Reading Tasks

Assistive Technology

Student Benefit

Reading from Internet

Universal Reader (Premier A.T.)

Reads highlighted text aloud

Reading a report, article, worksheet or test that is not teacher generated and therefore needs to be scanned

Scan and Read (Premier A.T.)

Reads text aloud, changes spacing between words, lines and enlarges font.

Reading a report or test that is teacher generated (file on computer)

Universal Reader (Premier A.T.)

Write OutLoud, WordQSpeak Q

Reads highlighted text aloud.

Proofreading and Editing

Universal Reader (Premier A.T.)

Write OutLoud, WordQSpeak Q

Allows students to hear errors.

Reduce length of Reading Assignment

Auto Summarize (M.S. Word), S

Teacher tool found in MicroSoft Word under Tools

Reading a Book/Novel

Start To Finish Books, Read ‘n Tell (PixWriter), Book Share.org, Text to Audio (Premier AT), switches

Visual and/or Audio format, Start to Finish Books are leveled

Switches: repeated line in story/responses/socialization

Writing Tasks

Assistive Technology

Student Benefit

Writing a response/report

Adapted Pens/pencils, raised paper, slant boards, magnets, stamps, PixWriter, Board Maker Plus, Speaking Dynamically Pro, Writing with Symbols, Intellitools, SOLO edition, SpeakQWordQ, Pix Writer, Kinderkeys (alternative keyboard)

Word: System preference > Universal access read-a-ability statistics

Visual and audio support, minimized keystrokes,

text to speech, Intillikeys is an adapted keyboard, SOLO has templates for responses

Organizing thoughts prior to writing

Inspiration along with CoWriter (word prediction), SOLO edition, Word Options: power point, Write in Outline View

Students create their own graphic organizer or use ready made templates.  Word prediction helps with spelling and eliminates the number of keystrokes, SOLO also has graphic organizers

Writing a report using Portable keyboards

Fusion, The Writer, AlphaSmart with CoWriter applet (smaller version), SOLO products

Portable keyboard with word prediction; assists with fine motor and spelling and/or word retrieval.  Students need to be able to read since there is no voice output; Fusion has speech to text and text to speech

Writing a report with software

CoWriter (Topic Dictionaries) and Write OutLoud, SOLO edition, Speak Q WordQ

Talking Word Processor with Word Prediction (Premier A.T.)

Used in conjunction with a word processor such as Write OutLoud, CoWriter is word prediction with voice output. Assists with fine motor and spelling and/or word retrieval for low readers.  Dictionaries can be created and activated

Complete worksheet and/or test

Fusion, Writer, AlphaSmart, or CoWriter and Write OutLoud, SOLO edition

Student types answers using AT, prints responses and hands in with original worksheet and/or test, SOLO templates