Journal of Special Education Technology
Book and Software Review
Barbara L. Ludlow, West Virginia University
John D. Foshay, Central Connecticut State University
Dell, A. G., Newton, D. A., & Petroff, J. G. (2008).
Assistive Technology in the Classroom: Enhancing the
School Experiences of Students with Disabilities. Up-
per Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
Guest Reviewer: Emily C. Bouck, Purdue University
Assistive technology (AT) is identified as a required
service to which students with disabilities are enti-
tled under the Individuals with Disabilities Educa-
tion Act (IDEA). It also is listed in the professional
standards of the Council for Exceptional Children
(CEC, 2003) as being among the essential knowl-
edge and skills needed by special educators. Hence,
personnel preparation programs are now responsible
for providing preservice and inservice teachers with
experiences related to AT.
The recently published textbook on AT by Amy
Dell and her colleagues serves as an important new
resource for helping teacher educators do just that.
Aimed at both preservice and inservice personnel,
the book is designed for use in courses or workshops
to prepare these teachers to integrate AT into in-
struction for students with disabilities.
This is not an all-inclusive textbook, but rather a fo-
cused approach to presenting information pertinent
to teachers. The authors acknowledge that, “assistive
technology for positioning and mobility, sports and
recreation, architecture, and transportation” (p. ix)
is excluded.
The book addresses a range of student special needs
from low-incidence to high-incidence disabilities.
Unlike many other AT textbooks, this book does
JSET 2009 Volume 24, Number 1
Associate Editor’s Column
not focus on a specific disability in each chapter,
since the authors believe that a disability category
does not equate to a particular technology. Rather,
they take an approach that focuses on school-related
tasks, computers and the Internet, augmentative
and alternative communication (AAC), and practi-
cal aspects of implementing AT (i.e., laws, teacher
skills, funding opportunities, transition).
Chapter Overviews
In Section 1, the authors examine how AT can ben-
efit special education. In Chapter 1, they provide
a definition, discuss related legislation, and present
a brief history of developments in AT. The defini-
tion section provides examples of the various com-
ponents of the definition and differentiates between
low-tech and high-tech AT. The authors also pro-
vide information on universal design and Universal
Design for Learning (UDL).
In Chapter 2, the authors begin to address school-
related tasks by discussing AT for writing. They
describe the challenges students with a disability
face in writing and then analyze AT devices that
can support the entire writing process (i.e., draft-
ing through editing). They also touch on devices for
taking notes.
In Chapter 3, the authors discuss AT for reading,
focusing specifically on the National Reading Pan-
el’s (2000) topic areas: phonemic awareness, pho-
nics, fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary. They
emphasize use of the computer as a tool to support
reading.
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 Journal of Special Education Technology
Communication is the focus of Chapter 4. The authors
present AT to support communication across various
disability categories: students with a physical disability,
students who have autism, and students who are deaf or
hard of hearing. The authors present various low-tech
and high-tech AAC devices as well as hearing aids and
FM systems.
The section on school-related tasks concludes with
Chapter 5, in which the authors discuss how to leverage
computers and the Internet to help students with a dis-
ability access information and achieve in the content ar-
eas. This chapter is quite diverse, touching upon software
for teaching mathematics and functional skills, Internet
accessibility, and computer technology related to UDL.
Section 2 begins with Chapter 6, which addresses ac-
cess to computers. Here Dell and her colleagues provide
practical solutions for enhancing access to computers by
using what teachers already have available in the class-
room. Again, the theme of universal design is evident
as the authors discuss the features inherent in the stan-
dard Windows and Macintosh operating systems. They
include screen shots to guide the reader.
Chapter 7 takes access to computers one step further as
the authors discuss AT used for computer access. They
present both low-tech (e.g., keyboard labels) and high-
tech (e.g., eye gaze) options for computer input, and
some high-tech options for computer output (e.g., screen
readers).
This section concludes with Chapter 8, which addresses
how to match access methods to user needs. The authors
discuss AT assessment and selection, including different
frameworks for making decisions and practical strategies
that teachers must consider (e.g., trial use of a device).
Section 3 begins with Chapter 9, which focuses on aug-
mentative communication. Rather than discussing the
range of AAC devices available to students who are non-
speaking or who might benefit from a device that helps
them express themselves, the authors explore issues related
to designing or selecting the most appropriate device for
each student, from assessment through decision making.
In Chapter 10, the authors examine low-tech options for
communication, focusing on what they call “early com-
66
munication and emergent literacy.” They take a step back
and discuss what communication is, potential problems
in communicating, and ideas for developing emergent
literacy skills. They also look at switches as a means of
providing a low-tech support for communication.
In Chapter 11, the authors provide practical strategies
for teachers to use when promoting the effective use of
AAC in school, home, and community settings.
The textbook concludes with two chapters on implement-
ing AT. Chapter 12 provides need-to-know information
about AT for teachers, such as locating funding to pur-
chase devices, putting AT into the IEP, understanding
the CEC standards related to AT, and minimizing poten-
tial barriers to providing AT to students with a disability
who would benefit from it.
In Chapter 13, the authors discuss AT in transition. Al-
though the primary emphasis is on the transition from
high school to college, there also is some discussion of tran-
sition to the workplace and the community. This chapter
also describes how to use popular technologies, such as
personal digital assistants (PDAs), as assistive devices.
Conclusions
Dell and her colleagues provide the reader with a very
practical look at topics and issues related to AT that are
of immediate interest to preservice and inservice teach-
ers. The textbook incorporates helpful features for both
students and teacher educators, such as user profiles (to
bring a personal touch to AT), chapter summaries, Web
resources, and suggested activities. The authors’ use of
photos of AT is an added benefit, since words alone do
not always provide students or practitioners with the in-
formation necessary to understand a device or service.
The book does have a few shortcomings, however. The
authors are clear about the focus of the text, and poten-
tial users must keep in mind that some AT covered in
other texts may not be covered in this one.
The authors also do not consider AT for particular dis-
abilities, but rather discuss assistive technology for
school-related tasks. While there are benefits to this ap-
proach, teacher educators may be accustomed to the
JSET 2009 Volume 24, Number 1
 Journal of Special Education Technology

disability-specific approach, and their courses may have Author Notes

to be restructured to use this book as a text.
Emily C. Bouck is an assistant professor of educational studies in
In conclusion, this easy-to-read book is appropriate for the special education program at Purdue University.
use with both preservice and inservice teachers who need Correspondence concerning this guest column should be ad-
initial exposure to and practical discussions of topics and dressed to: Emily C. Bouck, Dept. of Educational Studies, Purdue
issues related to AT. The discussion of AT within broad University, 5146 BRNG Hall, 100 N. University St., West
categories of instructional tasks also makes this book an Lafayette, IN 47907. Email to bouck@purdue.edu
appropriate choice for presenting AT to both special ed- If you have a book or software review that you would like to see
ucators and general educators, whether they are teacher covered, or if you are interested in being a guest reviewer, please
candidates or related professions candidates. send your comments to: Barbara L. Ludlow, College of Human
Resources and Education, PO Box 6122, West Virginia University,
Morgantown, WV 26506-6122. Email to: bludlow@mail.wvu.
edu
References
Council for Exceptional Children. (2003). What every special educa-
tor must know: Ethics, standards, and guidelines for special educators
(5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
National Reading Panel. (2000). Teaching children to read: An evi-
dence-based assessment of the scientific research literature on reading
and its implications for reading instruction. Washington, DC: Na-
tional Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

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