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Effects of assistive technology for students with reading and writing disabilities

SVENSSON, Idor
NORDSTRÖM, Thomas
LINDEBLAD, Emma
GUSTAFSON, Stefan
BJÖRN, Marianne
SAND, Christina
ALMGREN/BÄCK, Gunilla
NILSSON, Staffan
2019

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Background: 

Assistive technology has been used to mitigate reading disabilities for almost three decades, and tablets with text-to-speech and speech-to-text apps have been introduced in recent years to scaffold reading and writing. Few scientifically rigorous studies, however, have investigated the benefits of this technology.

 

Purpose: 

The aim was to explore the effects of assistive technology for students with severe reading disabilities.

 

Method: 

This study included 149 participants. The intervention group received 24 sessions of assistive technology training, and the control group received treatment as usual.

 

Results: 

Both the intervention and control groups improved as much in 1 year as the normed population did. However, gains did not differ between the groups directly after the intervention or at 1 year of follow-up.

 

Conclusions: 

The use of assistive technology seems to have transfer effects on reading ability and to be supportive, especially for students with the most severe difficulties. In addition, it increases motivation for overall schoolwork. Our experience also highlights the obstacles involved in measuring the ability to assimilate and communicate text.

Assistive technology applications for students with reading difficulties: special education teachers’ experiences and perceptions

NORDSTRÖM, Thomas
NILSSON, Staffan
GUSTAFSON, Stefan
SVENSSON, Idor
2018

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Purpose: Reading and writing applications (with text-to-speech, TTS and speech-to-text, STT functions), used as assistive technology (AT) for students with reading difficulties are increasingly used in education, however, research has not sufficiently enough evaluated its potential. The purpose of this study was to explore how assistive reading and writing applications were perceived to function with regard to students’ possibilities to assimilate (i.e., “read”) and communicate (i.e., “write”) text.

 

Methods: Following a six-week app intervention, this follow-up survey contained 54 special education teachers’ perceptions of how the use of apps impacted student motivation, learning, and its usability in special education. A total of 59 students with reading difficulties from Grade 4, Grade 8 and from high school, were assessed. Analyses included quantitative and qualitative analyses of teachers’ responses and written material.

 

Results: The results showed individual differences in how teachers perceived app usage for text-interaction purposes, including how app usage affected student motivation and autonomy for text-based learning. Eighty-two per cent of the younger and forty-seven per cent of older students continued to use the technology after the intervention, but in various degrees.

 

Conclusions: Based on these findings, students with reading difficulties seem to be able to use AT in order to assimilate text (i.e., to read) and to communicate text (i.e., to write), and, thus, AT has the potential to promote participation in regular education. Future research should focus on how to customize assistive technology support in order to better utilize the potential.

Everybody Matters: Good practices for inclusion of people with disabilities in sexual and reproductive health and rights programmes

Van SLOBBE, Caroline
November 2017

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This publication provides introductory chapters from two activists who work to create better opportunities for people with disabilities in Nigeria and India. Subsequently, the challenges that organisations worldwide have encountered whilst improving the access to and knowledge of sexual and reproductive health and rights for people with disabilities are presented. Ways in which they managed to find solutions and the results achieved are reviewed. Some cases show the importance of a more personal approach whilst others emphasise the advantage of changing systems and policies. Different regions, types of disabilities and various SRHR-topics are reflected in these stories. All cases provide lessons learnt that contribute to a set of recommendations for improved responses. The closing chapter highlights the challenges, solutions, and ambitions that are presented and lead up to a concise overview of recommendations.  

Good practice examples include:

A shift in SRH programming (Nepal)

Breaking Barriers with performance art (Kenya)

Her Body, Her Rights (Ethiopia)

People with disabilities leading the way (Israel Family Planning Association)

Best Wishes for safe motherhood (Nepal)

It’s my body! (Bangladesh)

Calling a spade a spade (Netherlands)

Four joining forces (Colombia)

Change agents with a disability (Zimbabwe)

Tito’s privacy and rights (Argentina)

Sign language for service providers (Kenya)

How musical engagement promotes well-being in education contexts: The case of a young man with profound and multiple disabilities

MCFERRAN, Katrina S
SHOEMARK, Helen
2013

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Students with profound intellectual disabilities disorders (IDDs) have the right to participate in educational opportunities that recognize their unique resources and needs, as do all children. Because of their specific communication challenges, positive relationships with attentive communication partners are critical for success. In fact, the power of positive relationships in schools is recognized to be connected to student well-being more broadly. This article examines the case of one young man with profound IDD and his relationship with his music therapist using a duo-ethnographic informed paradigmatic case study. Video analysis based on multi-voice perspectives is used to generate hermeneutic phenome- nological findings to closely examine the relationship between a young man with profound IDD and a music therapist. The voices of four allied health researchers were also gathered to inform the authors’ construction of an informed commentary on the phenomenon. The results suggest that the essence lay in a combination of attentive, responsive and creative being with the other person over time. Four principles of musical engagement were identified in the video footage as critical to the meaningful relationships through music: the music therapist listens; the music therapist takes responsibility for structure; spontaneous initiation is sought from the young person; and the relationship is built over time. These concepts are contextualized within a discussion of student well-being that is underpinned by positive relationships and leads to students achieving their full potential within diverse school contexts.

Violence and abuse towards persons with disabilities : international workshop report

DEEPAK, Sunil
et al
2013

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This second part of a community-based rehabilitation workshop report focuses on issues of violence, abuse and sexual abuse towards persons with disabilities. This report presents the information exchanged through formal presentations, personal testimonies, film clips, sharing of experiences and discussions around the workshop theme. The report highlights the main findings and presents five key recommendations
"Going beyond the taboo areas in CBR" workshop, part 2
Agra, India
30 November 2012

Sport and play for all : a manual for including children and youth with disabilities

HARKNETT, Steve
2013

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"This training manual 'Sport and Play for All' provides tips, guidance and advice on disability and inclusion, with the primary aim of enhancing users’ knowledge and practice on inclusion. It brings together many training materials used during the Sports for All Project in Sri Lanka, including materials on disability, social inclusion and models of inclusive sport. It features many games and sports which have been field tested and adapted to enable children with disabilities to participate"

Disability, inclusion and development : key information resources

SOURCE INTERNATIONAL INFORMATION SUPPORT CENTRE
December 2005

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This directory of information resources pulls together over 300 of the most practical and useful books, reports, videos, CD-ROMs and websites on disability. It is aimed at organisations working with disabled people in developing countries. Organised thematically, It covers a wide range of issues including human rights, gender, poverty and mainstreaming, as well as planning and management of disability programmes and service delivery relating to children, community-based rehabilitation, mental health and HIV and AIDS. The directory provides a quick reference listing of information resources with clear abstracts and details of distributors and websites, while the CD-ROM contains many published and un-published full-text documents, as well as links to websites for those who can access the Internet. The index of publishers and distributors will be especially useful to resource centres and information services which collect and manage information on disability and development

HIV counseling and testing for youth : a manual for providers

FISCHER, Suzanne
et al
2005

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This is a manual for service providers and counsellors enabling them to improve their skills and assist youth with the difficult issue of HIV counselling and testing. The manual provides: step-by-step information for using the traditional voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) model with youth; step-by-step information for using a counselling and testing model for youth in clinical settings; resources to help meet the broader sexual needs of youth, including information on contraceptive options and other sexually transmitted infections; information on how to counsel youth and use youth-friendly service approaches; tips and role-plays to use with young people on abstinence, being faithful, and using condoms; guides for creating a referral network

Clinical management of rape survivors : developing protocols for use with refugees and internally displaced persons

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO)
June 2004

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"This guide describes best practices for clinical management of people who have been raped in emergency situations. It is intended for adaptation to each situation, taking into account national policies and practices, and availability of materials and drugs. This guide is intended for use by qualified health-care providers in developing protocols for the management of rape survivors in emergencies, taking into account available resources, materials, and drugs, and national policies and procedures. It can also be used in planning health-care services and training health-care providers. The document includes detailed guidance on the clinical management of women, men and children who have been raped"

Young people we care! : a book of ideas for young people supporting each other in their communities

SHERMAN, Judith
September 2003

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This book is designed to help groups of young people support either younger children or their peers who are living in communities and households affected by AIDS. It can also be used by home-based care organisations that want to involve young people in their home-based care activities. Written for a facilitator or young person with a good knowledge of HIV/AIDS and facilitation experience, it aims to prepare a group of young people to implement the community activities. It includes participatory activities to help young people think through a number of topics. The community activities section is written for young people and suggests ways to help support other young people and children in the community

Music therapy and leisure for persons with disabilities

BARKSDALE, Alicia L
2003

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This book explores the use of music therapy in school and community settings to enhance the development of independent leisure skills with a variety of client populations, including children, adolescents, adults, and the elderly with mental health needs, developmental and learning disabilities, Alzheimer’s disease and other aging-related conditions, substance abuse problems, brain injuries, and physical disabilities

Moving forward toolkit : a guide for practitioners in the field of sport for youth in emergencies

CARE
Mercy Corps
Schwery Consulting

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This toolkit aims to help young people to recover from the traumatic effects of emergencies by providing practical tools that support sport and play programming to promote healthy physical, social, emotional and cognitive development. It offers recommendations and guidelines for planning, implementing, monitoring and evaluating sport and play programs in post-emergency settings
Note: a zip folder is provided for the toolkit templates

Violence and abuse towards persons with disabilities

AMICI DI RAOUL FOLLEREAU (AIFO)

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This website presents the workshop reports and presentations from the second part of an international workshop on "Going beyond the taboos in community-based rehabilitation (CBR)." The workshop focused on violence and abuse towards persons with disabilities and role of CBR in preventing them and supporting the victims. Links are provided to the workshop report and presentations in pdf format
"Going beyond the taboo areas in CBR" workshop, part 2
Agra, India
30 November 2012

For sensitizing intermediaries on sexual rights of young people with learning disabilities

INTERNATIONAL PLANNED PARENTHOOD FEDERATION EUROPEAN NETWORK

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“This manual has been developed for organizations who wish to educate and sensitize staff, teachers and carers about the sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) of young people with mild to moderate learning disabilities. Although it mainly focuses on intermediaries that are staff in an institution for young people with learning disabilities, it may well also be appropriate as a programme for the parents and family of young people with learning disabilities. The manual provides a menu of exercises that can be used to sensitize intermediaries on how to create a protective environment for young people with learning disabilities to prevent sexual abuse and violence”

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