The Midwest Center for Postsecondary Outreach developed this guide to offer administrators, parents, students, and potential service providers an overview of the various speech-to-text service options available in postsecondary environments to students who are deaf or hard-of-hearing. Speech-to-text services are support options for students who…

Interactive Technology Literacy Curriculum Online (ITLC Online) was a Steppingstones of Technology Innovation for Students with Disabilities Phase 1 (Development) project awarded to the Center for Best Practices in Early Childhood (the Center) at Western Illinois University (WIU). ITLC Online's goal was to improve services for young children with…

This policy paper explores key trends in information and communication technology, highlights the potential opportunities and problems these trends present for people with disabilities, and suggests some strategies to maximize opportunities and avoid potential problems and barriers. Specifically, this paper discusses technology trends that present…

The main purpose of this paper is to provide real-life examples for the assistive technology, which are used to enhance preservice teacher-faculty and online designer partnerships in special education. Therefore, a framework developed by the researchers will show the needs, expectations and strengths of preservice teachers, faculty and online…

This report discusses a project that compared the rate of use of assistive technology (AT) services and devices by American Indians and Alaska Natives with that of other ethnically diverse groups, identified barriers, and examined consumer satisfaction regarding AT. The project drew on four sources of data: the Rehabilitation Services…

This hearing before the Subcommittee on Labor, Health, Human Services, Education and Related Agencies is about what will be done in the 21st century to improve the learning skills for children from the earliest age through all their education. Senator Tom Harkin (Iowa) presided. Opening statements were given by Senator Harkin and Senator Arlen…

This brief paper considers ways in which people with sensory impairments can benefit from the assistive technology available with computers. Assistive technology practitioners are urged not to focus on the disability, but on the individual's abilities and the tasks to be performed. Explanations of the major sensory disability areas precedes…

This is a continuation of "Funding of Assistive Technology to Make Work a Reality" (Work and AT), Article # 3 in this Policy and Practice Brief Series. This article will review the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), with a particular emphasis on how the ADA can be used to ensure that a person with a disability has…

Linda Darling-Hammond's simplistic, yet profound observation addresses the basis of reform in teacher education today. Our challenge is to develop the knowledge, disposition, and teaching performance or skills of initial and advanced teacher candidates to enable them to deliver the foundations of education necessary to meet the critical…

This article shares the experience of implementing, enhancing, and publicizing access to the American Sign Language (ASL) video collection distributed by California Department of Education. The author discusses the issues of service to deaf and hearing-impaired people, including policy adjustments, staff training, and development of the special…

Children learn through movement and interactions with their environment and/or with others. For children who have physical limitations, this natural developmental process is affected. The use of assistive technology to enhance movement, communication, play and learning allows the child with physical impairments to learn in a more independent…

This study examined the impact of a word prediction software program, Co:Writer, on the written output of 24 students with physical disabilities that affected their ability to write by hand. Surveys were completed by both students who used Co:Writer and their teachers/adult supporters in schools, and 10-minute writing samples were obtained from…

This paper examines the construct of evidence-based practice, how existing data on the effectiveness of the Auditory-Verbal (A-V) approach for children with hearing loss are evaluated within this construct, and whether implementation of an A-V intervention model is therefore justified. It concludes with a recurrent call for action towards…

More than a century of Canadian and international experience and research in open and distance learning indicates that traditional and emerging technologies can be used effectively, alone or in combination, to provide access to services and education for adults and children living in rural and northern communities. However, although there is an…

Tinnitus is an increasing health concern across all strata of the general population. Although an abundant amount of literature has addressed the many facets of tinnitus, wide-ranging differences in professional beliefs and attitudes persist concerning its clinical management. These differences are detrimental to tinnitus patients because the…