Students with Disabilities and the Web

Students with Disabilities and the Web

Understanding
About Our Kids.org: http://www.aboutourkids.org/index.html
This is the Web site for the New York University Child Study team. Their Web site has a newsletter and up-to-date information on topics related to child development. They also offer information about
upcoming research projects and timely tips.

Academic Success
The key to any academic success is student motivation. Students with LD experience many issues that can decrease their drive to succeed.
http://www.ldonline.org/ld_indepth/self_esteem/motivation.html
Homework How-To’s.
http://www.ldonline.org/ld_indepth/teaching_techniques/hwguide.html
Avoiding the Back to School Homework Blues.
http://www.samgoldstein.com/articles/9909.html
Homework/school collaboration for the child with ADHD.
http://www.ldonline.org/ld_indepth/add_adhd/tec_home_school_collab.html
To fight the homework battle or not? What does the research say?
http://npin.org/pnews/1997/pnewn97/pnewn97e.html
Helping with Homework: A Parent’s Guide to Information Problem-Solving.
http://www.ed.gov/databases/ERIC_Digests/ed402950.html
Strategies to help children with LD take notes in class.
http://www.ldonline.org/ld_indepth/writing/notetaking.html
Twenty ways to work more effectively with your paraeducator.
http://www.ldonline.org/ld_indepth/teaching_techniques/work_with_paraeducator.html
Specific techniques to help teachers provide emergent reading opportunities for children with LD.
http://www.ldonline.org/ld_indepth/reading/emergent_readers.html
What are some of the stressors that children with LD experience?
http://www.ldonline.org/ld_indepth/social_skills/risk_resilience.html
A look at the relationship between learning disabilities and emotional dysfunction.
http://www.ldonline.org/ld_indepth/social_skills/comorbid.html
Steps to writing a functional behavior assessment.
http://www.ldonline.org/ld_indepth/behavior/behavioral_intervention.html
A look at the relationship between learning disabilities and social skills.
http://www.ldonline.org/ld_indepth/social_skills/psychiatric_comorbidity.html

ADHD--Building Academic Success: http://www.ldonline.org/ld_indepth/add_adhd/ael_success.html#anchor978490

Assistive Technology -- An Overview: http://schwablearning.org/Articles.asp?r=286&g=2&d=2

Assistive Technology and the Multiage Classroom: http://www.techlearning.com/db_area/archives/TL/2002/03/assistive.html
These tips and technologies from the special needs classroom can help teachers reach struggling students.

bridges4kids: http://www.bridges4kids.org/ is a compact Web site that attempts to build partnerships
between families, schools and communities. You can click on a topic and find articles related to that topic.

Coping with Attention Deficit Disorder: A Mother's Point of View: http://www.ldonline.org/ld_indepth/add_adhd/mothers_view.html

Disability Museum: http://www.disabilitymuseum.org
This is a searchable, theme-based digital collection that exists only online offering documents and images related to disability history in the United States. Materials in the Library date back to the 18th century.

Disability Rights Advocates: http://www.dralegal.org is a non-profit legal center. Their Web
page features disability relevant publications and representative legal cases.

Gender differences and ADHD.
http://www.ldonline.org/ld_indepth/add_adhd/nadeau.html

IEP (individualized education program) basics
Parents and teachers are involved in meetings to plan for a child's education in meetings held throughout the year. The sites below give information to help all involved understand the process. It is important to take time to "go back to basics."
The first step is to know "the steps."
http://www.ldonline.org/ld_indepth/iep/basic_iep_process.html
http://www.ed.gov/offices/OSERS/OSEP/IEP_Guide/
Next it is important to understand the components of the IEP.
http://www.ldonline.org/ld_indepth/iep/what_is_iep.html
http://www.ldonline.org/ld_indepth/iep/writing_the_iep.html
Follow through a sample IEP
http://www.ldonline.org/ld_indepth/iep/success_ieps.html
Parents and the IEP meeting.
http://www.ldonline.org/ld_indepth/iep/holmes_tenways.html
How to change an IEP. Reconvene the IEP team if the IEP is not working,
http://www.ed.gov/offices/OSERS/OSEP/IEP_Guide/#What
The school and parents want the best for the child. How disagreements can be addressed.
http://www.ldonline.org/ld_indepth/iep/iep_communication.pdf
The Early Childhood Education Network has fun experiences for young children to
teach shapes, letters, reading and numbers: http://www.literacycenter.net/

Learning Disabilities
Increasingly, special education discussions focus on the "rethinking" of the diagnostic category of learning disabilities. These discussions are central to current IDEA funding debates. Is a learning disability a "reading disability, "a "learning difference," or a "learning
disability?" These sites help define this issue.
What is a learning disability?:
http://www.ldonline.org/ld_indepth/general_info/what_are_ld_silver.html
Learning disability or a learning difference?:
http://www.ldonline.org/ld_indepth/general_info/learning_differences.html
LD: Learning (Dis)Ability?: http://www.ldonline.org/newsletter.php?ID=1
G. Reid Lyon discusses learning disabilities:
http://www.ldonline.org/ld_indepth/general_info/future_children.html
Current rethinking from G. Reid Lyon and from the Fordham Foundation:
http://www.edexcellence.net/library/special_ed/special_ed_ch12.pdf
http://www.ppionline.org/ppi_ci.cfm?knlgAreaID=110&subsecID=181&contentID=3344
Is the "label" disabling? A paper by Dr. Mel Levine:
http://www.ldonline.org/mminds/levine_paper.html
The politics of LD definition and advocacy:
http://www.ldonline.org/ld_indepth/legal_legislative/politics.html

A Lexicon of Learning: What Educators Mean When They Say: http://www.ascd.org/educationnews/lexicon/lexiconoflearning.html
The ASCD (Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development) hosts a web site that contains definitions to specialized educational terms.

Life Success For Children With Learning Disabilities: A Parent Guide: http://www.frostig.org/LDsuccess/
A guide to help parents of children with LD identify and nurture characteristics and behaviors that lead to successful life outcomes.

Pilkey.com: http://www.pilkey.com/adv-text.php
Meet Dav (rhymes with "have") Pilkey, born March 4th, 1966. An illustrious school history was his! "And whenever Dav did anything bad, his teacher would snap her fingers, point to the door and shout, Mr. PILKEY-OUT!" From a teacher too, these words, "You'd better stop goofing off...You can't spend your life making silly books." Known as the "class clown" and diagnosed with ADHD and LD, Dav is now spending his life writing "silly books" kids love: The Captain Underpants Books, Dumb
Bunnies, and Big Dog Little Dog series. Have lots of fun at his Web site and learn more about his "troubled past."
Dr. W.S. Davis, writes about being "Upside Down in a Right Side World.": http://www.ldonline.org/first_person/davis.html

Position of the monitor is very important for the student. Most monitors can be adjusted. Be sure to adjust the monitor so the student can look at it at eye level.
If the student has a physical disability, such as a wheel chair, be sure the computer is at a table that is tall enough for the wheelchair to fit underneath. You can purchase adjustable tables that can be raised and lowered depending on the needs of the student. If an adjustable table is not available you can purchase adjustable keyboards. Younger, smaller students may need a much lower table.

In "Medicating Kids," FRONTLINE reviews the increase in the prescription of behavior-modifying drugs for children. Are these medications really necessary--and safe--for young children, or merely a harried nation's quick fix for annoying, yet age-appropriate, behavior? The program exams ADHD and the use of Ritalin. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/medicating/etc/synopsis.html

Overview of State Accessibility Laws, Policies, Standards and Other Resources Available On-line: http://www.ittatc.org/laws/stateLawAtGlance.cfm

Parents, Schools Bear High Cost of Autism: http://www.sacbee.com/content/news/education/story/7972619p-8909481c.html
Sacramento Bee
Thousands of autistic children are at the center of a growing dilemma for California. Experts say intensive treatments are the only technique proven effective in giving autistic children the skills they need to live independent lives. Yet with the state's autistic population doubling in the past four years, the success of these life lessons and their high costs--as much as $60,000 a year per child--threaten to overwhelm school districts already struggling to balance their budgets.

Questions To Ask When Selecting a Professional To Assess or Treat ADHD:
http://www.ldonline.org/ld_indepth/assessment/adhd_assessment.html

Questions to Ask When You Meet Your Child's Therapist: http://www.pinofpa.org/resources/fact-3.html

Rethinking Learning Disabilities: http://www.edexcellence.net/library/special_ed/special_ed_ch12.pdf

SERI - Special Education Resources on the Internet: http://seriweb.com/
Special Education Resources on the Internet (SERI) is a collection of Internet accessible in one location information resources of interest to those involved in the fields related to Special Education. The collection is organised into sections including Physical and Health Disorders, Behaviour Disorders, Learning Disabilities, Vision Impairment, Attention Deficit Disorder, Autism, Speech Impairment, Gifted and Talented and Special Needs and Technology.

Schwab Learning: http://www.schwablearning.org/
This is a program area of the Charles and Helen Schwab Foundation, a non profit. Schwab Learning's mission is to help kids with learning differences (LD) be successful in learning and in life. Their web site, Schwablearning.org, is a parent's guide to helping kids with learning differences with over 250 articles, free publications, message boards, email newsletter and information in Spanish.

Sleep and ADHD: http://www.ldonline.org/ld_indepth/add_adhd/sleep_problems.html

Special Needs: http://teacher.scholastic.com/professional/specialneeds/index.htm

" Teaching today requires understanding the individual differences of all students in your classroom. Tap into all kinds of minds with these resources, chosen to meet the special needs of every student."

SpedEx: The Special Education Exchange, has information for parents, professionals and students: http://www.gigglepotz.com/speced.htm

Strategies for the Reluctant Writer looks at the skills needed for writing:
http://www.ldonline.org/ld_indepth/writing/reluctant_writer.html

Strategies for Teacher Collaboration:
http://www.teachervision.com/lesson-plans/lesson-2941.html
A resource to help school-based teams bring collaborative teaching into practice. Provides 18 specific inservice activities to help teachers understand the dynamics of collaboration.

Understanding ADHD: http://www.aft.org/pubs-reports/american_educator/issues/winter04-05/cogsci.htm
" How does the mind work—and especially how does it learn? Teachers’ instructional decisions are based on a mix of theories learned in teacher education, trial and error, craft knowledge, and gut instinct. Such gut knowledge often serves us well, but is there anything sturdier to rely on?"

What is ADHD? A Basic Review: http://www.ldonline.org/ld_indepth/add_adhd/what_is.html

WrightsLaw: http://www.wrightslaw.com/
"Parents, advocates, educators, and attorneys come to Wrightslaw for accurate, up-to-date information about special education law and advocacy for children with disabilities."
How to Disagree with the IEP Team Without Starting World War III: http://www.wrightslaw.com/advoc/articles/strategy.disagree.htm

Examples of Assistive Technology Devices
Synthetic voice, digital audio, or Brailee for people who are blind.

Screen magnification and large text fonts for people with diminished vision or dyslexia.

Descriptive text, captioning, and visual cues for people who are deaf or people who have hearing disabilities.

Specialized adaptartions for people who have physical disabilities involving the use of a keyboard, voice recognition mechanism, mouse, or other input device that requires a part of their body other than their hands and fingers to control a Web browser.

Screen magnifier--Usually a software application that increases the size of text or images on a computer screen. Special monitors and other types of hardware adaptations can be used to project larger images as well.

Refreshable Braille display is a hardware device that reads, translates, and subsequently renders electronic information from a computer interface to Braille.

Screen readers and voice browsers--Software applications combined with a synthetic voice that reads computer data back to users who are blind, or users who are more successful at auditory learning than reading due to a learning disability. This includes all screen objects (for example, windows and icons).

Synthetic speech--Combined with a screen reader application or browser.

Screen recognition--A software application combined with a speech input device (usually a separate or built-in microphone) that enables a blind user or a user with a physical disability to speak or issue commands that the speech recognition recognizes and then acts upon. Speech recognition can also be used for creating and annotating existing material.

Wireless pagers assist the deaf: http://msnbc.msn.com/id/3607030/
Wireless pagers like the BlackBerry and the T-Mobile SideKick are helping the deaf enhance their communication abilities.

Resources
Amaya: http://www.w3.org/Amaya/ is the World Wide Web Consortium's own Web browser that also doubles as an authoring tool within the same window. It contains a Zoom feature in the View menu (Alt + or Alt - on the keyboards) that enables users to increase the size of text and graphics as they appear on a Web page. Amaya includes a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editing interface. Assuming you have write access to a particular Web page, you can first browse a Web page and then edit it within the same window simply by single-clicking within the editing window. However, the authoring interface is not accessible to windows screen readers.

CJT Enterprises: http://www.cjt-yes.com/

Communication Aids Front Page: http://www.ace-centre.org.uk/vocapages/main.asp
This site from the United Kingdom has drop down lists to help choose an appropriate communication aid.

Coping with Attention Deficit Disorder: A Mother's Point of View: http://www.ldonline.org/ld_indepth/add_adhd/mothers_view.html

The Darci Institute of Rehabilitation Engineering: http://www.westest.com/darci/
"Because of physical disabilities, many people can not use a standard keyboard or mouse. This limits their participation in many educational and work activities, their access to information, and their inclusion in society as a whole. This is ironic because computers can greatly improve the lives of many people with disabilities."

Dierk's Page: http://www.anicursor.com/
Different type of cursor for students with VI, autism, LD, etc.

The Early Childhood Education Network: http://www.literacycenter.net/
This site has fun experiences for young children learn shapes, letters, reading and numbers.

HandSpeak: A Sign Language Dictionary Online: http://www.handspeak.com/

IRLEN SYNDROME/SCOTOPIC SENSITIVITY: http://www.irlen.com/index_sss.html
"Irlen Syndrome, also known as, Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome (SSS) is a type of visual perceptual problem. It is not an optical problem.... Individuals with Irlen Syndrome see the printed page differently from those with normal vision and must constantly adapt to distortions appearing on the printed page."

Joy Zabala's Resources for Assistive Technology in Education: http://sweb.uky.edu/~jszaba0/JoyZabala.html

Kid Tools Support System: http://kidtools.missouri.edu/
" The KidTools Support System (KTSS) is a federally-funded project to provide performance support software for children, ages 7-13, who have learning disabilities and/or emotional and behavioral problems." The program and resources can be downloaded for free.

LD/ADHD: What happens if a child has both a learning disability and ADHD?: http://www.ldonline.org/ld_indepth/add_adhd/ldadhd.html

To help educators and parents understand the difficulties children may experience, the coordinated Campaign for Learning Disabilities has pulled together many resources, including bulletin boards that examine teaching issues. LD OnLine is a service of The Learning Project at WETA, Washington, D.C., in association with The Coordinated Campaign for Learning Disabilities.

Linux Accessibility HOWTO: Physically Disabled: http://www.linuxselfhelp.com/HOWTO/Accessibility-HOWTO/physical.html

National Assistive Technology Research Institute (NATRI): http://natri.uky.edu/

Net-Tamer: http://www.nettamer.net/tamer.html
This is a browser that can browse the web, get/send your email, or check the time and date. It will get email and usenet groups, then log off so you can use the included offline reader, or you can choose to stay on and look around. It will also do a download/ upload of mail or usenet on a timer. The program is speech friendly to users of talking programs for the visually impaired.

PleaseRead: The world's most popular text-to-speech software- and still free!: http://www.readplease.com/

Premier Assitive Technology: http://www.premier-programming.com/

Questions to Ask When You Meet Your Child's Therapist: http://www.pinofpa.org/resources/fact-3.html

Rethinking Learning Disabilities: http://www.edexcellence.net/library/special_ed/special_ed_ch12.pdf

The Sensus Internet Browser: http://www.sensus.dk/sib10uk.htm
TheTalking Internet Browser accommodates the visually impaired on the World Wide Web. It supports total keyboard control and navigation. This includes functions such as scrolling through the interactive links contained in a document or executing an interactive link. Navigation is facilitated through the keypad arrow keys and defined shortcut keys.

SymbolWorld: http://www.symbolworld.org/index.htm

"Symbolworld has been set up to provide a web site with material suitable for symbol readers of all ages. The internet is an important medium which many people really like to use. Sadly there is very little material that is appropriate or accessible by people with learning difficulties."

Web browsers include accessible features.
Microsoft Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator both contain menu items that enable an increase in fornt size of a Web page so it can be read or the content viewed with better visual clarity. Many people use these accessibility characteristics-- not just people with visual impairments. In Microsoft Internet Explorer go to View, Text Size. In Netscape Navigator go to View, Increase Font.
Internet Explorer and Netscape Communicator display alternative text using bubble help-type notes as the user passes over an image with the mouse cursor. When Internet Explorer and Nescape Navigator are used in conjuction with windows screen readers for the blind, the alternative text is easily rendered.
Microsoft Accessibilty Technology for Everyone: http://www.microsoft.com/enable/ tells about built-in accessibility features in Microsoft products that you can adjust to meet your needs and preferences.
To specify font characteristics in Internet Explorer, including color, size, and style, click the Tools menu, select Internet Options, and then click the Accessibilty button. The Accessibility property sheet is displayed.

Products to buy
Enhancing Internet Access: (EIA): http://www.elr.com.au/eiad/index.htm
This is a specialized Web Browser, suitable for touchscreen systems, with fully integrated Web awareness, assessment and training modules. Designed for Internet training and access for people with disabilities and other special needs rehabilitation centres, libraries and public Internet access sites, disability support environments, private clinics, and specialised individual use. It is compatable with Microsoft Internet Explorer Browser.

HAL Screen Reader: http://www.dolphinuk.co.uk/products/hal.htm

Home Page Reader: http://www-3.ibm.com/able/hpr.html is a browser that was developed exclusively for people who are blind and visually impaired. Home Page Reader can be used with screen readers for people who are visually impaired. It is able to audibly render the complete contents of a Web site. No extra hardware synthesizer is needed. The user simply interacts with the computer using a basic numeric keypad in the Microsoft Windows environment. It also contains a Fast Forward key that enables a user to quickly and efficiently scan Web pages for data. It contains a Wher am I command that provides the user with immediate navigational feedback, including information about the number and location of elements on a given Web page. It uses two voices - a male voice to read text, and a female voice to read link text - whic makes it easier to comprehend site design and navigation.

Infogrip: http://www.infogrip.com/
"... specialize in providing our clients with all of their assistive technology and ergonomic product and training."

Job Access for Windows (JAWS): http://www.freedomscientific.com/fs_products/software_jaws.asp is the kind of screen reader that reformats a Web page. For example, JAWS reformats list links alphabetcally and posts the results in a list box. Subsequently, the user can then easily scroll through each link. JAWS also reformats tables using a simple function key (F5) operation. The table is converted into a single column of text including the appropriate column headers.

Microsoft Download Center: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/search.asp?
Turn any Microsoft Word 2000 document into an e-Book! Use with anyone who has difficulty
turning the pages of a book.
To download the add-in, go to: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/search.asp? and do a search for "Reader" and choose the appropriate download. Then, when you open up Microsoft Word, on the tool bar there will be a little integrated "Reader" icon, so you can open up a Word document with Microsoft Reader. Microsoft Reader allows you to go on-line to stores like Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble, and pay a nominal price to download e-Books. There are also e-Books which are available for free. What the add-on does is allow you to open any Word document in Reader. So, for example, you could download e-texts on-line, (from Project Gutenberg, etc), paste it into Word, and then open it up as an e-Book.

The Opera Browser: http://www.opera.com/ includes full keyboard navigation, mouse gestures, keyboards shortcuts, a full-screen reader, and an easy-to-use zoom function that is particularly helpful for low vision users. The Zoom Document function on the main browser window provides variable levels of screen magnification for users who find Web page text and/or graphics too small to view. Beyond its accessibility features, Opera is a fully functional browser, providing all the features typically found in more popular commercial browsers such as Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Internte Explorer. Its accessible features are an intergral part of the interface.

Pulse Data HumanWare: http://www.humanware.com/ specializes in assistive technology for persons who are print impaired due to blindness, low vision or learning and reading disabilities.

Speaking Homework Wiz® from Franklin Electronic Publishers: http://www.franklin.com/
The Speaking Homework Wiz™ automatically makes spelling corrections for nearly 50,000 words, speaks 40,000 easy to understand definitions, and has handwriting animation so that it teaches penmanship. The writer enters any word to see it modeled in either manuscript or cursive writing.

Speaking Dynamically Pro: http://www.mayer-johnson.com/software/Speakdyn.html
"An invaluable tool for creating talking interactive activities such as books, writing activities, student portfolios, social stories, schedules, symbol dictionaries, and much, much more."

Super Switch Ensemble: http://www.switchintime.com/
"Super Switch Ensemble enables groups of students with mixed abilities to play together in a cooperative setting; each individual working at his/her own level while contributing to the overall performance. With Super Switch Ensemble, players don't interact with the computer; they interact with each other." They say that no musical expertise is required. There is a free demo at the site. This is for Macintosh computers.

Turning Point: http://www.turningpointtechnology.com/default.htm
Among other things, Turning Point Technology makes key guards for all sorts of keyboards. They'll also manufacture custom key guards for any item.

Window Eyes: http://www.gwmicro.com/windoweyes/, is a screen reader developed by GW Micro.

WinVision 97: http://www.artictech.com/whywv97.htm#top is a Artic Technologies screen reader product.

Articles
Dyrli, Odvard Egil "Opening the Web for Disabled Users" District Administator: http://www.districtadministration.com/page.cfm?id=221 April 2002.

Coleman, Mary Ruth "Surviving or Thriving? Gifted Middle School Boys with Learning Disabilities" Learning Disabilities Online:
http://www.ldonline.org/ld_indepth/gt_ld/surviving_or_thriving.html Summer 2001.

Nadeau, Kathleen G., Ph.D. "Is your Daughter a Daydreamer, Tomboy or "Chatty Kathy"?
She may have undiagnosed Attention Deficit Disorder" Learning Disabilities Online: http://www.ldonline.org/ld_indepth/add_adhd/nadeau.html April 22, 2002.

Ruiz, Fernando Pages "What to Look For in a Sleepaway Camp" Learning Disabilities Online: http://www.ldonline.org/ld_indepth/summer/sleepaway_camp.html exerpted from March/April 2002 issue of ADDitude Magazine: http://www.additudemag.com/magazine.asp?DEPT_NO=611&SUB_NO=1

Smith, Tom E. C. "Section 504: What Teachers Need to Know" Learning Disabilities Online:
http://www.ldonline.org/ld_indepth/legal_legislative/section_504_for_teachers.html reprinted from Intervention In School And Clinic Vol. 37, No. 5, May 2002 pp. 259-266.

This site began in March 1998 and was created by Janet Luch.
Email questions and comments to: studyplans@yahoo.com