The Impact of Assistive Technology on Curriculum Accommodation for a Braille-Reading Student
By Farnsworth, Jr., Charles R.; Luckner, John L.; RE:view, Vol. 39, No. 4, pp. 171-187Publication Date: Winter 2008
Study evaluated the efficacy of electronic assistive technology and associated software components in creating curriculum materials for a middle-school Braille-reading student. The participant was a sixth-grade male student with a visual impairment. Before study onset, the boy prepared homework on a Perkins Braillewriter and the assignments were translated to print for teacher review. For the study, a BrailleNote mPower BT-32 electronic notetaker and Tiger Cub Jr. embosser were used, along with software for word processing and e-mail and Internet access. Data were collected at the beginning and end of the study from parents, teachers, paraprofessionals, and the participant through semistructured interviews. Four salient themes emerged from the interviews: (1) efficiency, (2) independence, (3) technology assimilation, and (4) technical limitations. The study found that the participant was able to do homework more quickly with the BrailleNote than with the Braillewriter and to transmit it efficiently to his teacher via e-mail, learned to use the technology with ease, and came to rely less on teachers and paraprofessionals for completing his school work. The electronic devices also enabled teachers and paraprofessionals, who had no experience with the literary Braille code, to generate and emboss Braille documents with a minimum of training. Technology limitations noted were Internet connectivity issues and some software inadequacy when doing math assignments. Study limitations and implications for further research are discussed.
Assistive Products Discussed: TIGER CUB JR. PERSONAL EMBOSSER
STANDARD PERKINS BRAILLER (MODEL 22-0001-2)
BRAILLENOTE MPOWER BT 32
Published by: Heldref Publications (Website:http://www.heldref.org)
Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (Web Site: http://www.aerbvi.org )
This publication is included in the library of the National Rehabilitation Information Center (NARIC), accession number J55422
