Tech tools to help people with learning disability
Education and learning are two very essential tools needed for children to become enlightened. Learning is already hard enough and having a learning disability makes it even more difficult for children to understand.
“I recall vividly the agony and humiliation I felt as an eight-year-old child when I was supposed to read a small section of scripture during a communal vesper service during summer vacation in Maine– and failed miserably. ” – Nelson Rockefeller, October 16, 1976, in TV Guide.
National Association of Special Education Teachers (NASET) defines Learning Disability (LD) as a collection of conditions that limit people’s capacity to interpret what they see and hear, as well as link information from various sections of the brain. These limitations can manifest themselves in a variety of ways, including problems with spoken and written language, coordination, self-control, and attention. These challenges might affect academics and make it difficult to learn. The association added that a learning disability is a neurological condition in which the brain’s ability to receive, analyze, store, and respond to information is impaired.According to UNICEF, up to 10% of children worldwide have specific learning disabilities (SLD), and the vast majority of these children are educated in general education classrooms. For students with learning disabilities to succeed in the classroom, they need access to assistive technology. Assistive technology is described as any device, piece of equipment, or system that helps people bypass, workaround, or compensate for learning challenges.
Assistive technology is broken down into two distinct categories: Hardware and Software. Tape Recorders and calculators are common examples.
OTHER TYPES OF ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY AND HOW IT HELPS PEOPLE WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES
1. Abbreviation Expanders: these are a type of software that is used in conjunction with word processing to assist children with commonly used words and phrases. The child can create, save, and use them whenever they are needed, without making spelling mistakes and by typing less. The usefulness of existing abbreviation expansion systems is constrained, either because they require technical skills on the user’s part or because they rely on simple, dictionary-based methods that cannot be applied to ambiguous abbreviations with many meanings.
2. Electronic Math Worksheets: are computer programs that may help a user organize, align, and solve mathematical problems. A voice synthesizer can be used to read the problems, loudly; this may be beneficial for those who have difficulty aligning math problems with pencil and paper. Computer Programs Wild West Math, Talking Calculators, and Talking Calculators are examples of electronic math worksheets.
3. Text-To-Speech (TTS) Software: Is developed to assist children who have trouble reading text on paper or in books due to disabilities such as blindness, dyslexia, or any other sort of visual impairment, learning disability, or other physical condition. Other students, such as those with autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), or an intellectual handicap, can benefit from TTS technology. The technology works by scanning the words and then reading them to the learner in a computerized voice, employing a huge variety of speech sounds that make up words in any given context, and with advancements in speech synthesis, the system is increasingly accurate and reliable.
4. SNPs: Students with movement issues, such as paralysis or other fine motor skill difficulties, employ sip-and-puff systems (SNPs). It allows a child to control a computer, mobile device, or other technological application by using his or her mouth to move the device. It’s comparable to a joystick in that the child may move the controller in any direction and use a sip or a puff to click on various navigational tools. An on-screen keyboard lets the child type using the same actions. SNPs can be used to operate wheelchairs and environmental control systems in addition to computers.
5. Voice Recognition: is a function that allows computer software to transform human speech into text. It is also known as automatic speech recognition (ASR), computer speech recognition, or speech-to-text. It allows a person to control a computer by speaking to it. When used in combination with a word processor, the user speaks to the system through a microphone, and the uttered words appear as text on the computer screen. The two most popular types are discrete and continuous speech systems. In discrete systems, a little delay between words is necessary. With continuous speech systems, the user may dictate without pausing between words.
6. Audiobooks and publications: are auditory books and publications that allow users to listen to the text and come in several formats such as audio cassettes, CDs, and MP3 downloads. Using dedicated playback devices, users may search for and bookmark pages and chapters. Subscription services give users access to vast digital library collections.
CHALLENGES FACING ASSISTIVE LEARNING
The advantages of assistive technology for kids with learning disabilities are immense, yet classroom implementation is fraught with difficulties:
1. Staff Education: Teachers and staff may need additional training to assist students in setting up and using more advanced assistive technology tools.
2. Lesson Preparation: Using assistive technology in conjunction with established teachings and classroom dynamics may necessitate additional planning, and can be overwhelming for teachers and they may not give the children the best of attention.
3. There Were Some Technical Challenges: Failures in technology can disrupt learning and instruction, and some of the technology is too sophisticated for youngsters to comprehend and utilize.
4. Poverty makes it impossible for parents to buy the necessary learning equipment for their children.
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