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Special Needs: Adaptive Technology

Students who have registered with the Department of Special Needs Services have a wide variety of adaptive technology available to them.  There is a computer lab with 6 computers available for student use.  Each computer is loaded with Microsoft Office and is connected to networked printers and the Internet.  There is also specialized software loaded on the computers.  The software addresses the needs of students who are visually impaired, have ADD, dyslexia or other learning disabilities, or who need remediation in math, writing and reading.

SPECIALIZED SOFTWARE LOADED ON THE DEPARTMENT OF SPECIAL NEEDS COMPUTERS

  1. JAWS® - http://www.freedomscientific.com/  JAWS® for Windows is a screen reading program which enables visually-impaired students to utilize a computer and use many common applications such as word processing software, spreadsheets, Internet browsers, and e-mail.
  2. Kurzweil® - http://www.kurzweiledu.com/ Kurzweil is a screen reading software program for students who are dyslexic, have English as a second language, or who have reading deficiencies.  Textbooks can be scanned into the computer and a speech synthesizer can read back the scanned text.  Outlines can be created by highlighting main ideas.  The outlines can then be used as a study guide by the student.
  3. Inspiration® - http://www.inspiration.com/ Inspiration is a tool students can use to organize their ideas, term papers and projects.  Students can create web diagrams and outlines.  It is perfect for students who are visual learners.
  4. Merit Software - http://www.meritsoftware.com/ Merit Software manufactures a wide variety of educational software.  We have the Language Arts for College Prep Bundle and Basic Algebra Shape-up for students who are enrolled in basic math, writing and reading courses.
  5. Quarter Mile Math - http://www.barnumsoftware.com/ We have Quarter Mile Math, level 3 installed on one of our computers.  It is perfect for students who need to brush up on their basic math skills.
  6. Dragon NaturallySpeaking – http://www.nuance.com/naturallyspeaking Dragon NaturallySpeaking is a PC voice application, which allows users to dictate and edit documents in Microsoft Word using voice dictation.

 

ADDITIONAL ADAPTIVE TECHNOLOGY AVAILABLE TO GCC SPECIAL NEEDS STUDENTS

  1. AlphaSmart - http://www.alphasmart.com/  AlphaSmart manufactures the AlphaSmart 3000®, which is a portable word processor.  It can run for over 700 hours on only 3 AA batteries.  It can connect to any PC or MAC and typed text can be transferred from the word processor into Microsoft Word format.  Applets (mini applications) are installed on the AlphaSmart.  There is a word processor applet and a 4 function calculator applet.  Additional applets can be downloaded from the AlphaSmart web site for free.  It is perfect for students who prefer to type rather than handwrite their notes during class.  It is also perfect for students who do not have access to a computer at home but would like to type assignments at home and then print them out at the Special Needs computer lab or the GCC computer lab.  We have several AlphaSmart 3000® available for students to borrow free of charge.
  2. Micro-cassette Recorders
  3. Braille Printer
  4. Magnifiers
  5. TTY
  6. Scanners
  7. Pictures in a Flash® - Maps and graphs can be put on special, thermal paper which allows visually impaired students to feel the maps and graphs.
  8. Large Display Calculators
  9. Talking Calculators