Journal #8-Adaptive Technology

Communication:
According to http://acc.unl.edu, the definition of AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) are strategies that assist people with severe communication disabilities to participate more fully in their social roles, including interpersonal interaction, learning education, community activities, employment, volunterism, care management, etc.
A no/low-tech tool for AAC can be sign language. Sign language was normally intended only for people with hearing impairments. Sign language has been researched to be very effective with autistic children. When these children are trained in sign language, they are also being trained verbal commincation. In classrooms, these kids are taught in "Signed English" which uses the same types of grammar and syntax in the spoken English language.

A high-tech tool for AAC can be a dynamic display voice output communication device. This is a computer interfaces that can generate printed and/or spoken text. This is especially helpful in people who are unable to use their natural speech to meet their communication needs. In the classroom, this may be a computer that essentially "speaks" to you, or will show you a format of the appropriate words. 

Accessibility:
According to www.techterms.com, an input device is any device that provides input to a computer, such as a keybooard or a mouse. There are special input devices made for people with special needs, too.

A software example of an input device is called BrailleSurf. This is a software program is intended for visually impaired students that allows for simplified reading of text on the web. For students, information can be be displayed on a braille bar, or it also has a speech synthesizer that will speak aloud.





A hardware example of an input device is called VisionBoard2. This hardware device is a larger than the standard computer keyboard and is also bright yellow, for the vision impaired students. This board has 1 inch big keys, which allows the students for larger viewing, and easily accessible typing.