A List of Top Accessibility Tech Tools for Learning

I met with our IT managers yesterday for a discussion on implementing accessibility tools on all computers in all 12 districts within our 7 county region. I have to say right at the beginning that I am so fortunate to work with some terrific open-minded folks that want to do what is best for students. This group is incredibly positive and ready to help. I don't know if you have to fight politics, IT departments that dictate what is available to teachers and students, general power issues, etc. If you do, I am sorry, but I don't have to deal with any of that. I was able to share and demo my list of tools on the data projector off my own laptop and we were able to discuss the benefits and challenges of developing a computer image with these programs ready to go in the fall. We are talking imaging at least 50,000 computers.
At one point, I was asked by the team if these programs needed to be on all the computers. The thought was that maybe there might be a few computers in the building that need the tools on them for certain students, but not on all. Here was my answer...

I shared with them that it would be a forward-thinking move to be able to say that we have done our best to provide all teachers and students with the tools for accessibility, and that they are on every computer, for any individual, anytime. The UDL Editions by CAST, Google and Texthelp, gives a great example of a goal to strive for in tools that individuals can have at their fingertips to learn. For our version of this, it includes the Click-n-Type keyboard and the word prediction tool that goes with it, the Natural Reader tool for text to speech, PowerTalk to use text to speech within PowerPoint presentations, Merriam-Webster Dictionary tools on the Internet Explorer toolbar for definitions, Spanish translation and thesaurus. For the Firefox browser, we have the gTranslate, and Click Speak plug-ins as well. They are easy to get if you search for them with the Firefox browser. They can just be added quickly.
Everyone seemed very open to having these included and liked the idea that we could be complying with UDL standards in a more aggressive way. I was so proud of the way the team took to the challenge and began to discuss the training that needs to go into getting teachers aware of these tools and see the analysis begin on how many buildings actually use Firefox versus Internet Explorer.
We also had a great list of what our instructional resource/technology trainers feel are necessary to integrate tech and multi-media in the classroom.

Here is our list of Suggestions. Maybe you can get some ideas from it:
(I have linked the AT and UDL tools.)

Programs
All of these programs should be run once to accept licenses:
Audacity: also install lame_enc.dll. (Test by exporting as MP3)
Photo Story
Tux Paint-install stamp set
Media Converter SA Edition
Google Earth
Google Sketch-Up
Promethean Viewer
Microsoft Learning Essentials
Flash video player
Java
Adobe reader – accept license
Microsoft Producer
Movie Maker
Firefox - very important because Drupal works better with Firefox
Picasa
Cute PDF printer
Microsoft Learning Essentials for Educators - http://www.microsoft.com/learningessentials/ProductDetails.aspx?pid=001&active_tab=Teachers

Movie Maker - latest version
Media Player - latest version
Google Toolbar for both IE and Firefox
PicLens for IE and Firefox
Piclens
Google Notebook Browser Extension for Firefox and IE

Accessibility Tools:
Click n Type On-screen keyboard
Click n Type word prediction add-on (separate download on page with keyboard)
Virtual Magnifying Glass
Natural Reader
Click Speak (Browser test to speech in Firefox only)
Merriam Webster Dictionary Toolbar (IE) (Firefox )
Powertalk for MS Powerpoint
gTranslate - for firefox (translates text in 25 languages)

Preferred Settings :
for Office 2003 or earlier
Turn off the drawing canvas
Turn on the drawing toolbar in Word
Turn on the outline toolbar in PowerPoint
Set default clip art to be “tight”
Run clip art organizer
Accept “cookie” to be able to download clip art and templates from office online Office 2007
Install Getting Started Tab with the interactive
Install PDF plugin
Display settings higher than 800x600
And a new one: The Save As: DAISY format add-on.

This gives you an idea of what we are working with as our main initiative for a standard set of applications for next school year. Thanks to some great networking and efforts on our IT part, I feel very confident, come September, we will see some great continuity in what is offered.
It will be nice to know that we can walk into any school with confidence, knowing that the accessibility tools needed are there to use with students from the on-set. I have wasted much time in the past, getting downloads to the right person who had the security clearance to load something for a student that needed it because it was on the IEP or because it was something we wanted in conjunction with a trial. Looking back on it now, it seems very primitive and in-congruent with our goals in AT and our service model to have done it that way. I am excited for where we are heading!

I would encourage you to look at these applications and see how they might support you at home, at school or at work. There are some powerful programs in this list and we are working diligently to get them out there for students to learn to use and build the ability in them to take initiative in accommodating their own learning - I call this "student-driven accommodation." Whatever you call it, it's academic freedom and independence.

All the best to you!

Lon

Steps to Building Capacity for ALL Students

How do you build capacity for accommodating the access needed for ALL students? Last night I was reading a post on adding access options for students and designing a plan to make it happen on the SpeEdChange Blog by Ira Socol. I have been challenged this year by his writing to work towards more accessibility for ALL students in our region of the state - not just for students on IEP's. I have nods of agreement every time I say, "I have teachers that tell me they have students in their classes that are NOT on IEP's that are struggling far worse and have more issues than some of their students that are on IEP's."

I believe that all students need to be given the tools they need to succeed, and have them available to use anytime. They need to be informed and educated on what is available to them, what short-comings they might have that can be supported to level the playing field for them by using those tools, and the freedom to choose them in front of everyone else without feeling singled-out. If the culture of the classroom is to grab what best suits each person to do the work, whether they are a top honors student or a student that has to work harder than everyone else to get a C, then students will make choices to use support tools.

I am in the process of presenting a list of free computer downloads that are part of the toolbar on the browser for Internet support or a floating toolbar for use with any open application so students get more dictionary support, a dyslexic spell checker, text to speech support for writing and reading, a virtual on-screen keyboard for orthopedic impairment access, and a magnifier that floats on the screen to see small type and details for the visually impaired. I even found the ZAC browser for delivering online content in an autistic -friendly and supportive environment. (See the June 4, 2008 post on it). There are so many incredible and free tools now. There is no excuse for not providing this support anymore.

These are some of the beginning steps I am taking (this is not a be-all, end-all list):

1. Get a uniform set of accessibility tools on ALL computers so everyone knows they are standard equipment to use anytime.

2. Show ALL students how they work, how they make life easier and how they make learning more rewarding. Don't make distinctions on who needs to use them and who doesn't. Demonstrate use for everyone so no one gets singled out and scared to self-accommodate because of what others might think.

3. Get instructor buy-in to implement these tools, and train them on how to use them. If the students never know about them or are provided the opportunity to use them, it will all be a "great idea" that stays an "idea."

4. As an administrator as well as a specialist I have a unique opportunity to use the "pinch method." That is, to work from the top down while I also work from the bottom up.

For example: Demonstrate and empower students to start using the tools whenever the chance arises. Get the instructors using them and get them seeing the power of having these tools available to students. Work on the district and regional level to motivate towards these options and give good documentation to show why it is in the best interests of everyone to design an implementation strategy. Share with students and show them how to choose tools for themselves and why they make sense. Talk to superintendents and principals, while you are training Title I specialists and writing instructors.

I have begun to incorporate the implementation of accessibility and the tools to accommodate learning into everything I do. I find their relevancy in every conversation, meeting and instructional setting. I don't think I have folks saying "Oh no, here he comes to rant and rave on his soapbox again." I honestly share these in a spirit of support and assistance - not threatening the principal with unlawful non-compliance. I believe I am being well-received because I am offering a missing link to what is needed to support higher achievement and academic success.

Isn't that what everyone from student to superintendent wants to see? NCLB continues to raise the bar and the stakes each year for what defines student success. In response, we all need to work together to create an environment for multiple learning strategies and the tools to go with them.

All the best to you!

Lon

Amazing Convictions of Conscientious Teachers

Just when I think teachers are tired and burned out - it's May you know - I get surprised by the compassion, eagerness and resolution they can muster at the eleventh hour. That's how it was yesterday in a day-long, hands-on workshop where teachers explored access for all students using the tools that we have been discussing over this blog and the article by Ira Socol on Planning for Access (see my post on it with the link to his article here).

I showed the teachers free online tools like Natural Reader, Odiogo, Click-n-type Keyboard, Virtual Magnifying Glass. Ghotit, Merriam Webster dictionary tool, and several other tools (see Ira's article for all the links). We explored the CAST UDL Editions Literacy site that was built by a partnership with Google Literacy , CAST and TextHelp, and we set each teacher up with a blog on blogger (closed to us without an invite-sorry) where they are embedding videos, modifying content to accommodate, using e-text and text readers, including site links that support the content and Word journal entries with the Natural Reader floating miniboard toolbar.
We had a fruitful but exhausting day covering all this material. They left with the start of a unit for fall that will be modified for access with remedial learners.

At the end of the day, as we closed, the conversation turned to ethics and moral issues of not providing this for everyone. I smiled inside as they began to fidget and want to share their gut feelings...
"I see these tools and it doesn't feel right to me to only modify the content and use the accessibility for one or two students we are doing this for. Don't we have an obligation to do this for all our students?" one teacher asked. (I had set aside time for them to read Ira's article in the morning to set up the day.)
"I see huge applications for opening this up to all my students," said another. "The TAG students can use the tools to go farther and the remedial ones that aren't on IEP's can use them to gain ground so our whole achievement bar is raised school-wide."
"If I am going to invest time to develop accessible content for two students, I might as well make it usable for all my students," said a determined teacher.
They got it! No one was making them bridge that gap today - although I hoped they would - but they wanted to do it of their own accord. Their compassion and dedication to see students learn gripped them as they saw the potential of how these tools could help many other kids they knew.
It wasn't just that they wanted to have the tools on computers - that would have been great enough, but they wanted to integrate the tools into accessible and interactive content. Even though at first it was intended for one student with unique needs who had a strong advocate for a mother, now the light was dawning - this was something that could help lots of students.

"We have this training and now we need to share it with the other teachers and help the students learn how to use these tools." (This was the math/computer science teacher talking who is in charge of the IT and computer images in the district) "We need to put these tools on all the computers in our buildings and teach the students how to use them."
"Be an ambassador of equal access," I shared. "Learn how to use what you know now effectively and begin to expand on it. Get the software on every computer and show students how to use it. Help them develop strategies based on their learning styles that will let them accommodate for themselves because they have the tools at their fingertips to do it. Don't become adversarial with your administration and other staff, but rather, model and demonstrate how it supports."

I had met with their superintendent the day before, showed him the odiogo text to speech widget for the web and he was excited. He wanted it on all the school web sites and each teacher's blog so they were developing more universal design access points. "Can we give the links for these things to parents to get on their computers at home?"
We have lots of work to do but the inspiration is there, the vision is being birthed.

I saw educators get excited yesterday. It is May. The only thing I thought excited teachers in May was the thought of summer vacation.
I was wrong...again. Blissfully wrong.

All the best to you!
Lon