The journey of a teacher in the education of inclusive students is an ongoing, challenging but an interesting experience. Educating students of varying learning needs make teachers challenging but provides various opportunities. This is on the acceptance of students' diversity. Thus, in the recent past, assistive technology (AT) emerged as a supporting avenue for the catering of individuals with variable learning needs. This is to facilitate them in participating in active learning as well as to demonstrate that they are keen to learn. Reflecting on my experience and learning from locality, two assistive technologies (AT) to facilitate inclusive teaching which I have chosen are Screen reader and Braille display.
Screen reader is a software that reads words on a computer screen. It converts text, images, and other graphical material into voice, allowing readers to read and use digital information without seeing the screen. JAWS (Job Access With Speech), NVDA (NonVisual Desktop Access), and VoiceOver (built-in Apple devices) are some popular screen readers.
The students can also read web articles, handouts, worksheets, and digital textbooks with the help of a screen reader. A blind student can open a PDF textbook, and the screen reader will read it aloud, chapter by chapter. When a teacher posts an assignment on Google Classroom, the screen reader announces the assignment title, due date, and instructions aloud. The student can then employ the screen reader to type his/her answer and submit it. The screen reader provides feedback in speech as they type out letters, words, or sentences. In typing an essay by a student, the screen reader can be set to read out every character as typed out, and then read out the entire word or sentence when finished, helping him/her identify grammatical errors. Screen reader can also be used in math, science simulations, and other programs. For example, in a science class, a student can use a screen reader to navigate an interactive virtual laboratory, listening to audio descriptions of experiments and results.
Screen readers will read test questions and multiple-choice answers, so students can take tests by themselves. On an online test, the screen reader reads out every question and its corresponding answer choices. The student can then select their answer using keyboard commands.
A Braille display is a computer or mobile-device-connected device. It translates digital text into Braille tactile letters so that the users can read the content by touch. While a screen reader provides oral access, a Braille display provides a hands-on reading experience. As a teacher writes down a new concept on an electronic whiteboard, the student can have the words put on their Braille display so that they can read along. For Braille students, the display provides a direct way of seeing how words are spelled in Braille, facilitating Braille learning and practice.
Braille displays are particularly useful for technical data like mathematics equations, chemical formulas, and code, where spatial arrangement and exact symbols are critical and potentially difficult to convey solely through sound. In mathematics class, mathematical equations on the screen involving intricate shapes may be converted on the Braille display into Nemeth Braille (mathematical notation in Braille) such that the student can accurately comprehend the problem. After writing an essay, a student can use their Braille display to review their work and locate any errors that might have escaped detection through auditory feedback. A Braille display allows one to read quietly and independently, without headphones or any disruption of sound. A Braille display may be connected by students either to a Braille note taker or to a computer, from which students can take Braille notes in lectures.
The student might use the screen reader primarily for navigation in general and quick reading of information. Whenever they need to read extensively, review their writing, or read complex symbols (like in science or mathematics), they can resort to or utilize interchangeably with it the Braille display. For example, a student will listen to a chapter from a textbook with a screen reader, but whenever they encounter a diagram or an essential definition, they will pause the audio and tap on the respective Braille on their screen for additional clarification.
With their exposure to digital information both auditorially and physically, screen readers and Braille displays provide visually impaired students with full ability to participate in learning. It is up to the teacher to ensure that digital materials are developed in a way that is accessible and to integrate such technologies seamlessly into their own teaching practices.
