Best practices and assistive technology tools for students with learning disabilities used in the business education classroom

4 Introduction . 5 Review of Literature . 8 Incorporating Assistive Technology Tools in the Classroom . 9 Incorporating Best Practices in the Inclusion Classroom . 10 Learning Disabilities . 16 Summary . 19 Statement of the Problem . 20 Purpose . 20 Research Questions . 21 Limitations . 21 Methodology . 21 Data Collection Procedures . 22 Results of the Study . 23 Summary . 35 BEST PRACTICES AND ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY 3 Recommendations for Future Research . 36 References . 38 List of Tables . 40 List of Figures . 41 Appendix A: Institutional Review Board Approval . 42 Appendix B: Email to Mentor Teachers . 43 Appendix C: Survey . 44 BEST PRACTICES AND ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY 4 Abstract This paper identifies the assistive technology tools for students with learning disabilities in the business education classroom and the best practices for teaching students with learning disabilities. The two research questions are: (1) What assistive technology tools for students with learning disabilities are utilized in the business education classroom? And (2) What are the best practices for teaching students with learning disabilities? The participants were business education teachers in the northwest Arkansas area who were mentor teachers for business education student teachers. The results indicated that adjusting time allowance and peer instruction/tutoring was the most common best practice and the assistive technology tools utilized were audio recordings, voice recognition software and screen reader text-tospeech/speech-to-text software. BEST PRACTICES AND ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY 5 Introduction Incorporating special education students into the general education classrooms has become increasingly common in today’s classrooms. According to the U.S. Department of Education (2012), nearly 95% of students with learning disabilities are placed in a general education classroom. A learning disability can be defined as “a disorder in one or more basic psychological processes that may manifest itself as an imperfect ability in certain areas of learning, such as reading, written expression, or mathematics. ” (NCLD Editorial Team, 2012). In the past, it was more common for schools to keep students with learning disabilities in strictly special education classrooms. Special education is specifically designed instruction, at no cost to the parents, to meet the unique needs of a child with a disability (Individuals With Disabilities Education Act, 2004). The Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975 mandated that all students should be educated in the least restrictive environment (Salend, 2011). Mainstreaming was considered a least restrictive environment, which meant students were placed in selective general education classes for only part of a school day. A movement referred to as the Regular Education Initiative (REI) occurred with the passing of this act. This was a model that stated students with learning disabilities will be educated in a regular class without any other placement options. REI addressed several main issues: a) the exclusion of students in need of special education, b) the absence of special programs until a student failed rather than making the service accessible so that failure could be prevented, c) no promotion of the relationships between parents and educators and d) the use of pullout programs to service special education students instead of adapting the general education setting (Warner, 2009). The Education for All Handicapped BEST PRACTICES AND ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY 6 Children Act was later renamed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1997 (IDEA) and focused on the need for students with disabilities to be taught with the same high standards as students without learning disabilities. Prior to the passing of this law, schools educated only one in five students with disabilities (Warner, 2009). The general education classroom is now considered the least restrictive environment for students with learning disabilities. Therefore, it is becoming more common for schools to practice complete inclusion. Inclusion is the full-time placement of students with disabilities into a general education classroom. Under inclusion, except in extreme situations, students with learning disabilities will no longer be removed from the general education environment. Inclusion factors include classroom composition, staff, professional development, instruction, and school characteristics (Warner, 2009). By practicing inclusion in the classroom, general education teachers are becoming the main source of instruction for the students with learning disabilities, as opposed to a special education teacher. While some general education classrooms still have a special education teacher assisting the general teacher, the general education teacher is responsible for presenting the content of the class to all students. General education teachers must find a way to incorporate special education students into the curriculum that is used to teach general education students. Teachers must start modifying curriculum to adapt to special education students into their classroom, or the inclusion model will not be effective. Teachers must also be aware of other needs that come along with inclusion, including the use of Individualized Education Plans (IEP). IEPs are written documents that create the education program necessary for the student with BEST PRACTICES AND ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY 7 learning disabilities to benefit from education (MacCarthy, 2010). Attendance to IEP meetings is required for general and special education teachers, as mandated by law (Ellington, 2009). There are several best practices that have been established in order to aid general education teachers in adapting to this new classroom dynamic. Teachers should be aware of these practices because it is becoming inevitable that teachers will be practicing inclusion in the classroom due to the increase of students with learning disabilities. Teachers must also find a balance between teaching students with learning disabilities, as well as those without. Inclusion should not hurt either group of students; each group of students should receive equal attention and equal opportunities at succeeding in the classroom. Inclusion is not always easily done. The issue becomes not where to educate, but how to educate. Teachers must adapt to use practices that best meet the diversity that is now present within the classroom. Not only has inclusion become more popular, but assistive technology use is also on the rise. Assistive technology is defined as “any item, piece of equipment, or product system, whether acquired commercially, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, improve functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities. ” (Assistive Technology Act, 2004, p. 1). Assistive technology has also been defined as “devices and software designed specifically for those with learning or physical disabilities” and “powerful tools that support physically challenged students with equal opportunities to more fully participate in the teachinglearning process ” (Cobb, 2012, p. 47). Assistive technology comes in different forms, whether it is through a learning software program or through hardware, such as a Braille keyboard. An example of assistive technology software would be a voice recognition software program that can assist students who are physically unable to type using a keyboard. The technology enables BEST PRACTICES AND ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY 8 students with learning disabilities to work more efficiently. Using assistive technology in the business education classroom would be an excellent resource that could be incorporated into the curriculum with ease, due the access of computers in the classroom. In previous studies, assistive technology has been shown to enhance life skills and displayed positive effects for psychological health for students with learning or physical disabilities. Assistive technology can be beneficial because it can be used in the classroom without drawing attention to the student using the technology.