magazine.T4L Issue 30

ISSUE 30 | TERM 4 | 2024

Technology for All

Your guide to inclusive and assistive technology

Welcome T4L is here to help you to utilise technology to enable great learning experiences in your classroom, for all learners. This guide showcases the assistive and inclusive features across the platforms you use every day – Apple, Google, Microsoft and Adobe. There are handy links to videos and step-by-step guides so that you can start using them straight away. Have a great tip in using assistive tech in your classroom? Share it with us at t4linnovations@det.nsw.edu.au.

Linda Lazenby Director, Technology Enablement, Schools and Skills

Networks and resources Inclusive Practice Hub Find resources, information and evidence-based strategies for primary and secondary school teachers and education support staff.

Jill Sherlock Memorial Assistance Library Provides educational and curriculum resources to meet the learning and support needs of students with disability.

Inclusive Education – Disability Statewide Staffroom Be a part of the conversation and join the network of teachers in the field and keep updated with the latest information.

Find how- to guides including videos to get the most out of the technologies from your devices and commonly-used platforms.

Henry Parkes Equity Resource Centre

Braille and Large Print Services 3D Print Library

The centre supports the implementation of equity priorities, policies and practices in government schools.

For teachers

Provides support and materials in alternate formats for vision impaired students supported by an itinerant support teacher (vision).

Acknowledgement of Country This magazine is produced by Technology 4 Learning (T4L) at the Information Technology Directorate with the NSW Department of Education. This magazine is created on the lands of the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation.

Fa rd on

Our student edition of this magazine is packed full of information and activities and is a great classroom resource.

Download it now.

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Inclusive and assistive technology resources

A by rk wo t r A

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR

EDITOR

CONTRIBUTORS

DESIGNER

Linda Lazenby

Yvette Poshoglian

Megan Anderson Dale White

Anh Ha

Thanks to the staff and students at Yandelora School appearing on our cover.

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Customise and personalise your classroom tools Technology is a powerful tool, providing everyone with the opportunity to connect with information, be creative, and to develop their potential. Within the department, we have access to many forms of assistive and inclusive technology tools on most of the devices and much of the software available.

Canva

Canva provides accessibility tools to ensure your designs are more inclusive.

With Design Accessibility, you can find out what accessibility issues are present in your design so that you can fix them without needing to be an accessibility expert.

stem.T4L

Explore how accessible technology solutions are revolutionising STEM education, breaking down barriers for students with disabilities and fostering an inclusive learning environment.

A personalised learning experience for students dramatically enhances understanding, engagement, connection, efficiency and productivity in the learning process. Learn how to use your digital tools to personalise student learning, customise settings and use in-built tools on any of your devices using the resources in this magazine.

Main Learning Displays

Are you using your Main Learning Display (MLD) effectively? MLDs and their associated devices have assistive features, designed to ensure equitable student engagement.

Adobe

You can use Adobe Acrobat Pro to create accessible PDFs, using the Accessbility Checker. If required, you can request a licence via EDConnect. Adobe also has assistive features to support hearing, vision and speech.

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Apple

Additional accessibility features

Apple’s inclusive and accessibility features are built into all of their devices – check out how to get the most out of your iPad or Mac.

iPad and Mac offer additional features to help you streamline app use and focus on tasks.

Dictation

Cognitive

Simply use your voice to dictate your text to an iPad or Mac.

Support to stay focused and streamline tasks for iPad or Mac

iPad

Hearing Explore tools designed to enhance the sounds you hear for iPad or Mac

2:33

Physical and motor Create customised gestures and explore features that modify your touch for iPad or Mac

Mac

Speech

3:52

Learn about innovations for those with speech disability or who prefer to connect without voice for iPad or Mac

Vision Explore options for those with blindness, low vision or those that prefer larger text on iPad or Mac

For more additional features supporting cognitive, hearing, physical and motor, speech and vision needs, head here.

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p!

Hot ti

You can hide ads and distractions and block pop-ups in Safari on iPad.

Google

Additional accessibility features

Expand your knowledge of your favourite Google tools through the inclusive lens – there’s plenty of features to learn about.

Google Workspace and Chromebooks offer additional features including:

Cognitive

Dictation

• Customise your reading experience on Chrome with Reading Mode

Google has accessible speech features that you can explore whether you’re working in Google Workspace or Chrome. Learn how to type with your voice in Slides or Docs.

• Open web pages in a reader-view within your Chrome browser

Hearing

Google Workspace

• Set up personalised captions on your Chromebook • Use Mono Audio to change sound levels

Physical and motor

4:17

• Type with the on-screen keyboard

Google Chromebook

• Customise touchpad settings to enable mobility-assistive features and more

Vision • Magnify the browser window on your Chromebook

2:30

• Enlarge on-screen text and visuals and more

For more additional features supporting cognitive, hearing, physical and motor, speech and vision needs, head here.

p!

Hot ti

You can enlarge your mouse cursor for better visibility in an instant.

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Microsoft

Additional accessibility features

There are many inclusive features integrated in Microsoft applications and Windows devices, enabling students with diverse learning needs to thrive in the classroom.

Explore the features for both Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Windows here.

Cognitive

Speech recognition

• Use Immersive Reader in Word for the web (Microsoft 365)

Learn how to type with your voice in any text space on a Windows 10 or 11 device.

• Use the Simplified Ribbon (Microsoft 365)

Windows 10 Hearing • Set up captions and subtitles in PowerPoint • View, edit and manage transcripts and captions 2:19

Windows 11

Physical and motor • Use voice typing to talk instead of type on Windows 10 and Windows 11 • Keyboard shortcuts

3:10

Dictation

Vision • Use Magnifier to make things easier to see on screen

Enable speech recognition within Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, OneNote and Outlook.

• Use Narrator • Make your PC easier to use

For more additional features supporting cognitive, hearing, physical and motor, speech and vision needs, head here.

1:17

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Hot tip!

Make notifications stick around longer than the default 5 seconds, by increasing how long they’re displayed. Select the Start button, then select Settings > Accessibility > Visual effects.

Then, under Dismiss notifications after this amount of time, choose the amount of time you want.

School spotlight Meet Aaron Gardener Deputy Principal, Yandelora School About the school Liam, a former student from Yandelora School, in South West Sydney (and our cover star) has just graduated. A relatively new build school, Yandelora has 101 students with a range of special learning needs. Deputy Principal, Aaron Gardener has been in special education his entire teaching career and in his time at Yandelora School has focused on developing tailored programs to support students, including researching and investigating emerging technologies.

Liam used EyeGaze technology, and eye-driven assistive technology.

Switches – one assistive technology A self-confessed techie that loved emerging technologies like VR and Occulus in the earlier days, Aaron is passionate about bringing all teaching and support staff along with these technologies so that they can develop their own skills to improve student outcomes. Former student Liam has cerebral palsy and used switches and assistive technologies such as EyeGaze technology connected to a laptop to communicate, create and undertake tasks. Switches are designed for students with physical disabilities and can be connected to computers and allow for more complex technologies.

The power of the lyrebird One of Aaron’s proudest features at Yandelora is the ‘Communication Wall’ where each individual student’s communication styles and modes are tracked and displayed for the whole school community. The school’s motif is the lyrebird, an animal that has many voices. This directly relates to the student experience at Yandelora. ‘We believe that every student has a voice, and that voice should be valued,’ says Aaron.

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