Blog 5
At my school, every student is issued a Chromebook. All students from kindergarten through fifth grade take their Chromebook home each night and bring it back every day to be used in class, including the students in our two special needs classes. We utilize the Google Suite of products on the Chromebooks and luckily, Google offers a wide variety of accessibility features. There are even some that are specific to Chromebooks. Google has created a YouTube channel devoted to explaining how to use Chromebook accessibility features that can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5aqr5w5fRe7QWzXhqxrilIVduWEmLHM2.
They also offer written instructions here: https://support.google.com/chromebook/answer/177893.
I appreciate that Google is promoting inclusion by offering this information in multiple formats to reach as many users as possible. The features are easily found in the Advanced Settings of the Chromebook, which can be accessed with the Alt+Shift+s shortcut. Some of the specific accessibility features they offer are:
· Text-to-speech options
· Display options
· Keyboard options
· Mouse and touchpad options
· Audio options
The text-to-speech options include a built-in screen reader and a select-to-speak feature. These options would be great for students with visual impairments that cannot read from the screen. They could also be used for younger students who have not mastered reading or struggling readers who need the extra support of hearing text read aloud while following along visually.
The display options allow users to change their display into high-contrast mode, magnify the screen, increase the resolution, or alter the text size. These features allow students with visual impairments to alter their display to meet their needs.
The keyboard settings can also be adjusted to allow for students with motor impairments to be able to better utilize their Chromebooks. Sticky keys can be turned on, the keyboard repeat rate can be changed, an on-screen keyboard can be turned on, and word prediction options can help users type with more ease. Within the keyboard options, there is also a feature that allows speech-to-text. While intended for those with motor impairments, this feature may also be helpful for younger students who have difficulty typing.
The mouse and touchpad options can be configured to allow automatic clicking, tap dragging, cursor highlighting, and adjusting the cursor size. I have seen classroom teachers in the younger grades adjust the cursor size on their students devices to help them track their movements more easily. The audio options allow users to choose to hear all sounds at once through all of the device speakers. This could be helpful to any students with hearing loss.
Google’s own site on accessibility has a lot of information but additional resources for educators can be found at the following sites:
I think sometimes we want to assume that students with disabilities are just what we can see. We can see a child in a wheelchair, we can see a child who has the physical characteristics of down syndrome, we can see a child who needs assistance due to a disability with sight or hearing. However, there are a lot of children who are differently abled in a way that we can’t physically see. There are children with debilitating anxiety conditions. I can see how using a feature like "Text to Speak" would benefit children with severe anxiety. Instead of sitting in a row and sweating it out, waiting for their turn to read the next three sentences, and then stumbling over every word in an attempt to hide their disability, they can just type the passage and have it read for them. Problem solved! I wish it was really that easy to solve the challenges that differently abled children face on a daily basis…but if we continue to offer assistive technology through online programs as well as tools then it will encourage children to use their strengths while working around their challenges. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI forgot to sign my name! Thanks again for sharing!
Delete-Michelle Swearingen