Perkins School for the Blind Transition Center

Archive for the ‘Technology’ Category

Virtual Job Shadow Technology Mash-Up

One of the main purposes of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is “To ensure that all children with disabilities have available to them a free, appropriate public education that emphasizes special education and related services designed to meet their unique needs and prepare...

Telehealth Services Improve Accessibility for Individuals with Autism

Approximately 1 out of 54 children in the United States live with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).1 My son is one of those individuals, so I know firsthand some of the many struggles that can come with safely accessing health care. Diagnosing ASD early in a child’s development can have a...

Cultivating Independence Through Technology

Is it possible to live independently with a disability? This question is often a source of concern for those with a disability like autism. However, it is important to remember that independence can look different for everyone, and technology can play a valuable role in fostering independence. At...

Online Organizational Software Supporting Care Planning

Organizing the care solutions your family needs can be difficult and stressful. Often, this entails coordinating with medical professionals, behavioral therapists, and child life specialists that advocate with you to remove all obstacles to supporting care. Fortunately, these specialists...

How Physical Distancing Brought Us Even Closer Together

Five years have passed since I last wrote about our social recreation group CASY Sparks, previously known as Project CASY (Community Autism Socials at Yale) in the Spring 2016 Issue of Autism Spectrum News. CASY began to flourish in 2016 with the establishment of the Daniel Jordan Fiddle...

Using Cell Phones to Increase Independence in the Community for Young Adults with Autism

All individuals deserve to be active members of the community in which they reside. However, independent societal participation for young people with disabilities, particularly those with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who also have a secondary disability diagnosis (e.g., intellectual disability)...

Advancements in Assistive Technology – Using Robots for Therapeutic Interventions

Assistive Technology (AT) is an advancing field that helps individuals with special needs learn, grow, and participate in the community. These devices can take many forms and work at many levels. Robot-Assisted Intervention (RAI) is an advanced form of assisted technology. These tools can help the...

Being Smarter with Smarter Tech: YAI Center for Innovation and Engagement

Technology is an essential part of all of our lives. It can have a profound impact, whether allowing us to connect with family; reminding us to take medication; or keeping us safe at home, at work, or on the road. The coronavirus pandemic has only highlighted the centrality of technology for...

Supporting Adolescents with Autism Using Technology to Interact with Peers

Friendships are a vital part of adolescence. Friends provide advice and help with navigating through tough topics. As children grow into adolescence, they begin to rely more on the opinions of friends than parents to make sense of the world. Thus, adolescent friendships are an important resource...

The Scene Cue: A Tool Delivered via Mobile Technology for Improving Independence in Direction-Following

The introduction of visual supports can often augment spoken language comprehension for learners who are minimally verbal. For example, when directing a learner to put a box into a bag, a symbolate sentence strip of “box in bag” (see Figure 1) could improve understanding assuming the learner...