Technology for Students with Disabilities in General Education Settings

For students with disabilities who are in mainly general education classes, the need for effective accommodations is vital.

Technology has opened up a new world in what is available to help these students be successful like never before.  

Previously, being able to read fluently was a necessity to be able to access much of the material presented in a typical general education high school classroom.  Students whose reading was below grade level struggled to follow and understand the required reading.

Although the large majority of these students have average to above average intelligence, they were often relegated to special education classes that focused on reading remediation.  In the meantime, they were missing information from general education teachers they needed to keep their grades up.

No longer.  Devices like reading pens and AI assisted speech to text technology allow students with reading difficulties to keep up with the typical classmates.

And it’s not just reading and writing.  Technology is available to help with language processing, attention, organization, and even behaviors.

For student with disabilities, IDEA requires school districts to assess for technology needs, and to provide the training and support needed to make it work for the student, their families and school personnel.

Resources:

CAST: https://www.cast.org/

 Phone app for dyslexia: https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/mydys

 Reading pen website: https://smarterlearningguide.com/reader-pens-for-dyslexia-are-they-right-for-your-child/

 Speech to text website:  https://www.readingrockets.org/topics/assistive-technology/articles/dictation-speech-text-technology-what-it-and-how-it-works

Thanks to soundimage.org for the free access to the AI generated music used in this podcast (https://soundimage.org/) 

Transcript

Technology

Today I’d like to talk about assistive technology or (AT) in special education.   As an introductory caution, this is September 2025.  I suspect the content of this podcast has, maybe, a one-year shelf life.

I use the term “assistive technology” as opposed to “adaptive technology” as this is the team used in IDEA, which governs terminology in special ed.  Another term, Augmentative and Alternative Communication (or AAC) is also widely used   

In looking for resources, I ended up ignoring information more than a year or two old unless the technology was pretty old school, the new stuff is new now, meaning months, not years.

I am not an expert in the technology that applies to special education, but I do know what students with reading and other difficulties need to access the general education curriculum.

The devices and other AT I talk about here are for what are called high-incidence disabilities.  These include Specific Learning Disability, autism, some speech and language delays, Other Health Impaired (mainly ADHD) and a few others.

The devices are primarily used by students who spend all or most of their time in a general education setting.

Federal law through IDEA 2004 makes clear what school district’s responsibilities are in regard to technology:

An assistive technology service is defined by IDEA 2004 as "any service that directly assists a child with a disability in the selection, acquisition, or use of an assistive technology device." (§1401(2)). The term includes:

1.  evaluation of the needs of such child

2.  purchasing, leasing devices 

3.  selecting, designing, fitting, devices

4.  coordinating and using other therapies 

5.  training or technical assistance, or, where appropriate, the family of such child; and

6.  training or technical assistance for professionals 

This information is important for families to know because they can access a professional level assessment along with all of the extras that are needed to make the use of technology a success.

In the cases I have worked on that have AT as a component, by far the most common issue is that the student won’t use it.  Comments like, “I offered it to him multiple times, and he even tried it, but he became quickly frustrated and stopped using it”.

This lack of support is the reason most of the accommodations fail.  But IDEA requires districts to support the use of technology as mentioned.

The types of assistive technology we are talking about for the population we are focusing on are for academics, behaviors/sensory issues and organization.

The physical and neurological issues that lead to the need for technology are based on special education testing.  In the case of a reading disorder, which I refer to as someone who is a dyslexic learner as an umbrella term, the problem or problems can be pretty accurately pinpointed by looking at potential versus performance.

Let’s first look at the most common potential user of AT using our parameters.  This is a student who fits a profile often called a dyslexic learner.  Dictionary.com defines it as, “an approach to problem solving, assessing information, and learning, often used by people with dyslexia, that involves pattern recognition, spatial reasoning, lateral thinking, and interpersonal communication.  

They may be qualified for special education under a number of categories.

 On an IQ test, a typical dyslexic learner will very often have an overall intelligence score in the normal or even low average range.  However, if you look at non-expressive scores such as verbal comprehension or visual spatial skills, they are often very high scores.  These are kids who may have exceptionally high IQs despite their language issues. These are extraordinarily intelligent kids.

 But when you look at things like processing speed, working memory and fluid reasoning, there may be quite low scores, even very low and this can even out or hide the child’s true capabilities.

 This produces what can be called a “spiky learner” or 2e (twice exceptional), or neurodivergent or simply dyslexic, whatever term is used it describes someone who has high and low scores in different areas of IQ and performance.

 Besides dyslexia, many students who have autism fit the same learning profile, so a lot of information is relevant for those students with a reading or processing disorder and are mainly in general education settings.

 So it’s not just learning problems that can be addressed with the use of technology, it also includes sensory processing, speech and language delays, including social skills deficits and other issues that preclude a child from adequately accessing the general education curriculum. 

 But going back to academic deficits, It’s estimated that about 30% of the population has the general type of profile of a spiky learner.  And recent research has estimated that between 25 and 40% of students with ADHD have learning deficits, and between 50 and 70% of kids with autism have ADHD and thus are also at risk for dyslexia.

 There is an organization, CAST, which stands for the Center for Applied Special Technology.  It’s founder, Dr. David Rose, a Harvard professor, developed Universal Design for Learning (UDL), which CAST does in-depth research into to further develop and disseminate the information to universities and K-12 training programs.

 Their goal is to embed not only technology into every classroom in the country but also train teachers to use a wide variety of accommodations to help break down the learning barrier caused by the mismatch between traditional classroom practices and the needs of neurodivergent kids.

 Much of the research into how to use technology in classrooms is due to the work CAST does.

 Now let’s look at just a few examples of the large and increasingly useful options that are available now.

 Text to Speech

 Reading pens.  Based on Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology,  Those that are designed for students with dyslexia and have the ability to read scanned text out loud to the student. The idea is that it can lessen the difficulties that accompany everyday reading, especially those with severe dyslexia it encourages users to read more independently (https://smarterlearningguide.com/reader-pens-for-dyslexia-are-they-right-for-your-child/).

In addition, by getting input through more than one media, the student is better able to understand the information.

Text to Speech Apps.  These apps can be used for longer text passages where a pen could become tiresome to use.  Text to speech apps take any length writing and coverts into voice, some now include more emphasis by the “reader” with human emotions being simulated.

Some of the apps have AI abilities (or addons) that summarize the important points and help students to concentrate on what the essence of what they are reading.

 Speech to Text

For years, the problems with speech to text technology have bedeviled many of the students who attempted to use it.  Problems with voice patterns, mumbling, having to add punctuation while using it have made it more trouble than it was worth in many cases.

 A child who has attention and focus issues to begin with is not going to be able to set up and use a program without significant support.

However, with the advent of AI transcription tools that rely on automatic speech recognition (ASR) technology to convert spoken words into written text is coming into common use. These systems have evolved from simple pattern-matching algorithms to sophisticated neural networks that understand context, accents, and background noise. The process happens quickly, often transcribing speech in real time.

Issues like grammar, punctuation, spelling, conventions and formatting to standard conventions are included in the most sophisticated apps.  And speech that has been converted to text can be edited, graphic organizers created, and summaries of the work produced.

In addition, there are now devices that can relatively accurately “take notes” from teacher lectures even with significant background noise as is typical in that environment. 

 Behavior/Sensory

 FM Systems.  Their function is to amplify sound, and they are commonly used in classrooms for students with hearing impairments. The sound from the transmitter, worn by the teacher, is heard from the receiver, which is in the possession of the student.

 Research into the use of these systems indicate that improvements in students listening. 

Importantly, auditory processing disorders are common among students with ADHD. Research has demonstrated that students with ADHD and suspected auditory processing disorders benefited from FM systems. 

 Some of the devices are relatively low tech and have been around for a while.  The next two meet that criteria.

 Noise-Canceling Headphones: For students who are sensitive to sound, these can block out background noise and help them concentrate on tasks.

 Sensory-Friendly Lighting: Soft lighting, such as string lights, is a great alternative to the harsh glare of traditional fluorescent bulbs.

 Organization

This is always a huge problem for kids with ADHD, learning disabilities, autism…. How to get and stay organized.  I’ll mention a few of the better know electronic organizing apps, but there are as many ways to a student to get organized as there are students.

It’s really dependent on what they can use successfully, and many times it is simply a matter of trial and error.

However, having and successfully using an organization system in high school will pay benefits for a lifetime as organization is almost universally a problem for these kids.

Here are a few app along with brief reviews I found online about them. 

My Homework Student Helper.  This app gives you a calendar to track your assignments, exams, and other important dates, plus a homework widget where you can sync up your assignments and receive deadline reminders. You even get rewarded for finishing assignments. Perfect for remembering those dreadful deadlines.

Google Calendar. My college student coaching clients swear by Google Calendar. (To be fair they use our academic planner alongside it.) Being a college student is overwhelming, especially balancing classes, assignments, and all the life stuff. Google calendar allows you to add recurring events, receive notifications, color code, and even set goals.

My Study Life. My favorite feature is that this app supports week and day rotation timetables as well traditional weekly schedules. It works on all devices, stores your data in the cloud, and even notifies you of incomplete tasks as well as upcoming classes and exams.

Technology, particularly AI, are almost weekly making advances in the technology that will serve our students with mild-moderate disabilities well in school, buy particularly, it will make the path for them when they leave school much easier than it has been historically.

But, as I talked about previously, the success of any technology solution depends not only on the device or app, but on the support the child, their school staff and parents receive, without this, there is a much less of a possibility of success.

These kids need a teacher and explicit teaching to be able to master a skill, and technology is no different academic subjects in that respect.

Resources:

CAST: https://www.cast.org/

 Phone app for dyslexia:

https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/mydys

 Reading pen website: https://smarterlearningguide.com/reader-pens-for-dyslexia-are-they-right-for-your-child/

 Speech to text website:  https://www.readingrockets.org/topics/assistive-technology/articles/dictation-speech-text-technology-what-it-and-how-it-works