This presentation will provide guidance into identifying and utilizing appropriate technology for persons with learning disabilities. Through publishing a nationally recognized learning disabilities technology guide, the presenters have a personal perspective on these topics. However, over the last couple of years technological systems that were designed and used by people with physical disabilities have become more user friendly and used by individuals with learning disabilities. Identifying and being trained in the appropriate technology can affect the lives of people with learning disabilities in daily living, whether it's in the classroom, at work, in the home, or in other social settings.
Technology provides, in other words, valuable tools for life.
The simplicity and ready availability of low-tech devices should not be overlooked. Inexpensive color highlighters, for example, can help individuals with reading difficulties distinguish words that appear the same - like proud, pound, and pond. Providers help the student highlight the troublesome words in different colors and make the reader visually aware of the differences between these words. Once the text has been scanned into the computer, it can be read back to the user by means of a speech synthesizer. Technology in itself is not the answer to all problems faced by people with learning disabilities or for their service providers.