Devices for Students with Learning Disabilities - Equity of Access: Adaptive Technology - The Research Center on Computing & Society

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Frances S. Grodzinsky

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Devices for Students with Learning Disabilities

Students with cognitive processing difficulties or learning disabilities (LD) can be served by computer software that generates vocabulary and creates outlines. Such students are also greatly aided by online dictionary and reference software. Word-prediction software, which includes Aurora Prediction (see Figure 1) and Co-Writer, tries to identify the word that a student is searching for based on the student’s own past usage. It offers word suggestions that the student can access by number, thus limiting typing. This is particularly helpful for students with aphasia and traumatic brain injuries, as well as those with coordination problems. Co-Writer also has voice output for students who have trouble reading the screen. It incorporates a keyboard emulator that creates a split screen: one half is the keyboard, which is accessed through a track ball, and the other half is the area for the student’s writing. There is a new product from Antrim, N. Ireland called Text Help®,* which does powerful word prediction as well as homophones. For example, it will say “they’re” and then clarify it as “they are.” An exciting dimension of this product is that it can grab text off the Internet and translate it into voice.

Inspiration is a graphical outlining tool that enables students to brainstorm.

LD students often have a lot of trouble with the organization of ideas. Inspiration® for the Mac and PC is a graphical outlining tool that enables students to brainstorm, diagram, and write. Students can create diagrams, flow charts, and outlines and can switch easily between graphical and text formats. It allows them to add note reminders to their graphical charts which can be used later when writing their papers. Visual diagramming helps students clarify ideas by creating idea maps, cluster diagrams, concept maps, and mind maps. One keystroke then transforms this diagramming into an outline. This tool interfaces nicely with word processor programs. Day to Day Notepad on the Mac also is an outlining tool. Reference software, such as the American Heritage® Talking Dictionary™ 5.0* and Microsoft® Bookshelf®, can facilitate online reference for the user. Microsoft Bookshelf contains nine resources on one CD including a dictionary, Roget’s Thesaurus, the Encarta® 2000 World Almanac, the Encarta® Desk Atlas, the Columbia Dictionary of Quotations, and the Encarta® Desk Encyclopedia.

*Editor’s note: Some products listed on this page may no longer be available.

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