Assistive Technology

Assistive technology devices are identified in the Individuals with Disabilities Act 2004 as any item, piece of equipment or product system, where acquired commercially off the shelf, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve the functional capabilities of children with disabilities. It is also important to note that AT devices include hardware and software, as well as stand-alone devices. Twenty-first century teachers and librarians work with students and/or patrons with disabilities on a daily basis. One example of an assistive technology device that can be used for students with disabilities is audio books or digital books. Audio books are excellent resources for anyone who cannot read due to a learning disability, dyslexia, or visual impairment (Ruffin, 2012). Students and library patrons, no matter their age, can follow along in the text while listening to the book on tape, CD, or any other digital AT device. Although tapes and CD’s are somewhat dated, MP3 files and other online audio material are not, and these are readily accessible for students. The great thing about audio books is that one no longer has to rely on a cassette player or CD player in order to gain access. It is easy to access them using an iPad, iPod, laptop, Nook, Kindle, or even a smart phone. The cost of audio books is not cheap; however, some can be downloaded for free. There are some digital audio books that cost less than the physical text and can be installed on any device that plays digital audio. This allows those with visual impairments or those with dyslexia or other reading disabilities an ability to comprehend not through sight, but through hearing. Audio books help with intellectual barriers by helping students have the same benefits as their peers. Students with reading and sight disabilities are able to have the same capabilities as those students without disabilities. It is of great importance for all people to have the same access to information and with audio books, content that cannot be seen or read so easily can now come alive for the disabled reader. With the use of audio books, struggling readers and the visually impaired can now use their imaginations, grasp the content, understand the message, and make connections with the text. Socially, audio books allow students to have more in-depth discussions with their peers because they are now able to comprehend the text in a way they couldn’t before. Students with dyslexia, students who are blind or partially sighted, and even those with learning disabilities or print disabilities are able to hear the text, which helps their comprehension, fluency, and vocabulary. It’s not just the visual understanding, but the auditory understanding of the written words. Those with disabilities in a school library or classroom setting also have access to the same literature that their peers are reading. Audio books are appropriate at any age level and can be found in school libraries, public libraries, and academic libraries. In school library settings, audio books have a designated location. Sometimes they are located on a specific shelf, but sometimes they are placed with the video collection and have to be asked for directly. The audio books that are online can be accessed via the internet and students and patrons can use ear buds or headphones in order to listen to the text. In the school library setting, students can listen to the text at a private table or private area that is designated for read aloud, or students can take the audio book(s) and listen to it in the comfort of their own home. Of course, if the audio book is online, then it can be accessed from any location as long as the user has a device such as an iPad, iPod, Nook, or Kindle and Wi-Fi capabilities.
One organization that makes reading “accessible for all” and is “a friend to all who learn differently” is Learning Ally. This organization was founded in 1948 as Recording for the Blind. They serve grades K-12 as well as college and graduate students (Ruffin, 2012). Ally has a collection of over 70,000 digitally recorded textbooks and literature titles—downloadable and accessible on mainstream, as well as specialized assistive technology devices (Ruffin, 2012). Other products and services that relate to audio books or digital books are audible.com, Bookshare, Kurzweil 3000, and Recorded Books on PlayAway. Some local and university libraries provide downloadable audio books through NetLibrary, but patrons must have a compatible PC or MP3 player. For the most part, school libraries use audio books on tape or CD or use other digital-online literature.
Assistive technology is not just for special education classrooms and students with disabilities: all types of students with reading difficulties can benefit from AT (Ruffin, 2012). Students with visual impairments as well as those with reading difficulty benefit greatly from audio books or digital books. All classroom teachers and librarians at the school level should be aware of and know how to use AT for reading and for those that are visually impaired (Ruffin, 2012). It is time for teachers and librarians to move beyond the status quo and embrace twenty-first century technology (Ruffin, 2012). It is therefore paramount that undergraduate reading education programs, as well as graduate advanced reading specialist programs, prepare teachers and librarians to use assistive technology devices (Ruffin, 2012). Using audio books or digital books is a great starting place for those with visual impairments and reading difficulties. They may seem outdated to some; however, the benefits of their use are very empowering.
References
Ruffin, T.M. (2012). Assistive Technologies for Reading. Reading Matrix: An International Online Journal, 12(1), 98-101.