Students with learning disabilities need to learn the math basics and problems solving techniques. Smith and Rivera stress that students with learning disabilities need to be allowed adequate time to master math skills and that instruction should match the skill level. There are several reasons why the use of assistive technologies is an attractive accommodation. Many of these students have received remedial assistance throughout their education. To be able to function as independent individuals and to take full advantage of their potential and capabilities, they need a way to compensate for their weaknesses.
Assistive technologies are often the ideal solution.
In all disciplines typical accommodations for students with learning disabilities include such things as taped books, readers, additional time, and scribes. Though there are positive reports about the successful use of assistive technologies for accommodations in other subject matter, little research has been compiled for math and science education. Some of the assistive technologies which students with visual disabilities use to provide access to textbooks could also be used in mathematics and science. Graphs and symbols can't not be read by recognition systems and therefore cannot be listened to using synthesized speech. Though students could use taped versions from Recording from the Blind and Dyslexic or use human readers, reading mathematics textbooks takes special skill that not all practiced readers have.