Types of Adaptive Technologies
Writing | Reading | Visual | Communication | Organization Skills
Writing
There are a variety of software products that assist learners with writing and literacy, allowing them to express themselves more effectively:
Writing Software
Clicker5 - writing support and multimedia tool
CoWriter 4000 Solo - editing supports
Write: Outloud Solo - text-to-speech support
Premier Literacy Suite - suite of 10 tools to support reading and writing
Portable/Laptop Systems
AlphaSmart - portable word-processing tools
Modified Keyboards
Intellikeys - customizable touch keyboard
Reading
Software is available to translate text into digital formats and assist the learner in reading through reformatting and audio output of content.
Literacy Suite
Premier - Literacy Suite - suite of 10 tools to support reading and writing
Optical Character Recognition and Reading Software
Kurzweil - digitize text and read using text-to-speech
Visual
Assistive technologies support students with low vision, blindness or other visual impairments to access digitized or web-based content.
Screen Magnification Software
ZoomText - enlarge display and read outloud
Screen Readers
JAWS - translates text to audio output
Modified Keyboards
Intellikeys - customizable touch keyboard
Communication
For learners who experience difficulty in communication, there are a number of tools that will help them to express themselves more easily:
Voice Recognition Software
Dragon Naturally Speaking - translates spoken language into text
Organization Skills
Many learners will benefit from the use of tools that help them to organize their ideas as a first step in completing curricular activities. Other students will benefit from portable devices to assist with note-taking and provide access to assistive software in the classroom.
Mind Mapping and Idea Organization
Inspiration/Kidspiration - graphical mapping tools
Smart Ideas - graphical mapping tool
Portable/Laptop Systems
AlphaSmart - portable word-processing tools
