Assistive Technology
Assistive technology is software or a piece of equipment that students can use to overcome learning barriers and increase or maintain their learning progress.
Assistive technology can assist all individuals.
Students with specific learning disorders benefit from the opportunity to use assistive technology in the classroom to access the content of their lessons by reducing the functional impact of their learning disorder.
It provides a way of ‘working around’ the disorder, allowing them to fully participate in learning tasks, and to demonstrate what they know during assignments and tests.
Assistive technology helps lessen the mental load for students with learning disorders, allowing them to participate successfully in the same tasks as their peers.
Assistive technology can also be used with the whole class to incorporate a multi-sensory approach and provide benefits to all students, not just a student with a learning disability.
A variety of assistive technology exists, including:
Speech to text: turns spoken words into written text on computers and tablets, reducing the need for
typing.
Text to speech: converts written text into spoken words using computer-generated voices to read aloud from various sources, including documents, websites, and books.
Graphic organisers: visual tools used to help organise and represent information, making it easier to understand and work with concepts.
Spell checking software: automatically identifies and corrects spelling errors in written text, make sure writing is accurate and free from typos.
Optical Character Recognition: turns photos of written words into digital text, that can be saved on to a device, and then read aloud by the device.
Electronic resources: reading materials that can be provided as an audiobook, or audio file that can be played on a tablet or laptop.
Reading Pens: Handheld devices that scan text and read the words aloud.
Help with Assistive Technology
Workshops
Book a 1 hour workshop to learn how to harness technology for Students with Specific Learning Disorders. Designed for teachers, SSOs, and leadership staff working with students in Grades 3 to 12.
Consults
Unlock the potential of your device with one of our Assistive Technology experts in a private 45 minute session.
Products
The C-Pen Reader 2 is available from our online shop. Designed for those who have reading difficulties such as Dyslexia, it supports older students in exam and test conditions as well as reading and organising text.
