How to Use Technology to Teach the Visually Impaired
Technology plays a crucial role in the teaching process. For the blind or low vision student, whether child or adult, this is nothing new. The use of technology to teach the visually impaired dates to the late 1700s when Frenchman Valentin Huey developed the fist raised letter system to teach blind children to read. In the twenty-first century, the array of methods that use technology to teach the visually impaired is huge and growing every year. For the parent or educator, the first thing to realize is that most visually impaired children and adults have normal intelligence. Information that is normally presented visually (print, pictures and other formats) must be made available in a different medium. Here are some helpful tips for teaching.
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Things You'll Need
- Four-track audio book player
- Personal computer
- Document scanner
- Closed-circuit television (CCTV) for low vision students
Instructions
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Arrange for a needs assessment of the visually impaired person by a qualified professional in the field. About half of all visually impaired persons are totally blind, while the remainder have some usable vision remaining. Age is also a factor. For children, technology that builds literacy skills is critical. Persons who lose their vision as adults generally already have the basic skills, so the focus is on practical application, such as job training.
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Provide a four-track tape player and audio texts, books and magazines. The visually impaired person should be registered with the National Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (see the Resources section below). There is a one time registration fee that is good for life. The National Library will record any textbooks needed, given sufficient prior notice. From the organization's website you can link to state Libraries for the Blind that provide general interest magazines, such as "Reader's Digest," U.S. News and World Report," and 70 other publications along with popular books, classics and best sellers. All tapes are in four-track format and a special player is required. Players are available free of charge through state libraries.
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Create an accessible computer work station for a totally blind student. For most students, this consists of a software program called a voice synthesizer. It interprets words in text files, such as Word documents, and generates speech. A voice synthesizer also reads labels on websites to aid in navigation. Examples are Job Access with Speech (JAWS) and ZoomText Level 2.
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Equip a computer with a screen magnifier for persons with low vision--ZoomText is a well known software package of this type. A screen magnifier does not increase font size. Rather, it enlarges a portion of the screen by two to 16 times and provides navigation tools to move from one part of the screen to another. Other features allow for reversing images, varying colors, and customizing the software for individual users.
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Include a document scanner and image-to-text conversion software to make hard copy documents and books available to students with no useful vision. Keep in mind that document scanners are widely used for many purposes and are available at any computer or office supply store. Image interpretation software processes scanned images (including PDF files) and generates text files that a voice synthesizer can read. Examples include Omnipage and Bookwise. Some voice synthesizer software systems incorporate interpretive software.
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Obtain a closed-circuit television (CCTV) designed for use by persons with low vision. This system uses a television camera to send an image to a screen where the user can magnify the image as much as needed. There are also portable CCTV systems which can be taken on field trips, to public libraries and other out-of-classroom locations or from one classroom to another.
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Add supplementary technology for special topics. The American Printing House for the Blind (link below in Resources) and other organizations provide a wide range of educational materials designed for learning tasks that cannot readily be expressed only in words. For example, there are software packages and Braille printers available that can render mathematical symbols in a special version of Braille called the Nemeth Code. Other computer-based tools allow students to use graphs by providing audio cues.
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Tips & Warnings
The widely used systems and methods described here are only the basics. There are many special application devices available that can further improve the educational experience of the visually impaired person, and more are being developed all the time. Use the links below to learn about what's on the "cutting edge" of the use of technology to teach the visually impaired.
