![]() A key example is a vibrating alarm clock, which can assist the deaf and hard of hearing communities. These include altering devices that use visual and vibrating elements to replace sound. High tech assistive technology is described as “the most complex devices or equipment, that have digital or electronic components, may be computerized,” according to Georgia Tech. In the 1930s, when the Library of Congress and the AFB developed a program for talking books. According to Inclusive Publishing, “when Thomas Edison recorded the first audiobook in 1877, he probably didn’t think of them as anything other than a way to sell more phonographs. By the mid-to-late 1870s, developments continued, with the invention of the audio phone bone conductor, the first portable hearing aid, the Braille typewriter, and the first electric hearing aid, the akouphone.Īudiobooks followed. One of the most common examples is the wheelchair, which was first used between the 6th and 4th centuries BCE, according to Encyclopedia Britannica. There are “mid tech” assistive technology devices that, according to Georgia Tech, “may have some complex features, may be electronic or battery operated, may require some training to learn how to use.” Low tech assistive technology in the classroom includes printing assignments in larger fonts, pencil grips, adapted pencils, and using colored highlighters to better organize information. ![]() Surprisingly, low tech devices can often make the biggest difference for a student.Īccording to Georgia Tech, low tech devices for students with disabilities “are devices or equipment that don’t require much training, may be less expensive and do not have complex or mechanical features.”Įxamples include walking canes, binder clips that make it easier to turn pages, sensory input items such as fidgets and squishy balls, and writing things down instead of speaking. Let’s deep dive into some key low and high tech assistive technology examples to understand how each can make a difference. Technological assistance for people with disabilities varies based on their specific needs. According to the Association of Assistive Technology Act Programs, the law was passed to “support State efforts to improve the provision of assistive technology to individuals with disabilities of all ages through comprehensive statewide programs of technology-related assistance.” In 1988, the Assistive Technology Act passed in the United States. New organizations emerged throughout the 1900s to service the disabled. The first school for deaf children opened in 1817. There have been attempts and developments to support people with disabilities for centuries. High Tech, Low Tech, Mid Tech: Making a Difference ![]() Thankfully, there are many offerings now provided by low and high tech assistive technology. It’s crucial for the education industry to do more to support students with special needs in their academic journeys. These limitations are evident physically, such as university elevators that are too narrow for wheelchairs, and academically when classes are taught without closed captions and transcriptions for deaf students or Braille reading options for blind students. This reality is especially evident in higher education. In a world and society designed for ‘normal’, people with disabilities often find it challenging to access everyday opportunities that many take for granted.
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