Chapter+2+Reflections

Reflections of Chapter 2

Assistive Technology to Support Writing

The ability to write is a very important tool for individuals with disabilities. The problem may not be as simple as finding an adaptation to be able to hold a pencil, it may be more complex and is thie person's ability to organize their thoughts. Individuals with Language and Learning Disorders (LLD) pose different problems. If the individual is dealing with deafness, they may have to learn sigh language first before they can deal with writing problems. Down's syndrome, audism, or visual. motor leaarning disabilities may have poor fine motor skills which would result in (illegible hand writing ( dysgraphia). The ability to take notes for the disabled person is the final problem to deal with. Fortunately there is Assistive Technology devices to help with these problems. Low-tech tools can be as simple as placing the paper on board on an angle, or building up the girth of the pencil with modeling clay, foam, or commercially available grips,

Graphioc organizers (think sheets) are available to help students organize thoughts These provide visual thought organization. This tool helps brainstorming itheir deas before writing them down.

Drafting used the first high-tech device called the 'typewriter' eliminated the problem of illegability.

Word Processing (Microsoft Word)is another advancement that help the impaired individual that had trouble grasping a pencil, It definitely corrected penmanship problems.

Seven Ways Word Processing Helps Developing Writers: 1. Legibility of text 2. Potential for publishing in a variety of formats 3. E#ase of revision 4. Fluent production of text (while composing, note taking, etc.) 5. Likelihood of supporting applications (for, spelling, grammar, concept mappng) 6. Portable, easy-to-replicate electronic text (easy to share, hard to lose) 7. Potental links to electronic source material

Writing Tools at the Emergent Literacy Level for students wit disabilities greatly improved wi the development of these technologies.

Word prediction applications were developed to anticipate words the individual might use and phonetic disctionary applications continued to assist the disabled. Speech recognition applications (Dragon) now allowed the disabled individual to dictate through a microphone to a computer with spoken words were transformed to typed words on the computer screen. Dictionary, theauruses, grammer checkers arre sotware additions to the technology.

Portable Word Processors, Smartpens, Tape recorders, Portablr Braille Note Takers, Smartboard Capturing Devices are some of the latest Assistive Technology devices available today.