| Description of good practice: |
Devices to Assist Students with Visual Impairment:
Closed-Circuit Television Magnification (CCTV):
CCTV is designed to enlarge any type of text or graphic material by using a small vertically mounted video camera with a zoom lens directly connected to a monitor for displaying the image. The text or graphic material is placed under the camera lens on a sliding reading stand and the image is projected on the attached video monitor. CCTVs allow the user to adjust the magnification, contrast, brightness, and focus, and to change the background display to either black or white, or in some cases, color. Older CCTVs, while still useful for
many classroom applications, are expensive and cumbersome to move. But the newer, smaller versions of this technology are portable, and thus much easier for students to use.
Computer Screen Magnification:
Most computers sold today allow for the magnification of the screen through the use of special software. Typically, the user can select a portion of the screen and then enlarge that section up to 16 times the original size. Although the user is somewhat inconvenienced by having to view a smaller portion of the original screen as the magnification increases, this technology makes it possible for students with visual impairments to use computers in ways similar to their non disabled peers.
Descriptive Video Services (DVS):
DVS technology inserts a narrative verbal description of visual elements-such as sets and costumes, characters' physical descriptions, and facial expressions-into pauses in a program's dialogue. The majority of television sets and VCRs manufactured in the past six years have been designed with a "second audio program" (or SAP) switch that can be turned on so that the user can automatically hear descriptive video. DVS is available for both standard VHS and DVS formatted videotapes. DVS technologies help students by providing them with access to information, and through the increased opportunities to discuss programs and movies that are part of the popular culture, by providing them with opportunities for increased socialization and knowledge building.
Screen Readers:
Screen reader software represents what is known as a text-to speech application, which analyzes letters, words, and sentences and converts them into synthetic or digital speech. Today, text-to-speech software is common in many software packages, including many word processing and educational software programs in math, reading, and spelling. In some instances, the student can adjust the volume, pitch, and speed of reading, and even choose between a male or a female voice. With synthetic speech, the computer reads text passages, analyzes the phonetic structure of words, and attempts to reconstruct the words by putting together a string of synthetic phonemes that are then "spoken" by the computer. However, when the words are not phonetically predictable, the results can be difficult to understand. In contrast, digital speech is composed of actual recordings of human speech. While digital speech is much easier to understand, it requires a large amount of storage because each word that the computer may encounter must be prerecorded. Consequently, its use is often not feasible for classroom instruction. As more low-cost options for storing electronic information become available, however, this technology will likely be used more extensively to assist students who have communication disorders or visual impairments.
Optical Character Recognition (OCR):
OCR technology enables blind students to place books or other print materials on a scanner and have the text interpreted and read using synthetic or digital speech. The first OCR
system for individuals with visual impairments was introduced in 1976, when Ray Kurzweil invented the Kurzweil Reader. The early Kurzweil Reader was about the size of a small photocopy machine and was considered to be a truly remarkable advance for students with visual disabilities. While the device was often found in libraries, it was too bulky and expensive to be available to students in the classroom. Today, there are portable stand-alone OCR devices and devices that can attach to other computers and scanners. |
