Low-End+Assistive+Technology+Devices

= = ** Low-End Technology Devices **

**There are many different types of low-end assistive technology devices. Low-end technology devices are usually attainable, require low maintenance, and are very inexpensive. They can be found at most retail stores, but they also can be custom made for the person/student in need. Examples include cheap and easy items such as pencil grips, extra large pencils, headphones, and 2-handed scissors. **

**1- __ Pencil Grips __ can be found online at the following website: [|http://www.therapro.com/Pencil- Grips-C4297.aspx] **
 * Below are some devices purchasable on the internet: **

**The pencil grip is a cheap and easy low-end assistive technology device that is used to help students with their handwriting. The pencil grip encourages proper pencil use. It helps to position the hand and fingers properly for handwriting.** **How are People Using the Pencil Grips?** ** Millions of children, teens, and adults use Pencil Grips for.... **
 * 1) **Fine Motor Skills:** Using a Pencil Grip can help a person properly place their hand and fingers on a pencil, and thus helping that person write properly on paper.
 * 2) **Writing:** A pencil grip will help a young student develop pre-writing skills.
 * 3) **Vision Impaired and/or Blind:** Pencil Grips promote hand-eye coordination which further promotes other fine motor skills such as cutting and gluing, as well as, promotes gross motor skills such as climbing and hitting a baseball.
 * 4) **Sensory:** Depending on the style (bumpy, smooth, and/or color) and the shape (round, square, and/or triangular), a student may develop their senses while using a pencil grip.
 * 5) **Autism:** Pencil grips may be visually stimulating, which may make a student with Autism use a pencil grip to write for the first time.
 * 6) **Comfort:** A Pencil Grip can eliminate the inevitable pain that a wooden or plastic pencil will cause when writing for long periods of time. In the long run, Pencil Grips can help to prevent arthritis in the fingers.


 * 2. Loop Spring Scissors can be found online at the following website: [] **

**Self opening scissors do not require much effort and muscle usage as the everyday scissors that you and I are used to. The wide loop on the end of the scissors provide an easy grip for students who have limited mobility or low muscle strength. The Spring Loop Scissors can make standard cutting tasks easier for students with special needs. All** **Loop Spring Scissors** **are available for Left and Right handed users.**


 * <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">ow are People Using Loop Spring Scissors? **
 * 1) <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">** Creativity: ** Student's who have limited mobility in their hands can use the Loop Spring Scissors to complete crafts and activities with their same age peers.
 * 2) <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px;">**Physical:** Loop Spring Scissors allows a student with limited mobility to work on their hand and arm strength by exercising their muscles.
 * 3) <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px;">**Vision Impaired and/or Blind:** Loop Spring Scissors can help with hand-eye coordination.
 * 4) <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px;">**Fine Motor:** Working with Loop Spring Scissors can help a student develop better hand-eye coordination, thus helping a student do other fine motor skills such as gluing, handwriting, etc.


 * 3. <span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 110%;">Highlighters <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 110%;">can be found online at the following website: <span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 110%;">[] **
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 90%;">Highligthers can be used to help students highlight important passages or information. For example, after a student has read, he or she can use a highligher to highlite information in order to seperate the important information from the trivial information. Highlighting while reading helps students become less overwhelmed with ALL of the information that is set out on each page, and it also helps a struggling reader become less confused with ALL of the information that is provided in the text. Highlighters come in all different colors and sizes. **



<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">**How are People Using Highlighters?**
 * 1) **<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 90%;">Reading: **<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 90%;">Highlighters help those students who are having trouble in the area of reading for information or reading for comprehension. A struggling reader will use the highlighter to help them find important information in the text. A student would be able to scan the highlighted text to find information quickly, thus keeping them on the same pace as their same-age peers.
 * 2) **<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 90%;">Sensory: **<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 90%;">A student with sensory issues (who see text as white pages and black handwriting), will use a highlighter to enhance their senses, and therefore their interest in the text. This will help struggling students to see the information provided in the text better.
 * 3) **<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 90%;">Vision Impaired and/or Blind: **<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 90%;">A highlighter may help the visually impaired and/or blind find the information in the text better. A person can scan the information and find what they need quicker.


 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 90%;">4. <span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 90%;"><span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Raised Number Rulers <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 90%;">can be found on the following website: [] **
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 90%;">Raised number rulers have easy to read and touch numbers and lines that help to speed up math calculations in the are of measurement. Raised number rulers can measure milimeters, centimeters, inches, and yards. The rulers come in many different colors, as well as, different widths for better hand grips. **

<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">**How are people using Raised Number Rulers?**
 * 1) <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 90%;">**Mathematics:** Students who are struggling in Math, more specifically measurement, can use the raised numbered rulers as a more hands-on way of measuring different items.
 * 2) **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 90%;">Vision Impaired and/or Blind: **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 90%;">People who are visually impaired will use the raised numbers in the ruler to measure different items. The raised numbers allow them to touch the numbers and lines, rather than just see the lines like on the everyday ruler that you and I are used to.
 * 3) **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 90%;">Sensory: **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 90%;">For those students who rely on touch-to-learn can use the raised numbers on the ruler to accurately measure different items.

<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">**Ideas for Creating YOUR OWN Low-Tech Assistive Technology:**
 * 1) <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 90%;">If a student is having trouble with griping their pencil and you do not have a pencil grip, you can wrap a pencil with scotch tape a few times until the tape is thick as a pencil grip would be. Make sure the tape is soft and that it is not distracting to the student (does not crinkle when you hold it or that the edges do not cut the student).
 * 2) <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 90%;">If a student is struggling reading for information, use colored pencils or crayons. If you do not have any of these writing utencils, use stickers to mark information in the book that is important.
 * 3) <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 90%;">If you do not have a raised number ruler, find some foam numbers at your nearest Craft Store. To make a your own raised number ruler cut a piece of construction paper that is the size and width of a regular ruler and place the raised foam numbers onto the ruler.
 * 4) <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 90%;">If a student is still having trouble cutting, purchase Two-handed scissors. Two-handed scissors have 2 sets of finger holes so that 2 people can grasp one pair of scissors. Two-handed scissors can be found at []

<span style="color: #2ff4f4; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 22px; line-height: 33px;">**Want to see Video Examples?** <span style="color: #2ff4f4; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 170%;">**Go ahead!! Click on either of the 2 video icons and press PLAY!!**

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