Text on the Screen Allows Students with disAbilities to Access the World!

Digital text or text on screen provides opportunities for students with disAbilities to be more efficient, productive, and independent in the classroom. Using text on screen can assist these individuals with many daily life activities. See what students are saying about text on screen.

Students with learning disAbilities benefit from using digital text

Students with learning disabilities or conditions such as ADHD, autism, intellectual disabilities, and dyslexia often need accommodations to support their individual learning differences in the classroom. Text on screen is a valuable accommodation for individuals with deficits in areas that impede their academic success such as reading, writing, and executive function. AIM-VA is a Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) resource that produces textbooks, reading books, and curriculum based materials such as handouts, worksheets, and tests in accessible digital formats for qualifying students. These formats, paired with the right software, provide individualized support, independence and opportunities for new learning experiences. Students can use text on screen to remove barriers during every day activities using text-to-speech, which allows students to see and hear the text at the same time. More information about the benefits of text-to-speech in the classroom can be found at www.learninglandscapes.ca/images/documents/ll-no12/parr.pdf

Students with visual disAbilities benefit from using digital text

Digital text is portable! Large print books are heavy and awkward to carry around, especially as students move to larger more complex books in high school. Digital text removes the cumbersome task of manipulating a large print book or having to use CCTV. Digital text can be individualized. Using books and classroom materials produced by AIM-VA such as a structured Word format allows students to modify text size, font, and color contrast to meet their individual needs. AIM-VA’s structured Word format also has navigation which allows a student to search for a particular word, page, or chapter in an efficient way allowing them to be on task in the classroom during a lesson. Using digital text also enables students to take notes, highlight, and answer questions right on the page. To find out more information about using digital text with students, check out Kristine Neuber’s thirty-minute webinar on Tools and Strategies for Using Electronic Large Print Textbooks.

Students with physical disAbilities benefit from using digital text

On screen text allows students with limited physical abilities to manipulate reading material and turn pages independently. Books produced in AIM-VA’s PDF: Fully Accessible formats allow students to easily navigate to a desired page or chapter with the use of assistive technology such as a touch screen or switch device. Using text on screen, students with physical impairments can access an online dictionary or thesaurus. What a great way to build independence with reading!

AIM-VA provides support to Virginia Educators.

Request training at https://portal.aimva.org/TrainingSessions/RequestTraining to learn more about digital accessible text and the features that can empower your students with disAbilities.

USE TEXT ON SCREEN TO HELP YOUR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES ACCESS THE WORLD!