Student Communication Partner Champions at Countryside Elementary School

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October was National Augmentative/Alternative Communication Month. In recognition and celebration, learners at Countryside Elementary School engaged in an experience where they explored augmentative/alternative communication. Led by speech language pathologist, Tia Freeman, and supported by an ensemble of other educators including Specialized Instructional Facilitator – Assistive Technology, Jennifer Dunstan, students explored the Language Acquisition Through Motor Planning: Words for Life application. The students learned how the app was organized, explored how to find words, and discussed what it meant to be a supportive communication partner to their peers who are using the application to help them learn language. If you’re interested in leading a similar event, reach out to the Specialized Instructional Facilitator – Assistive Technology who works at your school!

Tia Freeman standing in front of an interactive white board with images of low tech AAC displayed around the school with the text Have you seen these around the school?

Speech Language Pathologist Tia Freeman shares how paper-based core vocabulary boards are placed around the school for anyone to use.

Teacher standing in front of an interactive whiteboard with AAC displayed on it

Educators model language on AAC on the interactive whiteboard

Teacher modeling language on AAC displayed on an interactive whiteboard

Educators model language on AAC displayed on an interactive whiteboard

Interactive white board with the text Recess Equipment Valery and Ehsanullah, Promethea Patrol Andrew, Talker Assistants Elliana Jonathan

Learners assignment themselves roles related to AAC

Tia Freeman in front of an interactive whiteboard with the title of a book called Bruce and his Talkier

Ms. Freeman reads a digital book to the class about using AAC.

A slide on a interactive whiteboard with the text that reads Talker Promises. We promise... to use it as a talk, to ask Yesmi if we can use it, to use appropriate language, to treat it with respect

Learners outline promises related to a student’s AAC

Switch Creation by Students at Lightridge HS

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Some learners interact with items by pressing or otherwise activating a switch. With guidance from the Specialized Instructional Facilitator – Assistive Technology, seniors who participate in the Maker Space Club at Lightridge High School worked to create switches to be used to engage in a variety of activities. Once created, some of the switches were provided to adapted physical education teachers to be used in their lessons. This initiative not only amplified the hands-on learning experience of the seniors but also directly impacted the educational environment for students with physical disabilities. The project provided an authentic opportunity for students to apply their learning to promote inclusive education in a way that addresses a real-world challenge. If you’re interested in learning more about how something similar can be done at a school you support, contact your SIF-AT.

Two students from Lightridge HS are building switches

Two students from Lightridge HS building switches

Using Heading Structure to Support Accurate Screen Reading Video

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Office of Civil Rights LogoThe U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights provides a video series on a variety of topics related to digital access in education, including how people with disabilities use technology along with identifying and remediating barriers to access. This short video describes how to use heading structure on a web page or other digital file so everyone can accurately navigate the material.

Adding Textures to Text To Help Illustrate Meaning

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Textures can be added to the inside of text of specific words to help teach meaning. Providing a visualization of a word can help it stick with someone’s memory. Textures can be added using Word Art in Microsoft Word, Adobe Firefly, and/or the Text Effects feature of Adobe Creative Cloud Express which is available to all educators in Loudoun County Public Schools through LCPS Go. Below are some examples of verbs (core vocabulary words) illustrated with representative textures.

The word drink with the texture of flowing water The word eat made with the textures of different foods The word sleep made with the texture of pillows and beds

Testing When The Screen is Magnified Video

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Office of Civil Rights LogoThe U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights provides a video series on a variety of topics related to digital access in education, including how people with disabilities use technology along with identifying and remediating barriers to access. This short video explores different experiences users might have when attempting to enlarge web content based on how the material is designed.

Tracing Audio of Expressions in a Graph with Desmos

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The Audio Trace feature of Desmos allows a user to explore a graph using sound rather than or in addition to sight. Although primarily intended for individuals who are blind or visually impaired, it can be useful for anyone who might use sound to discover how one or more curves are graphed. To experience a basic summary of an expression on a particular graph press the key command ALT + S on a Chromebook or Windows computer (or OPTION + S on a Mac). Similarly, a user can experience an audio description of the graph axes (including whether the X and Y axes are displayed, their ranges and labels if available, the existence of grid lines, etc) by pressing ALT + G on a Chromebook or Windows computer (or OPTION + G on a Mac). Audio trace mode can be activated on a Chromebook or Windows computer by pressing ALT + T (or OPTION + T on a Mac). To learn more, explore this article titled Audio Trace for Expressions with a Graph by the Desmos accessibility team.

Image Support in Practice Words of Reading Coach in Immersive Reader

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Reading Coach is a feature of Immersive Reader by Microsoft. Reading Coach analyzes the audio of a learner reading a passage aloud and provides specific, personalized feedback to the individual including five target words to practice. The learner is then presented with words in isolation and invited to practice reading each word aloud. To help the individual learn how to decode the word, the learner has the option turn on image support which places a symbol or symbols over the text. The learner can use the image to help confirm what the word is which could help the individual learn how to read the word.

An icon of a robot next to text that reads, "When you're ready, press the microphone and read the text aloud." Below the text are two symbols. The first is someone pointing to a chart. The second is a person in front of a from pointing to a screen. Below both symbols is the word presentation. Below the word are three icons. The first is for text to speech, the second is for syllable support. The third is for image support. Centered at the bottom of the screen is a green microphone icon.

Image Support in Reading Coach

This video provides a quick demonstration of Reading Coach:

Formatting Tables With Accessibility in Mind

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Office of Civil Rights LogoThe U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights provides a video series on a variety of topics related to digital access in education, including how people with disabilities use technology along with identifying and remediating barriers to access. This short video describes how to appropriately format table content to ensure everyone can access the data.

Syllable Support in Practice Words of Reading Coach in Immersive Reader

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Reading Coach is a feature of Immersive Reader by Microsoft. Reading Coach analyzes the audio of a learner reading a passage aloud and provides specific, personalized feedback to the individual including five target words to practice. The learner is then presented with words in isolation and invited to practice reading each word aloud. To help the individual learn how to decode the word, the learner has the option turn on syllable support which places bullets between the syllables. This can help the learner how to break a word into component parts.

A blue robot icon with the text that reads, "When you're ready, press the microphone and read the text aloud." The word enrichment is broken into syllables with a dot between each syllable. En dot rich dot ment. There are icons below the words for text to speech, syllable support, and image support. Centered at the bottom is green microphone icon

Example of Syllable Support

This video provides a quick demonstration of Reading Coach:

The Importance of Color Contrast Video

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Office of Civil Rights LogoThe U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights provides a video series on a variety of topics related to digital access in education, including how people with disabilities use technology along with identifying and remediating barriers to access. This short video describe the significance of using contrasting colors when conveying information and how to check for adequate contrast.