful text-to-speech readers for back to school. Retrieved from

http://dyslexiahelp.umich.edu/tools/software-assistive-technology/text-to-speech-readers

Epstein, V. M. (2016, September 8). 3 ways assistive technology is helping students with

dyslexia. Retrieved from https://www.emergingedtech.com/2016/09/3-ways-assistive-

technology-helping-students-with-dyslexia/

Hayes, H. B. (2019, June 5). How to help teachers integrate assistive technology in the

classroom. Retrieved from https://edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2013/04/how-help-

teachers-integrate-assistive-technology-classroom

Individuals with Disability Education Act Amendments of 1997 [IDEA]. (1997). Retrieved from

https://www.congress.gov/105/plaws/publ17/PLAW-105publ17.pdf

Quick , N. (n.d.). Using iPads to improve academic gains for students with disabilities. Retrieved

from https://scholarworks.rit.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1005&context=eatc

Understood Team. (2019, October 4). Text-to-Speech Technology: What it is and how it works.

Retrieved from https://www.understood.org/en/school-learning/assistive-technology/

assistive-technologies-basics/text-to-speech-technology-what-it-is-and-how-it-works
Laura Savary