Technology for Visually Impaired Students

Technology for Visually Impaired Students

            Technology used to educate the visually impaired has not always been around.  However, with the rapid advancement in our technology world, the available technology for the blind or nearly blind students has been increasing.  The available technology for the visually impaired is different from what it was 10 years ago, and has been changed to be more efficient for the students. It has become a key factor to advancing teaching and learning for students who have no, or low, vision.  The specialized technologies to assist visually impaired or blind students vary according to different needs.  It ranges from devices such as telescopes and binoculars that allow them to see what the teacher is writing on the board to more highly adapted devices that help them function as a normal student (Ring).

            There is wide variety of available tools for visually impaired students.  Among them, there is the Speech Assisted Learning System (SAL2) which uses audio to teach blind students Braille.  The SAL2 runs on TouchGraphic’s Talking Tactile Table (TTT) that presents a way for students to experience programs that teach reading, writing and arithmetic, while recording their performance.  The program is important because it allows blind students to learn with little or no help from an instructor, which is often needed when dealing with visually impaired students (Assistive Educational Technology).  Another more technological advanced device is Braille Lite.  Braille Lite offers blind students a way to take notes in their class.  The students can check what they have written by a Braille display on the front or choose an extra function where it reads their notes aloud.  Whenever the students are done, they can hook up the Braille Lite into a PC, and choose to print out their notes in large font or in Braille (Ring). 

            Due to the convenience of students, tools that are used at home versus in school differ in functions. Students attending Brooklyn’s Edward R. Murrow High School, a school for visually impaired and blind students, use closed-circuit televisions (CCTVs) called an Aladdin Apex.  It magnifies items under a camera, and is available in different sizes that fit the need and circumstances of the students.  In the school, students are to use two software programs, Magic Screen Magnification and JAWS screen reader, to help them write papers.  It provides speech options that read texts at different speeds (Ring).

            Another tool used by visually impaired students is accessible e-learning.  Helen Armstrong and Iain Murray composed an experiment where lectures in class were recorded and put into files for a virtual classroom website that could be accessed by students any time they wanted (506).  It was designed to advance skills in information technology for adult students who were legally blind and preparing for employment.  In the conclusion of their research, it suggested that, “given accessible e-learning materials, adult students who are visually impaired can achieve results similar to sighted students” (509).  Their results also showed that in two out of the three group summaries comparing  average grades for visually impaired and sighted students, the visually impaired had a higher percentage than the sighted group (508). 

Although their research proved that given the technology needed, visually impaired students were able to learn the same as a normal student, according to small scale research done, the percentage of visually impaired students in primary and secondary public schools not being taught to use assistive technology are higher than what professionals had assumed. The research conducted showed a percentage as high as 40 percent, of elementary and middle school students that were visually impaired and blind, not using assistive technology in their school (Kelly). 

This may be due to the expense of the assistive technology.  An example of an expensive device used is The Speech Assisted Learning system discussed earlier.  The SAL2 needs an approximately $699 TTT, a $219 Power Chord Braille Keyboard, and activities that range from $49.95 to $349 per program (Assistive Educational Technology).  Research done by Armstrong and Murray also found that their solution to their report was expensive and ineffective (507). However, cost is not always the case Miriam Bazeley, a coordinator of the vision unit for Murrow’s Blind and visually impaired students states that his “kids don’t want to stand out in class” (Ring).  He talks about how they have devices that could be used by the visually impaired students so they could see the black board, but he doesn’t have them in his class, because the students will not use them in fear they will look too “geeky” (Ring). 

For many students who are visually impaired, finding the right technology that fits their needs and convenience has been a rocky ride.   Adam Linn, a junior attending Harvard University, lost his sight when he was a 4^th grader.  When he was in 7^th grade, he used a six-key brailler to take notes and write his assignments in the classroom however, it became a problem to the other students because it was very loud.  Adam then turned to an expensive 1986 microbrailler, hoping he would have a more efficient piece of technology.  It turned out that the machine would malfunction and never did live up to Adam’s expectation.  He now uses a laptop with speech feedback, and has found ways to access information he needs to write by using Braille and recordings.  Adam believes that “Human support is infinitely more important than technological support” (Corley).

In conclusion, technology has advanced learning for students who are visually impaired.  Scientists that continue to advance the accessible technology for the visually impaired and who help technology become more efficient have helped visually impaired students in their daily life, as seen by Adam’s story. They help blind or nearly blind students live as normal people do, continue with their life, and find employment with help from e-learning and assistive technology.  Even if it’s just simple as binoculars, technology helps a great deal for students who are unable to see.  Unfortunately, the new technology today may not be available for all students because of the cost.  However, if the visually impaired or blind students were given the right tools and devices, they would be able to learn just like students with sight. 

 

Works Cited

Armstrong, Helen and Iain Murray. "Adapting Advanced information Technology Network Training for Adults with Visual Impairments." Journal of Visual Impairments and Blindness 2010: 504-509. Web. 10 Oct. 2013.

Assistive Educational Technology. n.d. Web. 15 Oct. 2013.

Corley, Patricia. Adam's Story. Sept. 1998. Web. 15 Oct. 2013.

Kelly, Stacy. "Correlates of Assistive Technology Use by Students Who Are Visually Impaired in the U.S.: Multilevel Modeling of the Special Education Elementary Longitudinal Study." 2008. Poster Session. Web. 13 Oct. 2013.

Ring, Sara. Out of Sight: Technology Helps Impaired Students Thrive. n.d. Web. 10 Oct. 2013.