UMass Boston

Course Overview

Description

This fully online course will provide an introduction to the profession of Assistive Technology Instructional Specialist for People with Visual Impairments. Students will learn through demonstrations, hands-on activities, and independent learning exercises about a variety of assistive technology solutions for people of all ages who are blind or visually impaired, including: screen magnification software, screen reading software, OCR software, braille technologies, low vision devices, smart phone and tablet accessibility features, as well as other specialized devices designed for people with visual impairments. The benefits and limitations of accessibility features that are built-in to mainstream technologies compared to specialized assistive technology devices and software will be discussed. Techniques for determining the most appropriate assistive technology solutions will also be discussed. The course explores strategies for integrating assistive technology in different settings, such as in schools, homes, colleges/universities, jobsites, and avocational settings.