There are many online tools for students with disabilities and
they can be extremely helpful for students with special needs in elementary
school.
One type of learning technology is Text-To-Speech assistive
tools. They are designed for children who have difficulties reading standard
print. This is helpful for students with blindness, dyslexia or any kind of visual
impairment, learning disability or other physical condition impeding their ability
to read. It can also benefit students with autism, ADHD or intellectual
disabilities. The technology works by scanning and reading words to students,
using a large number of speech sounds that make up words in any given context.
Kurzweil 3000 is a leader in TTS software for people
struggling with literacy. It is a full-featured software program that integrates
abilities to help students in other areas that can appeal to a variety of
students. It has multiple TTS voices, support for 18 languages and dialects,
talking spell-checker, picture dictionary graphics, text magnification, and
tools for test taking, essay writing, note-taking and more.
Draft:Builder is a writing tool
that integrates outlining, note taking and draft writing functions to break
down the writing process into three steps. Using a graphical organizer, the
program helps the student visualize the project and insert information into the
appropriate place without having to conceptualize the whole process. It then
automates the process of creating the paper, where the student can drag and
drop what is written in each note to the rough draft. Other features include a talking spell checker that uses TTS
technology, a bibliography tool, a dictionary and the ability for teachers to
add locked text into the program for further guidance.
Ginger offers several features that can help
students with dyslexia and other learning disorders with writing. It is also
designed for speakers of languages other than English. Some of the features
include: Grammar checker that analyzes context to determine any errors or
misspellings; Word prediction and sentence rephrasing tools that can be helpful
for students learning how to construct sentences properly; TTS functionality so
students can hear what they’ve written and a personal trainer that provides
practice sessions based on past mistakes made by the student.
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