Do you know the 3 levels of Assistive Technology?
Langsford recently hosted a presentation on Assistive Technology. Debra Bauder, Ed.D., Associate Professor at the University of Louisville shared lots of great information with 50 educators from Louisville schools. This is part of Langsford’s annual Lecture Series.
The 3 levels are:
Some examples are:
Low tech – pencil grips, highlighters, raised -line paper
Medium tech – color-coded keyboards, audio podcasts, audio books
High tech – computer software, power wheelchairs, speech-generating devices
Federal Legislation under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) mandates schools to provide Assistive Technology devices and services. The official definition is:
Any item, piece of equipment or product system, whether acquired commercially off the shelf, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve the functional capabilities of children with disabilities.
In other words, Assistive Technology devices help to remove obstacles to learning for all students. This includes students with reading disabilities such as dyslexia and writing disabilities such as dysgraphia. It is important to make the curriculum accessible to all students and provide opportunities for struggling learners to demonstrate what they know using principles of universal design.
Click these links to watch Dr. Bauder’s presentation:
Dr. Bauder’s presentation slides
A great resource for AT software and services from the Lawrence School.
