Of course, the subject of using assistive/adaptive technology with individuals who have learning disabilities is so vast that we could not cover everything here. Please explore the following websites for information about assistive/adaptive technology:

The Georgia Assistive Technology Project (Tools for Life) Increasing Access to Assistive Technology, LD Guide. http://www.gatfl.org/ldguide/default.htm

The Learning Disabilities Association of Canada (LD in Depth) Adult Issues, Adaptive Technology. www.ldac-taac.ca/english/indepth.htm

LDOnLine Please see a comprehensive list in their TechGuide in the Technology section of this website. http://www.ldonline.org/ld_indepth/technology/technology.html

Community Connections: A Key for Helping Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities Achieve Their Literacy Goals

There are many ways that we, as literacy practitioners, can better support individuals with intellectual disabilities in our programs. As was mentioned earlier, individuals with intellectual impairments must be able to use literacy skills for a specific task. As stated in an article by Lockert & Coombe from Rehabilitation Review, it is essential that all people involved with the individual are aware of what the student is learning and how they can help in the transfer of skills to other areas of the person's life. This may include communication and co-operation between support networks and learners in the home, teaching and work environments to maximize "learning in context" opportunities.⁴⁰

Learners with intellectual disabilities may live at home and attend literacy programs daily, live independently with some support from an agency or live in a group home and attend programs with a support worker. In all of these situations, it is important to know what the learners' goals are and how they can be served best by literacy programs. The individuals who are most involved in the learners' lives (parents, caregivers, spouses, support workers etc.) might be able to best help literacy practitioners learn more about the learner. This way, literacy practitioners can help individuals with intellectual disabilities to set their own literacy goals. This is why making connections and networking around the learners' needs is so helpful (literacy is important, not only for safety reasons, but being able to read or write ones own name gives the individual a tremendous sense of achievement, pride and self-esteem).⁴¹