The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) Technology principle states that, “Technology is essential in teaching and learning mathematics; it influences the mathematics that is taught and enhances students' learning.“ For students with disabilities, it is often the use of assistive and instructional technology that allows them the opportunity to access, participate and make progress, especially in the more advanced concepts such as fractions.

One method in which students with disabilities can gain access to the curriculum and the materials used for instruction is software. Software that is accessible provides supports for alternate methods of acquiring information, inputting information and manipulating items on the screen.

There is a wide range of assistive technology devices that can be used in place of a standard mouse or keyboard, however the software must be designed to take advantage of these devices. Likewise, software that does not allow output adaptations can exclude students with visual or auditory impairments from instruction.

Being cognizant of features of accessibility can save a school or district both time and money. The more accessible a solution is, the fewer accommodations you need in order to meet the diverse needs of your students. You spend less time and money on staff development and locating and supporting various software programs

In broad terms, disabilities may be physical, sensory or cognitive although some students have difficulties in more than one area. Consider the following general considerations when selecting software to support your math instruction.

• Does the software allow for alternate input devices?
• Is the entire interface accessible? (If the program limits the use of alternate devices then the student will require someone to navigate to the instructional portion of the software for him.)
• Are target areas large enough for students to easily access?
• Are graphics large enough to been viewed but students with various levels of visual acuity? Is there enough contrast?
• Can the keyboard be used in place of mouse to move around the screen, select and manipulate virtual manipulatives?
• Can the mouse be used in place of keyboard to enter numbers and text?
• Can the screen be enlarged?
• Is all of the important information conveyed in both spoken and written text?
• Is the design consistent?

When designing Conceptua Fractions, we were careful to consider the needs of a wide range of students. It is important that all students have an opportunity to learn higher-level mathematics content such as fractions. You can download our Accessibility Overview for further information.

Below is a listing of specific suggestions for students with specific limitations.

Physical impairments:

• Look for solutions that allow multiple means of access:
• Standard and adaptive keyboard access
• Mouse access for standard, adaptive and mouse alternatives
• Switch access with scanning
• Access using an Augmentative Communication Device
• Auditory feedback- such as key clicks to indicate input
• Auditory and visual feedback- after responding

Visual Impairments:

• Look for solutions that contain:
• High contrast options
• Large target areas
• Large graphics including manipulatives
• Screen framing to draw attention to content
• Minimal screen clutter
• Allows keyboard and mouse access
• Auditory directions and feedback options
• Works with zoom

Hearing impairments:

• Look for solutions that provide:
• Visual models
• Visual feedback
• Text that correlates to auditory directions
• Scaffolding of vocabulary and text
• Modeling of concepts
• Carefully sequenced skill sets
• Minimal clutter allowing students to focus on text and important content

Cognitive Disabilities:

• Visual models
• Text to speech
• Links to and builds from prior knowledge
• Carefully sequenced content – small steps
• Scaffolding of vocabulary
• Consistent instructional and operational design

Reading difficulties:

• Text-to-speech with word by word highlighting
• Conveys important information and feedback with visual and auditory cues
• Limited amount of text per screen
• Non-linguistic presentation of concepts
• Scaffolding of careful introduction of new vocabulary

Attention and organizational difficulties:

• Consistent instructional and operational design
• Options for text-to-speech
• Conveys important information is both visual and auditory modes
• Limited time required to complete each task
• Formative assessment support self-monitoring
• Formative assessment provides a prompt for acquiring assistance
• Performance data support self-assessment