By definition, Assistive Technology is..."Any item, piece of equipment, or product system, whether acquired commercially off the shelf, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities. AT service is directly assisting an individual with a disability in the selection, acquisition, or use of an assistive technology device."
In the general education classroom, there are many students with different learning needs. We live in a day and age where catering to students needs is very achievable through the use of assistive technology tools. Assistive technology tools can range from no-tech tools, all the way to high-tech tools. Some examples of different tools are below. No-Tech Tools:
Highlighter
Graphic organizers
Pencil Grip
Sentence Starters
Low-Tech Tools:
Slant board
Audio books
Spelling aids
Adaptive Mouse/Keyboard
High-Tech Tools:
Google Extensions:
Read & Write
ClaroRead
Text to Speech tools
Speech to text tools
Dragon Dictation
Example of Assistive Technology through a SETT Case Study
Below is an example of an SETT Case Study that was conducted through my graduate school course. I was assigned a specific student with background of his classroom and needs included. Based on this description a case study was conducted and the best assistive technology was recommended for his use.