What is Assistive Technology (AT)?

Assistive technology is specialized equipment provided for students who have functional access needs in the areas of speaking, vision, hearing, and motor skills. Various devices (no tech, low tech, high tech) may help students perform in the classroom. AT equipment helps to break down barriers to learning that are generated from these disabilities and to provide a student access to curriculum.

Who provides Assistive Technology?

Assistive technology is provided at school sites based on assessed needs and recommendations made by IEP teams. Professionals in the areas of speech and language, occupational therapy, physical therapy, vision, and hearing work with the classroom teacher to determine what, if any, specialized equipment is needed to provide functional access to learning. Assistive Technology Assessors provide support to school site teams regarding equipment selection and training to meet a student's functional access needs in the classroom

Where do I find out more information about Assistive Technology?

LAUSD Special Education Policies and Procedures Manual Pgs. 137-147

LAUSD Assistive Technology Program

Phone (213) 241-8055 FAX (213) 241-8433

Assistive Technology devices are funded through: Bilingual, School Improvement, Title I, and Special Day Class IMA funds. Other school-site funding resources may involve other funds, including grants, designed to provide technology for the purpose of enhancing the general educational programs at the school. In this way, grants may be a funding source to support the assistive technology needs of students at the school. Low Incidence funding can also be used for those students who are eligible.

What is the difference between AT and AAC?

AT = Assistive Technology
AAC = Augmentative and Alternative Communication

Assistive Technology (AT) is specialized equipment and services provided for students who have functional access needs in the areas of speaking, vision, hearing, and motor skills.

Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) is a part of Assistive Technology. AAC equipment and services are designed to assist students who are nonverbal or who have severe communication disabilities. In the LAUSD, the AAC program is incorporated with the AT program.

1. Portable electronic keyboards with LCD display, auto-save and spell-check functions and ability to interface with computer and/or printer.

Dana & Neo also have ability to add software built on the Palm platform.
AlphaSmart, Inc. (408) 355-1000 www.alphasmart.com

2. Portable electronic spellers, dictionaries, thesauruses and other products with/without speech output. NOTE: Some phonetic speller/dictionaries are available.

Franklin Products (800) 266-5626 www.franklin.com

3. Adapted keyboards that interface with standard computer and allow for larger or smaller target areas and custom arrangement of information on the keyboard.

IntelliKeys - large membrane keyboard with programmable overlays
IntelliTools (800) 899-6687 www.intellitools.com

lomac -It allows you to use state-of-the-art light sensor technology to operate a computer. A hand or head pointer controls a beam of light that enters, then confirms, the key or mouse function.
lomak - lomak.co.nz

4. Mouse alternatives - trackballs, joysticks, headmouse
Kensington trackball, joystick plus, TrackerPro
Infogrip (800) 397-0921 www.infogrip.com

2. Text-to-speech word processor - Written work may be read aloud by letter, word, sentence or paragraph.
Write:Out Loud - text-to speech word processor with phonetic dictionary
Don Johnston, Inc. (800) 999-4660 www.donjohnston.com
IntelliTalk III - Text-to-speech word processing software with built-in onscreen
keyboard, word prediction, ability to produce/design customized locked text documents
(templates) and customized picture/word palettes.
IntelliTools (800) 899-6687 www.intellitools.com

3. Webbing/outlining software - software to assist in the organization of written work.
Inspiration - Word webbing, semantic organizer program with outline features
Inspiration Software, Inc. (800) 877-4292 www.inspiration.com
Draft Builder - Scaffolding software to help students produce authentic writing.
Don Johnston, Inc. (800) 999-4660 www.donjohnston.com

4. OCR (optical character recognition) software with text-to-speech and many text manipulation features allow for customization of visual and auditory presentation of material and provide both reading and writing support.
WYNN (PC platform only)
Freedom Scientific (888) 223-3344 www.freedomscientific.com/lsg
Kurzweil 3000 - (available in both Mac and PC platforms)
Kurzweil Educational Systems (800) 894-5374 www.kurzweiledu.com

5. Screen Readers - Transparent programs that work with any word processor to provide customizable screen reading. Some also include word prediction, homonyms, abbreviation expansion and visual presentation options.
TextHelp! Type and Talk
Texthelp (888) 333-9907 www.texthelp.com

6. Software Suites - Combine many of the features listed above (and more) into one integrated product and provide the ability to bring in information from the Internet, assign work to individual students, create student portfolios and print reports of student performance.
Intellitools Classroom Suite - Reading, writing, math and drawing support for students in grades K-8 with the ability to design and/or customize activities for individual students.
IntelliTools (800) 899-6687 www.intellitools.com
SOLO - Reading, writing and organization support for grades 3/4 - 12. SOLO versions of Co:Writer, Write:Outloud, and Draft Builder plus new Read:OutLoud are enhanced and integrated into one package. They can also be purchased separately. A bibliography wizard is available to support students when writing research papers.
Don Johnston, Inc. (800) 999-4660 www.donjohnston.com

7. Word Bank / Picture Writing Software - Word processing applications that add pictures to written text in order to help students work with written text. Additional features include an option that allows students to write text by choosing from an onscreen bank of words and/or pictures.
Picture It - Picture It is the easiest and fastest software one can use to add pictures to text. Use it to create a picture-rich environment.
Slater Software Slater Software, Inc. (877) 306-6968 www.slatersoftware.com
PixWriter - A beginning writing program with text, pictures, and speech.
Slater Software Slater Software, Inc. (877) 306-6968 www.slatersoftware.com
Clicker 5 - Clicker is a writing support and multimedia tool for children of all abilities.
Crick Software 1 866 33 CRICK www.cricksoft.com

8. Math Formatting Software - Math formatting programs guide actions of re-grouping, adding super-scripts in addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions, and decimals.
MathPad/MathPad Plus (available in both Mac and PC platforms)
IntelliTools (800) 899-6687 www.intellitools.com
MathType - Provides math symbol toolbars that can be uses to generate algebraic and other advanced mathematical equations with Microsoft Word or other word processing programs. www.mathtype.com

OTHER
1. Textbooks on Tape
Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic
RFBD (866) 732-3585 www.rfbd.org
Local Contacts (323) 664-5525
Braille Institute (Requires medically diagnosed reading difficulty)
323-663-1111 www.braillelibrary.org

2. Digital Text - These sites have digital text available for download.
Planet PDF - Free classics whose copyright has expired. From the home page click "free" then select "ebooks" to go to list of titles available. www.planetpdf.com
Bookshare.org - Membership service (including institutional memberships for schools) with searchable library including books, newspapers and periodicals in digital format.
www.bookshare.org
Guttenberg.org