Early Childhood Special Education and Assistive Technology Blog

By: Sue Stubbs, EC-SEAT Scholar There have been many new moments for me this year. I am not tech-savvy and often find myself asking young children for assistance. The past year and a half I have had many new experiences with technology especially with the Assistive technology courses at the University of New Hampshire. Although I will not admit to being confident in my technical abilities, I have learned a few things and am gaining confidence as the year progresses. The following are some quick reviews of apps that I briefly explored to help those individuals with varying needs. Vision Impaired App Voice Dream Reader An app that helps with low vision is Voice Dream Reader. This app runs on iOS devices and Android devices including Amazon Fire. The Voice Dream Reader costs $9.99. You need a subscription to Bookshare to download books and magazines from Bookshare directly through Voice Dream Reader. There is a free version app called Voice Dream Reader Lite which one can download...

By: Chelsea Emery, EC-SEAT Scholar Children with hearing and vision impairments have many barriers in the classroom and accessing learning materials that other students may use. Barriers to access could be children left out of activities because of their disability, misunderstanding, not learning specific content because it was inaccessible to them. But now with the iPad we have apps that better accommodate children’s needs in and out of the classroom despite their disabilities. Many apps support exceptionalities that enhance children's learning and provide: Access to academic information for individuals with hearing impairments by adjusting the sound levels and using embedded utilities such as VoiceOver.  Written directions and picture visuals to support understanding of academic information.  Two apps to consider: Photo Translator: This first app is for vision impairment. It allows individuals to identify specific objects. This app overcomes ...

By: Katie McCormack,  EC-SEAT project scholar The iPad offers several tools to help children who struggle in academic learning areas. In general, barriers that prevent children from fully accessing and participating in academic learning include vision and hearing loss, inability to attend and focus and difficulties with motor functioning. These barriers make it difficult for children to access academic content at the same level of their peers without special needs. The iPad is an equalizer, a tool that allows many children with special needs to access academic content that they otherwise could not. For example, several accessibility features on the iPad, including VoiceOver, Zoom, Speech, Larger and Bold Text, Reduce Motion and Guided Access can help children with vision impairments to access academic content. There are also several apps specifically intended to help individuals with vision loss that help enlarge content, utilize speech and accommodate visual needs. The iPad al...