Reading

Reading

 Assistive Technology usage is very useful and beneficial to students who need help with reading. According to the Wisconsin Assistive Technology Initiative, " There are students who struggle with reading every day. They may be students who have an identified disability in reading or are "unidentified" struggling readers. We also know that students who have language learning disabilities often struggle with making meaningful connections with printed text, as do students who are English Language Learners (ELLs) and students with cognitive disabilities. Some students with physical impairments, visual  and hearing impairments, and AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) users often have difficulty accessing the text." (Cumley, 2009, p.2) Reading for the students who have disabilities can be very frustrating and in some cases impossible for them, which presents a problem because reading and literacy skills are directly linked to being successful in life and work. Fortunately, assistive technology tools and devices have been developed to aid students in reading and promoting their literacy skills. Below are some programs and devices that are available to assist students who struggle with reading.

Student﻿s with Print Disabilities

Students who have a print disability, struggle with being able to see the print; therefore, leading to a deficit in reading skills. Luckily, these students have access to NIMAS (the National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard). (Cumley, 2009, p.4) This organization provides students who have this disability with a way to access the printed text in a specialized, text format. These formats can be formatted so that the printed material is in large text, used in text to speech programs, Braille, and digital talking books. (Cumley, 2009, p.4)

Categories of Assistive Technology Tools for Reading

**Positioning Aids**: book stands, clipboard, binder as slant board (helps students position book to better see print) **Page Turners**: Zygo or Touch Turner (helps students with physical disabilities turn the pages in books) **Tracking Aids**: bookmarks, reading windows (helps students focus on the words or lines)  **Contrast Aids**: highlighting tape, colored overlays, colored background and text on the computer (helps students who struggle reading text due to visual impairments/deficits) **Word Identification Aids**: talking dictionaries, thesaurus, hand held spell checkers (helps students who struggle with decoding of words) **Handheld Scanners**: scanning pen that scans text and provides text to speech output (helps with unknown vocabulary for struggling readers) **Text Reading Software:** ReadPlease, WordTalk, Clicker5, ReadOutLoud (these software programs read text out loud to help with comprehension and reading) 

(GPAT, 2011)

Reading picture