SPECIAL NEEDS TECH NEWS

A newsletter celebrating enabling technology, the people who use it, and the developers that make it possible.

June 2005 Volume 4 Issue 4

INSIDE

Editor's Corner

Assistive technology doesn’t have to be expensive. There are plenty of low tech solutions that can be extremely useful in a home, work or school environment. For example, removable coloured highlighter tape is a great support for students or adults who need visual cues or references for information tracking and quick access to pages and passages. Check out the dollar store in your neighbourhood for reasonably priced highlighter tape and other time saving productivity tools.
If you’re looking for free high tech assistive technology solutions, read on. This issue’s Mouse Tracks section lists free text-to-speech utilities for people who need reading support. You’ll also learn about a free cross-platform concept mapping software program called CMap Tools.

Please feel free to make complete copies of this publication to share with others.

Send feedback to:

Join the ATCanada Listserv

Mouse Tracks

I’ve listed several free resources that will help computer users access electronic text.

Sayz Me
Free text-to-speech software
http://sayzme.sourceforge.net/

HELP Read
The Freeware Reader Project
http://helpread.net/

Simply Web 2000
A Free Talking Web Browser
http://www.econointl.com/sw/

Awesome Talkster
http://www.awesomelibrary.org/Awesome_Talking_Library.html

CMap Tools

CMap Tools is a free concept mapping software program. Users can quickly develop web-like informational diagrams on their computer screens. CMap Tools is available for Windows, Mac OSX, Linux and Solaris operating systems.

It’s easy to download the version you need for your system and play around with the features. If you’ve used Inspiration software or any other concept mapping program, you won’t have much trouble familiarizing yourself with CMap Tools.

CMap Tools can be used for independent and collaborative mind mapping projects.

Learn more about CMap Tools at
http://cmap.ihmc.us/

AgrAbility Project

Assistive technology is providing solutions for ranchers and farmers with disabilities. The AgrAbility Project is administered by an agency within the US Department of Agriculture. Check out the assistive technology resources for people employed in farming at
http://www.agrabilityproject.org/assistivetech/

The AgrAbility product database is a terrific resource for agricultural AT products as well as products for outdoor recreation and daily living. This may be a valuable resource for people who reside in urban as well as rural areas.
http://www.agrabilityproject.org/search/index.cfm

Product Announcements

BOSTON (May 2, 2005) - Students often read past or skip words they don't know to avoid embarrassment and undue attention, lowering their ability to comprehend text and learn new vocabulary. To alleviate this problem, The Reading Pen Group, the nation's only provider of pens that scan and read any printed text, today debuts Readingpen® for all learners to improve their reading skills.

Surpassing the limitations of the traditional dictionary, Readingpen, the personal reading assistant, provides immediate, discreet support to readers as they encounter unfamiliar words without interrupting the flow of reading.

Teachers and students at Northwest Elementary School in Manchester, N.H., are experiencing the power of this new technology tool as just one of several demonstration sites across the United States. The Readingpen device allows students to scan printed words or full sentences and obtain the pronunciation, definition and translation in seconds. During one of Debbie Villiard's fourth-grade classes at Northwest, her students came across the word "lexicography." Without prompting from Villiard, one student sprang to a desk to retrieve a Readingpen, scanned the word and proudly recited the definition to the rest of the class.

Readingpen is a discovery tool for meaning for all learners including content-area readers, struggling readers, ESL/ELL students and those with special needs. Students gain self-confidence while enhancing their skills in phonemic awareness, fluency, spelling, and vocabulary and reading comprehension. Readingpen features a nested dictionary to help students until they fully understand the meaning of scanned words. It also provides synonyms of scanned words to help students expand their vocabulary and learn to write in their own style.

Because the personal reading assistant can integrate into any curriculum, Suzanne L'Esperance, a fifth-grade teacher at Northwest, has used Readingpen for content-area reading in social studies and other subjects as well as reading and language arts instruction. L'Esperance explains that with the help of Readingpen, her struggling readers are reading twice as much as before, and all the students have found reading to be more enjoyable when they can quickly and easily find the meanings of troublesome words. As the students progress through their academic career, the device can support their changing learning needs.

Readingpen translates words into Spanish or one of 25 language translations available, to support ELL/ESL students with definitions in their native language while they develop their English language skills. The headphones included with the pen allow students to hear word pronunciations without disturbing other students. Readingpen's durable construction holds up to constant use and no maintenance or expert support is required.

"It's exciting to see innovative educators driving the use of Readingpen in the classroom," said Chuck Olson of The Reading Pen Group who is leading the customization of the product including teaching activities and professional development. "With its capabilities, Readingpen may become as ubiquitous an educational tool as the calculator."

First introduced seven years ago as a translation tool for international executives, Readingpen has gone through several generations of improvements. Educators in the United States first started experimenting with Readingpen for students with reading disabilities. Newer versions added the ability to read aloud scanned words, and The American Heritage® Children's dictionary was included to provide definitions to students at the appropriate level. This has opened up the educational applications of Readingpen to all reading students.

The educational discount price is $99 for each Readingpen in a package of 10. A loan program is available for schools to test the product. For more information about Readingpen, visit http://www.readingpen.com or phone 877-344-4040.

About The Reading Pen Group
The Reading Pen Group, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of WizCom Technologies Ltd., develops personal, portable devices that allow people to scan and read any printed text. The company's premier product is the Readingpen®, which helps all learners improve their reading skills, including content-area readers, struggling readers and ELL/ESL students. The Readingpen® Basic Edition, developed for special needs students, has been recognized as an effective technology-based approach that enables students with reading disabilities to read and comprehend text. The Reading Pen Group is based in Boston. For more information, visit www.readingpen.com or phone 1-877-344-4040.

# # #

Don Johnston Incorporated Revolutionizes the Way Students Learn and Educators Teach

Volo, Illinois (April 25, 2005) - Don Johnston Incorporated is delighted to announce the release of SOLO(tm)-one completely integrated solution that moves students from guided reading comprehension through a considerate and structured environment that facilitates written expression in multiple genres and content areas. SOLO provides incomparable supports that empower students to become independent thinkers, readers and writers. SOLO combines all of Don Johnston's proven, industry-standard interventions
Co:Writer(r),
Write:OutLoud(r),
Draft:Builder(r)-and introduces Read:OutLoud(tm)... read full release at http://donjohnston.com/about/solorelease2frm.htm

Don Johnston and WizCom Collaborate to Design an Electronic Highlighter that Assists Students Across the Reading and Writing Continuum

Volo, IL and Acton, MA (April 25, 2005) - Don Johnston Incorporated and WizCom Technologies Incorporated-both industry leaders in education-announce the release of Notetaker(tm), Don Johnston's electronic highlighting pen. Notetaker provides a portable link to the supportive environment of SOLO(tm). Whether students are struggling with reading comprehension or collecting data and notes for the purpose of writing, Notetaker accurately captures information for students to easily deposit into SOLO Editions of
Read:OutLoud(tm),
Draft:Builder(r) or
Write:OutLoud(r)...
read full release at
http://www.donjohnston.com/about/notetakerreleasefrm.htm

Don Johnston Incorporated
26799 W. Commerce Drive
Volo, IL 60073

# # #

_______________________________________________________________

Assistive Technology: An Introductory Guide for K-12 Library Media Specialists

This unique book offers valuable information on accessibility and assistive technologies for educators including K-12, public and postsecondary librarians. The content covers: Inclusion and accessibility topics; School reform, legislation, and funding; Operating system and browser accessibility; Add-on assistive technology hardware and software for special needs; Open Source and proprietary software; Captioning technologies; Portable and assistive devices; Internet resources, conferences, and professional development. Expert contributors from the United States and Australia are featured in sidebar and chapter content throughout the book.

As inclusive education partners, librarians are in a strong position to assist information users with special needs. Until now, it has been difficult to find a library-focused resource on enabling technologies, strategies, and products to enhance library accessibility and services for clients with special needs. Assistive Technology: An Introductory Guide for K-12 Library Media Specialists is a well-organized, fifteen chapter book that introduces assistive technology information to educators unfamiliar with this emerging field and its important applications in libraries and education.

Buy the book online
Amazon.com
Amazon.ca (Canadian site)

ASSISTIVE TECH EDUCATIONAL CONSULTING
SPECIAL NEEDS TECHNOLOGY INFORMATION, ASSESSMENT, TRAINING AND WRITING SERVICES
SPECIAL NEEDS TECH NEWS IS DISTRIBUTED QUARTERLY (SEPT. DEC. MAR. JUNE) TO RECEIVE A FREE E-MAIL SUBSCRIPTION, CONTACT :
ASSISTIVE TECH EDUCATIONAL CONSULTING
at_consulting@canada.com
or
at_consultingbc@yahoo.ca

COPYRIGHT 2005 ASSISTIVE TECH EDUCATIONAL CONSULTING