Access to Computers

Assistive technology can aid students with disabilities. As discussed in my previous post, assistive technology can help students to participate in educational, social, and leisure activities.  Computers are just one of the tools we can categorize as AT. "The computer industry has adopted the concept of UDL" (Dell, Newton, Petroff, 2012, p.166). Keeping the concept of UDL in mind, the computer industry has created operating system features that meet the needs of students with disabilities. The following chart shows the features and how they meet the needs of specific characteristics.

UDL Features	Operating System Features	Student Characteristics
Provide choice in method of use	Control computer with mouse or keyboard Receive information by reading or listening	Keyboard use supports students who have poor fine motor control, limited range of motion, or difficulty in visually tracking mouse pointer Text-to-speech supports students with reading disabilities or attention deficits
Accommodate left and right handed users	One button mouse; functions of the two-button mouse can be switched	Able to use only one hand or has better control with one hand
Take into account variations in precision and accuracy of mouse use	Enlarged icons	Low vision, visual perceptual issues, hand-eye coordination problems, hand tremors, poor fine motor control, cognitive deficits
Adaptability to user’s pace	Set speed of mouse travel, set timing for double-click, set keyboard repeat delay, set keyboard repeat speed	Limited range of motion, visual tracking difficulty, poor fine motor control, difficulty raising head to monitor the movement of the mouse pointer

Reference:

Dell, A. G., Newton, D. A., & Petroff, J. G. (2012). Assistive Technology in the Classroom: Enhancing the School Experiences of Students with Disabilities (2nd ed., pp. 163-173). Boston, MA: Pearson Education.