AT
We are so fortunate to have access to a variety of Assistive Technology (AT) at the Little
Light House. Many of our students have special needs that make it difficult to move, speak,
play, or feed themselves. We have high expectations that ALL students will be included in
meaningful opportunities to learn and play, and we use AT to make this happen. Assistive
technology is defined as any object or system that increases or maintains the capabilities
of people with disabilities. AT can be “no” or “low” tech, such as a pencil grip, or it can be
“mid” to “high” tech such as an augmentative communication device.
Some of our students have visual impairments and need either
tactile or visual supports to find their way as they navigate
through the hallway. We chose carpet with a bright yellow stripe,
and incorporated bright yellow and red stripes with grooves a long
the wall of the main hallway so our students who are blind, have
low vision, and/or cortical visual impairments have a guide to
keep them moving in the right direction.
Matthew uses a variety of AT tools throughout his day. In this
photo, he is sitting in a classroom chair that has a vest, footrest,
seatbelt, tray and Headpod to keep his body upright and stable.
He is reading a book on an iPad with his friend Campbell. The
iPad is connected to a switch which allows Matthew to turn the
pages of the book.
Charles is learning to feed himself and he uses a spoon that is
attached to a flexible, foam covered tube. His food is served in
a bowl with small compartments and raised sides. The bowl is
placed on a slant board that was made with a recycled plastic
yard sign and rubber shelf liner.
Daniella is using Boardmaker Plus on the interactive computer
screen to write a Valentine’s Day card to a classmate .
Evan is learning how to communicate by using his eyes to select
messages on the Tobii Dynavox Augmentative-Alternative
Communication (AAC) device. Evan looks at the word he wants
to say and the AAC device speaks the word out loud.
Matthew and his friends are playing a fun game on the website
HelpKidzLearn.com. The children use their fingers or feet to acti-
vate objects as they float down the interactive touch screen. On
the surface, this looks like a simple, fun game. In reality, they are
learning how to visually track moving objects, take turns, expand
their receptive and expressive language, and move their bodies to
control their environment!
12 | THE BEACON