Assistive Technology for People with Disabilities

For courses in Assistive Technology and Technology in Special Education. Updated with new research, content and features to address current developments in the field, this text approaches assistive technology and education in a lifespan, multidisciplinary manner by discussing the use of current technology in the fields of special education, rehabilitation, speech-language pathology, and other disciplines. Assistive Technology for People with Disabilities, Second Edition, includes eight comprehensive chapters that focus on devices and software to enhance the lives and promote the independence of people with disabilities. The textbook's content includes material that relates to most of the disability categories in IDEA 2004 and to the key concepts of the AT legislation. Featured devices and software will help the reader understand how areas such as mobility, communication, education, independent living, and access to information media affect learning and living for individuals with disabilities. Relevant foundation information is included notably, the historical perspectives of AT, assessment, universal design, and the ADAPT framework, which is a tool to help educators make decisions about appropriate AT, student needs, and the demands of the environment. Developed from the authors' years of experience teaching both K-12 students and adults, as well as their own framework for understanding assistive technology application and integrating technology into instruction, this updated text addresses assistive technology that promotes knowledge and skills, practical application and a myriad of opportunities that good technology provides for persons with disabilities.