Assistive Technology

Assistive Technology

There are two main types of educational programs for blind children (children who are blind, whose vision is null and visually impaired children with usable vision reduced):

Programs in special schools

Integrated education programs

Everything depends on the degree of residual vision you have. Some children with low vision are able to read and write texts in large print. Other, completely blind use Braille (system of raised dots that blind people can distinguish by touch).

The vision is one of the ways that helps us understand the world around us, at the same time that gives meaning to the objects, concepts and ideas. Communication through images and visuals related is called "visual communication". Humans employ it since the dawn of time. In fact, it predates all written languages (Lovett, 2010).

Visual Impairment

Visual impairment is the loss or reduction in visual ability in both eyes, with finality, is not likely to be improved or corrected with the use of lenses and / or medical or surgical treatment. Among the visually impaired, we can still distinguish those with blindness and low vision.

Causes of Visual Impairment

• Congenital: congenital, eye malformations, congenital glaucoma, congenital cataract.

• Acquired: ocular trauma, cataract, senile macular degeneration, glaucoma, changes related to hypertension or diabetes.

"Augmentative and Alternative Communication and Assistive Technologies" will focus on the use of active and participatory methodologies, a technical-scientific dimension, in order to facilitate an intervention capable of developing communication skills and language in children, young and adults with complex communication needs. Included in this group, people with physical disabilities, multiple disabilities, mental retardation, autism and other language disorders (developmental or acquired), with serious difficulties of comprehension and / or expression of language.

The area of assistive technology that is specifically designed to increase communication skills is called Alternative Communication (CA). The alternative communication is intended for people without speech or writing without functional or communicative gap between your needs and your ability to speak and / or write(Ayres, Mechling & Sansosti, 2013).

The CA can happen without external aid, in which case, she values ??the expression of the subject from other communication channels different speech gestures, sounds, facial expressions and body can be identified and used socially to express wants, needs, opinions, positions such as: yes, no, hello, bye, bathroom, I'm fine, I feel pain, I (particular thing for which I am pointing), I'm hungry and other content necessary communication in everyday life.

Aiming to further expand the ...