Digital technology makes the disabled more able

Many of us - even the young - are a bit bionic, when you stop to think about it: from glasses and contacts, to orthodontics and tooth replacements, from nose jobs to knee replacements, and more serious additions. But now the lives of seriously disabled students are being successfully extended with digital technology.

In one ordinary community, Janesville, Wisconsin, the school district employs teacher Kathy White to match technology to students in need. The problem for her is selecting from the vast range of adaptive technologies. "Technology is exploding for us," White said.

Second-grader Kyle Beasley is - or rather was - functionally blind. But, "Today, the student at Roosevelt Elementary School in Janesville, Wis., easily carries his own iPad and a special Braille translator that allow him to read all his textbooks, send eMails, access the internet, check the weather, and do just about anything anyone else can do with a computer."

Beasley uses a Refreshabraille 18, a 3 X 5 X 1 inch tablet that's both a braille display and keyboard for "mobile devices like notebooks, mobile phones and PDAs. It serves as an excellent reading environment for desktop computers as well."

As a result, he has a device on which "Plastic Braille dots pop up instantly on a pad, corresponding to a text displayed on the iPad. Bluetooth technology lets the two devices 'talk' to each other." According to his teacher, "It's making him incredibly independent."

White also addresses needs of students like Correy Winke, who suffers from dyslexia and was headed for high school special needs science classes. White fitted Winke with an iPod and laptop that used software designed to read an texts out loud. "Now a sophomore, Correy is pulling down A's and B's and taking courses such as honors geometry. Asked if he can handle the work, he responded with a confident, 'Oh, yeah!'"

White has also negotiated the needs of the very disabled. She has matched the Tobii Communicator to students who've lost the use of their hands. A flexible device, it can allow a person with no hand use to operate a computer by use of eye movements on a sensitive screen. "With the right connected hardware, a person can switch lights or a TV off and on, drive a powered wheelchair or even open a door. Users can write and send email or do just about anything else with a computer."

According to Janet White, the hardest part of the job isn't the 50 or 60 visits she makes each week. "The hardest part for us is to keep up with what's going on."

Digital revolution changing lives of students with disabilities (Education Week, Feb. 27, 2012)

Introducing the Refreshabraille 18 (website) 

Tobii Communicator (website)