2
Texas Focus 2008
Providing Access to a World of Learning:
Access to the General Education Curriculum
For Students Who Are Visually Impaired
June 16-18, 2008
Austin, Texas
Tuesday Session:
Developing a Technology Toolkit:
Innovative Strategies for Success in the Classroom!
Time: 3:00-4:30 PM
Speaker: Larry Lewis, Founder and President
Flying-Blind, Inc.
USING ADAPTIVE TECHNOLOGIES TO CREATE SUCCESSFUL OUTCOMES FOR STUDENTS WITH VISUAL IMPAIRMENTS
Texas Focus
June 17, 2008
By Larry L. Lewis, Jr.
President, Flying Blind, LLC
Learning Objectives:
§ Participants will be able to identify at least three classroom oriented tasks where adaptive technology is essential as a means for their students to independently complete these tasks.
§ Participants will be able to identify three relevant, concrete, adaptive technology solutions for their students with visual impairments.
§ Participants will observe at least one of these solutions in action as a means for independent task completion.
§ Participants will begin to learn how to gauge a student’s needs for assistive technology and design strategies for independent task completion using a variety of online assessment tools.
Some Telling Statistics Which Illustrate The Need For Adaptive Technology Solutions
§ Every seven minutes, someone in America will become blind or visually impaired.
§ There are approximately 10 million blind and visually impaired people living in the United States which include individuals who have difficulty reading newspaper print, even when wearing glasses and contact lenses.
§ It is estimated that 3,000,000 of this population are of working age (18-69).
§ Approximately 1.3 million Americans are legally blind, having visual acuities in one or both eyes equaling 20/200 or less with correctable measures being taken.
§ There are approximately 93,600 visually impaired or blind students, 10,800 of whom are deaf-blind, served in a special education program.
§ As of 2004, among persons ages 21 to 64 who have a visual impairment, 46% are employed.
§ Among individuals unable to see words and letters, this number decreases to 32%.
§ This proportion is significantly lower than the estimated 84% of persons in this age group without any kind of disability who were employed.
§ In 2001, roughly 29% of youths with visual impairments (between the ages of 16 and 21 years) are competitively employed 3-5 years following secondary school compared to 57% of youths with other disabilities and 69% of all youths in this age range who are employed.
§ Average annual earnings of individuals with visual impairments are about 31% lower than those earned by persons without disabilities ($21,559 versus $31,053).
§ Persons who are severely visually impaired report average yearly incomes that are approximately 37% lower than those earned by persons without disabilities.
§ Working-age adults with visual impairments also earn annual incomes that are about 8% lower than those earned by persons with any type of disability ($21,559 versus $23,373).
The above statistics have been extracted from the following web pages and various links from within these internet archives:
• http://www.visionconnection.org/Content/Research/EpidemiologyandStatistics/Statistics/default.htm
• http://archopht.ama-assn.org/content/vol124/issue12/index.dtl
• http://www.afb.org/Section.asp?SectionID=15&DocumentID=1367
How Are Assistive Technologies Currently Being Used By Persons Who Are Vision Impaired?
§ At least 1.5 million blind and visually impaired Americans use computers in some capacity.
§ Approximately 527,000 persons in the U.S. use some type of vision device: Telescopic lenses = 158,000; White cane = 130,000; Readers = 68,000; Braille = 59,000; Adaptive computer equipment = 34,000; Other vision technology = 277,000.
§ 51% of persons (all ages) with no disability regularly use a personal computer, compared to 13% of persons with vision impairments.
§ 23% of persons without a disability have never used a computer, while 70% of those with a visual impairment have never used one.
§ The majority of persons with no disabilities (57%) report having Internet access (at home or elsewhere), compared to 21% of persons who have vision impairments.
Challenges Faced By, And Opportunities Available To, Our Vision Impaired Students
§ Lower Technology Usage = Higher Unemployment and Illiteracy percentages than those experienced by sighted peers.
§ New technologies that are available to sighted consumers can often make tasks easier, or create the need for new tasks to be completed, but may not always be readily accessible to vision impaired consumers.
§ There are an ever-growing, evolving number of products which can be fitted to a student’s “technology toolkit” which allows for optimal results in both the classroom and workplace.
§ This toolkit is a dynamic, ever-changing assistant sculpted by YOU for the student as needs and expectations change.
§ It is up to us as service professionals to provide guidance to the student as he/she explores the development of independent task completion in a number of settings.
Functional And Academic Literacy Skill Building In The Classroom
§ A special acknowledgment goes out to Donna McNear and her work over the past eight years in regard to defining, differentiating between, and promoting the necessity for both functional literacy and academic literacy.
§ Functional literacy skills lay the foundation for developing reading and writing skills simultaneously.
§ A modern, inclusive electronic Braille writer introduces students to the fundamental elements of adaptive technology while teaching them how to read and write.
§ Academic Literacy enables the student to leverage off of their functional literacy skills to develop strategies for completing tasks where various technologies serve as the vehicle for realizing independent and efficient results on par with their sighted classmates.
§ State-of-the-art notetakers and portable organizers for creating due dates for homework assignments, becoming acclimated and comfortable with advanced word processing activities, and electronic textbook reading.
§ As the student advances, and as the scope of these tasks become more mainstream, the student will progress to a Desktop/Laptop PC Dell Alliance, outfitted with a screenreader and a sleek, ergonomic, refreshable Braille terminal to provide tactual access to the computer.
http://www.humanware.com/en-usa/products/braille_and_speech/braille_displays
§ Accessing hardcopy print text is still a reality often faced by today’s student, so why not use a more modern scanning option such as the Readit PC document capturing solution.
http://www.codefactory.es
§ Integrating mobile screenreaders into your student’s cellular phone/mainstream PDA experience.
Implementing a PLAN OF ACTION! Criteria and Tools To Use When Developing An Adaptive Technology Roadmap For The Student
§ Identifying a student’s current and future tasks by fully understanding the school district’s curriculum.
§ Mirror the expectations of the student, his/her teachers and parents to those of his/her sighted classmates.
§ Impressing upon the student the necessity to adapt and compete in a predominately sighted world.
§ Appropriate tools + hard work = successful outcome!
§ A review of three online assessment and planning tools, e-Select, e-Consult, and e-Plan.
§ The necessity for consolidated helpdesk support to free up your time and keep the student up and running with his/her assortment of adaptive technologies.
ICRC Assistive Technology
Conclusion
§ Summary and REVIEW of the OBJECTIVES outlined within the presentation.
§ A Discussion of the "End Result" of a Successful Educational Experience leading to gainful employment.
§ Wrap-up with questions and answers.
The power to achieve
The complete Braille learning centre for children and their teachers
Put power in the hands of children, and watch them achieve!
The Mountbatten Brailler is the complete Braille learning centre for children and their teachers. Extensive research and development has resulted in a design suitable for the very first stages of Braille instruction, high school and beyond. A professional resource, the Mountbatten Brailler offers exceptional connectivity and software to support flexible teaching and educational needs.
§ As a simple tool it can be used to develop awareness of Braille symbols and characters.
§ An easy correct and erase function means children are more willing to write their ideas.
§ Audio response reinforces learning and tells you what commands are being entered.
§ With the addition of a Mimic, teacher supervision becomes easy and continuous.
§ Connect a PC keyboard to enable sighted teachers, peers and even family to write in Braille.
§ Braille-to-print as well as print-to-Braille translation is available.
§ It can be used as a graphics embosser encouraging the development of tactual skills.
§ In the MB Pro a voice synthesiser enables file management and text editing.
§ Connect the Mountbatten to a PC and send files back and forward.
The MIMIC
A LCD display allows easy supervision by sighted teachers.
It can store up to 32 pages of Braille, enabling review of braille in progress or to check back over previous work. Battery operated and portable.
Keyboard
You can connect a QWERTY keyboard, type text and produce Braille, and hear it supported by audio response. This provides several advantages:
· It supports PC keyboard skills training.
· It is useful to involve peers and classmates in Braille writing.
· It is an ideal teacher tool for preparing Braille materials for the classroom.
The Mountbatten Brailler and Literacy
Literacy is basic to all learning, and learning is fundamental to every child’s success. Literacy through Braille opens new pathways of communication and expression, addressing needs that cannot be fulfilled by verbal and audio methods.
The Mountbatten offers two modes of operation
Learn mode: Facilitates the introduction of the Mountbatten and braille learning to new students using a limited set of commands. All keys pressed are spoken.
Advanced mode: Enables students to use all features of the Mountbatten once they have learned the basics of Braille in Learn Mode.
Braille Keyboard
All keys have been arranged ergonomically to fit fingers comfortably.
Texture, shape and colour support identification.
A light touch response enables ease of use and hours of brailling.
There is a simple correction and erasing function.
The keyboard can be set in one-handed mode if required.
Switch ON/OFF
Turns the Mountbatten ON and OFF.
A practical way of resetting the Mountbatten.
Alternative Braille Keyboard:
May be used to connect a custom made keyboard for special needs.
MB Comm
MB Comm is a software package included with the Mountbatten. You can use this software to transfer files between the Mountbatten and the PC. It enables users to forward text files for storage on the Mountbatten, or to forward them for immediate embossing.
Files created on the Mountbatten can be transferred to the PC for checking, editing or storage.
Speaker
Audio response indicates default settings on start-up, speaks commands and individual letters.
Speech feedback enhances the learning process.
With the MB Pro, a speech synthesiser is included. This allows for full editing of documents.
Headphones
You can individualise learning by plugging in standard headphones and listening to the voice response.
AC Main Pack (220 V)
Supplied with the Mountbatten.
Charger pack (12 V DC)
Optional.
Printer Port
This port enables the printing of text documents as they are being brailled, or of a file already stored in the memory of the Mountbatten.
PC Connectivity
You can connect your PC or note taker to this port to produce Braille documents, by running the Monty software.
Monty lets you send formatted documents from a PC to the Mountbatten for Braille output.
An excellent tool for teachers to emboss class notes and support materials!
BACK PAGE OF THE BROCHURE:
The back page lists the three models available with features offering flexible performance.
The Mountbatten Brailler - Meeting the needs of each student today… and in the future.
The standard Mountbatten model used for early Braille learning in the classroom or regular Braille writing for adults and teachers. Digitised speech reinforces learning and guides usage.
Specifications:
Braille Writing
Electronic Braille writer/ Embosser, Correcting and Erasing, Variety of paper types can be used, Ergonomically designed keyboard, Page formatting, Writing to memory, Graphics mode, One-handed mode.
Braille Translation
Translation from Braille to print, Braille Exception Tables.
Learning Tools
Digitised speech, Assignable function keys, File transfer to and from PC.
Connections
Mimic text display, Headphones.
General functions
Portable, Battery and Mains, Memory size (kilobytes) 95, Memory size (Braille pages) 150.
The Mountbatten Writer Plus
With added features the Writer Plus is suitable for Braille writing and Braille translation offering Braille-to-print and print-to-Braille functionality enabling the integration of Braille into mainstream communications. The PC keyboard connection opens doors for non-Braille users to produce embossed documents with typing input supported by audio response.
Specifications:
Braille Writing
Electronic Braille writer/ Embosser, Correcting and Erasing, Variety of paper types can be used, Ergonomically designed keyboard, Page formatting, Writing to memory, Graphics mode, One-handed mode.
Braille Translation
Translation from Braille to print, Translation from print to Braille, Braille Exception Tables.
Learning Tools
Digitised speech, Assignable function keys, File transfer to and from PC.
Connections
Mimic text display, PC keyboard, Headphones, Text Printer, PC connectivity, Network facility
General functions
Portable, Battery and Mains, Memory size (kilobytes) 400, Memory size (Braille pages) 600.
The Mountbatten Pro
With all the above features and the addition of synthetic speech, the Mountbatten Pro offers top of the line sophistication in braillers. It introduces editing of files in memory and note taking functionality.
Specifications:
Braille Writing
Electronic Braille writer/ Embosser, Correcting and Erasing, Variety of paper types can be used, Ergonomically designed keyboard, Page formatting, Writing to memory, Graphics mode, One-handed mode.
Braille Translation
Translation from Braille to print, Translation from print to Braille, Braille Exception Tables.
Learning Tools
Digitised speech, Assignable function keys, Synthetic speech, Note-taker (including editing), File transfer to and from PC.
Connections
Mimic text display, PC keyboard, Headphones, Text Printer, PC connectivity, Network facility
General functions
Portable, Battery and Mains, Memory size (kilobytes) 400, Memory size (Braille pages) 600.
* All models are upgradeable.
NEW: An additional model is now available. It is called the Mountbatten Multilingual, and gives the user the opportunity to work in two different models.
This bilingual version contains the following:
a) bilingual recorded speech. This enables the student to learn the 64 Braille contractions in two different languages (French and German for example)
b) bilingual synthetic speech. With this speech, the student can:
1. learn how to spell whole words. The Mountbatten will speak a complete word once you press the space bar.
2. learn Braille contractions (for Grade 2 French for example)
3. learn how to pronounce the alphabet in a different language
4. learn how to pronounce and read words in a different language.
Contact details:
Quantum Technology Pty Ltd
PO Box 390