The Influence of Assistive Technology on Students with Learning Disabilities in the Inclusive Classroom

Abstract: Eleven high school students with specific learning disabilities were presented a social studies lesson using the optical character recognition software Kurzweil 3000. Over a two-week period the students used the software to read the lesson material to them, while it highlighted the text. The intervention was designed to assess the influence of the software on student achievement, teacher perceptions toward the software, and student attitudes about the use of assistive technology. The results reflected an improvement in student achievement as well as an increase in their attitudes about the use of the technology. Teacher perceptions also were positive regarding the use of assistive technology