Assistive_Technology

=Assistive Technology Tools for Individuals with Disabilities=

Reading
http://www.kurzweiledu.com/
 * Kurzweil 3000** is the premier reading, writing, and learning software for students with dyslexia, attention deficit disorder, or other learning difficulties, including physical impairments or language learning needs.

http://www.freedomscientific.com/
 * JAWS®** for Windows works with your PC to provide access to software applications and the Internet. With its internal software speech synthesizer and the computer sound card, information from the screen is read aloud, providing technology to access a wide variety of information.

Writing
http://www.inspiration.com/
 * Inspiration Software****®** and **Kidspiration Software****®** provides an easy way for primary students to build visual diagrams to represent thoughts and organize information. With Kidspiration, students learn to express their thoughts, organize their ideas for writing and improve comprehension.

Listening
he Easy Listener personal FM system consists of a simple body-worn transmitter and receiver. When a teacher, family member or friend speaks into the transmitter microphone, a wireless FM signal is broadcast to the receiver. There the signal is amplified and delivered directly to the listener’s ear. In this way, the Easy Listener personal FM system can be used with a hearing aid or as a stand-alone hearing system to help combat the background noise, distance, and echo that can interfere with clear speech understanding. [|Phonic Ear - EasyListener]
 * Personal FM system**

Speaking
http://www.digitalriver.com/v2.0-img/operations/scansoft/site/html/dragon/Preferred_9.htm
 * With Dragon NaturallySpeaking** you can talk to your computer and watch words quickly appear in documents, e-mails, instant messages and even surf the web simply by speaking! It's amazingly accurate - up to 99% - and really easy to use. There's no script reading or "voice training" required, so you can get started dictating right away.

These all sound like great tools to help disabled students with their reading and writing skills. Reading and writing can be frustrating for some students and being mentally or physically disabled could turn them off to reading and writing all together. Students with a physical disability may only be able to orally expresse their ideas but with Speaking with Dragon NaturallySpeaking they can put their ideas on paper to have forever. This technology does not give them an excuse to quit writing and it keeps them up to par with the rest of the class. (Marcos Cabrera)

Software and Devices for students with Special Needs by: Dianne Van Dunk

[|http://www.ablenetinc.com] At AbleNet, we're dedicated to making a difference in the lives of people with disabilities by creating products and ideas that make teaching students with disabilities easy, fun and fulfilling. We believe that all children deserve the tools to help them learn and interact with those around them. Our dedicated staff of educators, parents and other professionals are working to simplify real-life challenges, both in and out of the classroom, with innovative and easy-to-implement technology and ideas.

1. AbleNet Little and/or Big Step-By-Step communicator w/ strap 2. AbleNet BIGmack



http://www.amdi.net/index.htm

AMDi is a U.S.-based corporation with its headquarters in Hicksville, NY and manufacturing facilities in Hong Kong. AMDi focuses on the design, engineering, and manufacturing of high-quality and easy-to-use communication devices for special-needs customers in both private and public sector applications, AMDi’s success lies in its commitment to its customers. AMDi has over 35 years of experience among its technical staff. And its products are distributed throughout the U.S. and worldwide. AMDi provides quality workmanship, 100% guaranteed factory testing and evaluation, and competitive pricing on all of its products. In addition to its line of stock product, AMDi’s design capabilities range from simple interfaces to complex computerized systems. AMDi delivers turn-key, build-to-print and custom manufacturing solutions to meet the most demanding requirements. AMDi’s reputation for highly reliable products at competitive prices has secured its position in the augmentative and alternative communication industry worldwide for cost-effective quality without compromise. AMDi’s future even includes the development of software to further enhance its strong product line.

1. AMDI Tech Talk (8) w/ Jacks & 6 levels



2. AMDI TechSpeak (32) w/ 6 levels http://www.mayer-johnson.com/ Software and communication Devices 1. Boardmaker® with Speaking Dynamically Pro® Combo v6 for Windows

**Free Text to Speech Reader**
Firefox offers a free text to speech reader. http://accessfirefox.com/CLiCk_Speak I installed it and it works well. (Susan)
 * Soliloquy Reading Assistant**

www.soliloquylearning.com Phonemic Awareness Phonics Fluency ––Vocabulary Development Comprehension Strategies (Aimee Peguero)
 * nSoliloquy is an electronic reading tutor that uses speech recognition and verification technology to assess, guide and respond to real time as they read aloud.
 * The program helps implement the five essential components of reading instruction: