June / July 2011

Preview:
Universal Design in the classroom is now one of the "hot topics" in the field of education. This model requires a teacher to plan for a variety of ways to reach all students. Many of these plans utilize assistive technology so that lessons can be accessible to all students.

[View Full Article]

Preview:
When looking for functional activities for children with severe multiple disabilities, parents and teachers are often at a loss for what to do. We know that providing these children with the greatest level of independence possible improves their self-esteem, helps them become active participants in their home and school lives and contributes to their overall growth and development. We are constantly looking for ways for our students to participate in everyday activities with the greatest level of independence possible.

[View Full Article]

Preview:
The Apple iPad continues to be a powerful force in special education, both in schools and in homes. The growth in the number of available apps and the growth in capabilities continue to amaze and astound us.On March 11, 2011, Apple's new iPad2 became available. It contains two cameras - one front facing and one rear facing.

[View Full Article]

Preview:
Dragon NaturallySpeaking Wireless Version 11 Premium (www. nuance.com) Every version of Dragon gets better and Version 11 is no exception - it has been redesigned to be faster, better and smarter.

[View Full Article]

Preview:
Google? Isn't it for searches? Now, it can play a major role in instruction, motivation, cooperation, communication and publication. And it is all FREE! Google Docs Start by registering for a free Google account and get a Gmail address. This will serve as the login for all Google applications and they're easy to use.

[View Full Article]

Preview:
Marsha Peterson and her son Chad live in the Twin Cities. Chad, who was born with Down syndrome and autism, learned American Sign Language shortly after his first birthday. Marsha published a book to help parents learn American Sign Language while reading stories about everyday events to their baby.

[View Full Article]

Preview:
Penrod, Bauder, Simmons, Corley & Belcher (2005) assert that electronic travel aids (ETA) may be described as devices that send out signals to sense the environment (preview) within a certain distance and inform the user of relevant bits of information about the environment, thus forewarning the user about safety hazards that may lay ahead (Farmer, 1975; Farmer & Smith, 1995; Smith & Penrod, 2010). Blasch, Long and Griffin-Shirley (1989) assert that such devices transform information about the environment, which would normally be perceived through the visual sense, into a form that can be perceived through another sense by the person who is blind. Usually, this information is transferred to the person who is blind through tactile/haptic, audition or a combination of the two.

[View Full Article]

Preview:
Independent Concepts, Inc. announced a price reduction for the Jogger system. The Jogger is a very small, wearable device that enables individuals who suffer from short-term memory loss to manage their own affairs and thus achieve greater independence.The list price for the Jogger is now $1195.

[View Full Article]

Preview:
In English-speaking countries, up to 15 percent of the population (around 46 million children and adults in America and 7.5 million in the UK), have some form of language-specific disorder or learning disability. To counteract these communication disorders (such as dyslexia, dysorthograghia or dysphasia), Medialexie, a French software developer, conceived and developed the Medialexie Toolbar -an assistive technology solution based on Nuance's Dragon NaturallySpeaking Professional. The Medialexie Toolbar has been available in France, Canada, Switzerland, Belgium and other countries, to wide acclaim, since 2005.The software is presented in the form of a toolbar that contains many functions for the edition, correction, dictation, reading and visualization of text, as well as the transcription of sound recordings.

[View Full Article]