ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY is defined as "any item, piece of equipment or product system, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities" (IDEA, 1997).

In order to meet individual goals and achieve appropriate grade level standards, AT has been an "irreplaceable tool" for students with disabilities. Not only does AT give them a foundation with which to communicate, write, read, hear, see, and apply what they have learned, it also allows them to maximize their ability to accomplish personal goals in inclusive settings.

This article focuses on three types of assistive technology and looks at how they are incorporated to meet individual needs and address educational standards for students with moderate to severe disabilities in public school settings.

The three types of assistive technologies discussed here are IntelliTools' Classroom Suite with IntelliKeys Keyboard, Mayer-Johnson's Boardmaker, and AbleNet's Switch. These are some of the most widely used tools at schools across states.

IntelliTools' latest cutting edge technology, Classroom Suite, is software used with an adaptive keyboard (IntelliKeys) to create and deliver K-8 instructional multimedia activities using drawing, animation, video, and sound for language arts, math, science, social studies, and recreational purposes. At right, a student is learning about Louis and Clark during Social Studies Lesson, using Classroom Suite with IntelliKeys Keyboard. 

Mayer Johnson's Boardmaker is a software program that contains over 3,000 picture communication symbols and can be used to create various communication boards, games, and activity sheets for students with speech deficits, autism, and mental retardation. Real digital images also can be used with Boardmaker for, especially, those whose cognitive abilities are severely impaired, to understand picture symbols. In the picture, using Boardmaker with real images , a teacher created a "K-W-L" chart to introduce and teach a rainforest unit. 

AbleNet's Switch is designed for general input switch applications and comes in different sizes and colors. Using a switch by itself or with other adaptive devices, a physically disabled student is able to activate various types of toys, computer programs, and appliances on his/her own. In the picture, a student is activating a switch to play an educational game (Cause and Effect) on the computer during her leisure time.

Special education teachers need to know how to align individuals' functional skill goals and objectives to Standards-based core curriculum in compliance with the No Child Left Behind law. Assistive Technology provides teachers with the means to achieve this as shown in the table below.

Christopher Yie

Yie, C. (2005). Access for multiple disabilities. In B. Hoffman (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Educational Technology.