AAC learned at Disabled Students’ Programs & Services (DSPS)

Resources, Tips

AACs are one of the best ways to help students who are autistic or students who have a Learning Disability in college. We just went to a college computer lab that had tons of ways to help support these students. For example, one of the more common items they were using was the smart pen, which is currently being sold in electronic stores. They were also numerous softwares and apps that were made to help those struggling with disabilities. In this post, we’ll be introducing to you those apps and softwares that help make communication much more smoother.

Voice4u
Voice4u is a revolutionary AAC (augmentative and alternative communication) application that helps individuals express their feelings, thoughts, actions, and needs. You can create as many as icons you’d like with your own pictures and voice. Voice4u is used in homes, schools, and by professionals in 43 different countries. It delivers quick, easy communication on the go.

Kurzwell 3000
A software that reads Word files and scanned text. It will hi-light the each word in the text when the word is being read, and it is also possible to change the pitch of voice and reading speed. It is also possible to upload files to a cloud server, which can be shared with other users online.

Balabolka
A free text-to-speech app that can be carried in a USB drive.

Dragon Dictation
-Voice Control
Allows the user to use voice recognition to be able to send emails and write on their computer.

Smart Pen
A pen that records the audio occurring when writing with the pen. It is possible to play the recordings by placing the pen on the writing, or from an iPad or a computer. Recorded audio files can also be uploaded on Evernote. It is can be bought on Amazon.com and can probably used in different languages.

Read2Go
Makes it possible to read books downloaded from Bookshare. Bookshare sells about 20,000 books on their site and it is possible to get free yearly membership if the user had a disability.

  • Supported System: iPhone, iPad
  • Price: $19.99 (Necessary ReadShare Account)
  • URL: http://read2go.org/

ZoomReader
System that can read text taken through the camera. It can read any text (such as menu’s, agreement forms, etc.) while highlighting each word as it reads.

  • Supported System: iPad, iPhone
  • Price: $19.99
  • URL: http://mobile.aisquared.com/zoomreader/

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ZoomText
Zoom text for those with vision disabilities. The company is also working on making more software to help support those with vision disabilities.