Assistive Technology Helpful in Including Students with Disabilities

High school activity programs afford students the opportunity to express themselves and to understand the world around them. Participation in these afterschool activities provides a sense of belonging, improves academic performance, teaches teamwork, improves social skills, and reduces the rates of dropout, drug use and pregnancy.

While the opportunity to participate in these activities should be afforded to all students, this is not always the case. Students with disabilities are significantly less likely to participate in extracurricular activities than their non-disabled peers. One reason for lack of participation is limited knowledge of supports and strategies that would make their inclusion possible. Assistive technology is one way schools can ensure the inclusion of students with disabilities in extracurricular activities.

Assistive technology helps these students gain self-esteem and practice independence. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA, defines assistive technology as “any item, piece of equipment, or product system…used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities of a child with a disability.”

Many of the assistive technology devices used to help students succeed in the classroom can enable their inclusion in extracurricular activities. The inclusion of students with disabilities may be more effective with the appropriate assistive technology supports. Assistive technology supports can include but are not limited to, the ones listed below.

For students with a learning disability in reading:

• visual or audio recordings of scripts, lyrics or other performance pieces

• a screen reader or other text-to-voice software

• software to convert text to a dyslexia-accessible font

For students with a learning disability in writing:

• voice-to-text software

• graphic organizers or other writing organization tools

• modified keyboards such as ones with oversized keys or a one-handed keyboard

For students with a visual impairment:

• descriptive audio software

• Braille transcription software and services

• audio cue software and devices

• audiobooks

• voice recorders or recording software

• magnification devices and software

For students with a hearing impairment or communication difficulties:

• augmentative and alternative communication devices such as books of picture symbols or a tablet with a speech program like ProLoQuo2Go

• visual cues such as lights instead of sounds

• personal listening devices

For students with a physical impairment or mobility limitation:

• adaptive sports equipment

• modified equipment such as musical instruments

• mechanical supports such as straps or stands for supporting equipment or instruments

The use of assistive technology may be necessary to ensure students with disabilities receive a Free Appropriate Public Education, or FAPE, equal in quality to that of their non-disabled peers. When creating an Individualized Education Plan, or IEP, the IEP team should include the student in the discussion about the extracurricular activities in which they would like to participate. The IEP team should determine what services and supports, including assistive technology, the student needs to participate alongside their non-disabled peers.

Rather than focusing on reasons why the student is unable to participate, find solutions to allow their participation. The IEP team should creatively look for the best possible solutions for students, remembering that the best assistive technology does not always mean the most complex, difficult to implement, high-tech or expensive.

The right assistive technology for each student with a disability is the assistive technology that most effectively capitalizes on their strengths and allows them to be included with their non-disabled peers. It is all about creating as many opportunities as possible and empowering children of all abilities to reach their full potential.