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Assistive Technology in Higher Education:“Preparing students with low vision and blindness for postsecondary education”
Korey Singleton, ATI ManagerGeorge Mason University
March 21, 2012
Why this topic?
Transition Planning Considerations
Increasing Opportunities for success in Higher Education
Disability Support in Higher Education Things to consider for students with low vision and blindness
Examples
Q&A
Objectives
Why this topic?
Emphasis on supports and
preparation, not technology…
Encourage early start…
Transition Planning Considerations
Transition
Transition planning considerations
IEP Team…You know your students better than anyone
How early can you start planning for transition? Are they headed for higher education or employment?
Are community service providers and parents actively participating in the IEP process?
In addition to addressing classroom needs, there should be an emphasis on independent living skills training (i.e., travel, community activities)
Should happen inside and outside of classroom/school environment
Transition
Cont.…
Adaptive technology training
A good number of students with disabilities are only as comfortable as their teachers.
Expose them to the technology…latest trends Who’s paying??
Where will the student get their adaptive technology (School? Parents? State? Community?)
What are the student’s interests?
Is the student an active participant in the process?
Increasing opportunities for success in higher
education
Increasing Opportunities
Best opportunity for success in HE
Does the student know how to advocate for his/herself?
Are they comfortable with their vision loss?
In the classroom
Are they aware of their own needs in the classroom? for taking tests? (e.g., LP, audio, reader/scribe)
Is the student proficient with technology? Internet? PPT? Do they have their own technology? Does the student stay abreast of latest changes in adaptive
technology? Can the student take notes independently? How does the student learn best? Braille? LP? Audio? What are they interested in studying?
Increasing Opportunities
Best opportunity for success in HE…
Does the student know how to access books?
Bookshare.org? RFBD? NLS? Amazon? Can they access books from the library?Can the student scan their own materials?
Learning Management Systems (i.e., Blackboard, Moodle)
Encourage communication or accessing class materials via LMS and/or Email
Increasing Opportunities
Best opportunity for success in HE…
Does the student have a relationship with community service providers?
Career planning, internships, etc... Mobility training/travel
Visit college campuses!
Talk to DSS counselors!
Talk with college students with low vision and blindness!
Disability in Higher Education
Disability in Higher Education
Philosophy differences…
K-12 emphasizes SUCCESS in the classroom
Higher Ed emphasizes ACCESS to the curriculum
‘Access’ takes on different meanings
depending on where you go…
Disability in Higher Education
Type of support provided is not universal
Different campuses offer different things. Lets look at the numbers (overall enrollment, ~10% swd):
NVCC (~100k)
6 to 8 DSS counselors across 5 campuses (~1 per campus), a deaf services coordinator, part-time AT lab technician (Annandale campus)
Montgomery College (~60k)
10 counselors, 2 student support specialists, a learning center coordinator, an AT coordinator, a reading specialist, a learning specialist, an Interpreter scheduler, and an ADA Coordinator
Disability in Higher Education
Cont..
American (~11k)
3 counselors, an AT specialist, ADA Coordinator (Primary role is Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution Services)
GMU (~32k)
3 ODS counselors, 1 disability specialist, 3 admin staff members, a deaf services coordinator, an ATI Office (4 staff), and an ADA Coordinator
Disability in Higher Education
What do these numbers mean?
More counselors could mean:
More specialized support (i.e., vision, learning, etc.) Shorter waiting times for accommodations Greater access to faculty
Totally different considerations for 2yr and 4yr institutions
Varied student populations/enrollment
Disability in Higher Education
Cont...
AT specialist could mean greater technology supports in the classroom, computer labs with access to AT
ADA Coordinator can indicate an emphasis on institutional access (i.e., physical access, web accessibility, etc)
A closer look at the details:
Overview of Assistive Technology and other accommodations available to support individuals
with vision loss in higher education
Common Accomodations for individuals with low vision or blindness
Alternative print formats, which may require text conversion
Magnification devices Bright, incandescent lighting Raised lettering or other tactile cues Adaptive technology Readers for exams Priority registration Recorded lectures Lab or library assistants
Technology for individualswith low vision or blindness
Screen Enlarging Software ZoomText Xtra/Magic
Screen Reading Software
JAWS for Windows
Optical Character Recognition Openbook/Kurzweil 1000 WYNN/Kurzweil 3000
CCTV (Desktop & portable)
Technology for individualswho are deaf or hard of hearing
Assistive Listening Devices Personal FM/Infrared Large Area FM/Loop Systems
UbiDuo (2-way communication) http://www.scomm.com/ubiduo
Technology for individualswho are deaf or hard of hearing
Captioning DocSoft AV MagPie, MovieCaptioner, etc.
iCommunicator – Voice recognition software with signing capabilities (Video) http://www.myicommunicator.c
om/
Technology for individualswho are deaf or hard of hearing
Large Area FM System
Back to slide
Document Reading/Writing/Scanning WYNN Wizard/Reader Kurzweil 3000 Read & Write GOLD (Mac/PC) Livescribe Pulse Pen
Voice Recognition Dragon Naturally Speaking Pro Windows Vista or 7
Technology for individuals with learning disabilities
Technology for individuals with physical disabilities
Adapted/Alternative Keyboards & Mice Microsoft Natural Keyboard Type Matrix keyboard Trackball Mice Large Print keyboards
Voice Recognition Dragon Naturally Speaking Pro Windows 7
Assistive Technology Labs in Higher Ed
Typical setup:
A workstation or set of workstations in library or computer labs across campus
Some institutions deliver the software via the network
Questions to ask:
Where can I access AT on campus? What if I need AT for a classroom? In the library? Is this information listed on a website somewhere? Who do I ask?
Alternative Text
Much easier than it used to be!
Partnerships with electronic text providers
Bookshare.org Learning Ally AccessText
Other questions to ask:
Is this task handled in-house? What’s the turnaround time? What if I need Braille or Large
print?
Tactile Graphics??
Math??
Accessible Media
What if I need a movie audio-described?
Outsourcing costs run in the thousands of $$!
Summary
Summary
Other questions that come up…
How are issues addressed as it relates to LMS? Distance Ed courses?
Is there AT training available?
Are your web resources accessible?
Is there any support for mobility training?
What if I need something in Braille…how long will it take?
What if it is music or math?
Summary Bottom line!!
*Students (w/ support from IEP Team, Parents, etc.) should come up with their own list of questions specific to their needs/goals in and out of the classroom.
Questions & Answers
Contact Information
Assistive Technology Initiative (ATI)George Mason UniversityAquia Building, Room 238Hours: M-F, 8:30am-5:00pm
Office Phone: 703-993-4329E-mail:[email protected]: http://ati.gmu.edu
