Renton Technical College Pilot Project Provides Accessible Technology to Help Overcome Barriers to Learning

Renton Technical College (RTC), a 2-year technical institution located southeast of Seattle, Washington, offers pre-employment training in 75 full- and part-time programs and serves nearly 14,000 students. A recent survey revealed that many in the student population have multiple barriers to learning including vision, hearing, time management challenges, and lack of computer skills. In 2002 RTC designed and launched a Pilot Program to help students overcome these barriers. The pilot program provided students access to computers equipped with Windows XP Professional, Microsoft Office 2003, and compatible assistive technology software and hardware to help give them the edge they needed to progress and succeed. The formula worked—ninety percent of students surveyed reported that accessible technology, along with other teaching strategies, had a positive effect on their school experience.

Situation

Renton Technical College (RTC), located southeast of Seattle, Washington, offers pre-employment training in 75 full- and part-time programs including technology, business, automotive, health, industrial trades, education and culinary arts. The college serves a very diverse student population with as many as 14,000 enrolled. A survey of students participating in a special pilot project in 2002 revealed that, in the student population:

• 31 percent reported trouble studying and trouble with computers and typing
• 25 percent have time management challenges
• 19 percent took special education courses in the past
• 24 percent have a vision concern
• 14 percent have a hearing concern
• 14 percent have a disability concern

Moreover, staff felt that some students with learning difficulties and impairments were not reaching their full potential in the classroom. "A number of students with disabilities do not disclose their disabilities to their instructors or may not even be diagnosed and therefore, don't get individual accommodations," says Cathy Jenner, RTC project coordinator.

Because RTC is committed to providing equal access to education using tools and technology wherever possible, they sought an answer to this challenge in technology. Specifically, they hoped to develop tools and strategies to make students more successful in their education and career goals.

Solution

In October 2002, RTC received a U.S. Department of Education grant to help identify and better serve students with learning difficulties and challenges. With the assistance of Next Generations Technology Inc.—a broadly diversified assistive technology consultancy—RTC began looking for solutions. Next Generation Technologies Inc., President and CEO, Ed Rosenthal helped identify a number of distinct disabilities and/or user groups that could be served. "We provided technologies for testing based on these 'profiles'—focusing on learning disability, reading impairment, low vision, and mobility impairment," Rosenthal says.

It soon became apparent that pairing Microsoft Windows XP professional with the latest in assistive technology—software and hardware add-ons to computers such as screen readers, reading and word prediction programs and alternative keyboards and other input devices—could help fill the need.

Product recommendations were made based on factors such as ease-of-use, functionality, and interoperability. "We worked most with the products that were closely compatible with Microsoft Windows XP and Microsoft Office 2003," Rosenthal says. "We saw this as a Universal Design approach—our ultimate goal was designing for maximum usability for all users from initial design concept through execution," he says.

Rosenthal also investigated and advised on how the information technology infrastructure could be adapted to integrate accessible technology that would benefit the widest possible segment of the student population. RTC began a pilot project with selected instructors to integrate assistive technology into their classrooms as a regular part of their teaching and to evaluate the effect on student performance and satisfaction. Next Generation Technology, with the help of Jay Laurie and Debra Gale from RTC's Information Services Department, trained the instructors in the use and application of assistive technology, and designed a feedback loop to learn from their experiences.

In addition to the pilot classrooms, RTC made assistive technology such as WYNN Reader, ZoomText, Texthelp Read&Write, Dragon NaturallySpeaking, and IBM Home Page Reader available in the student lab, library and Success Center. They also offered training on assistive technology to all students—not just those with disabilities. RTC believes that many of the features of assistive technology and accessible technology, such as accessibility options in Windows XP, are useful to the broader population.

"Making assistive technology widely available allows students with disabilities to be served quickly, without bureaucracy (meaning they don't need to make appointments to see a counselor and wait for assistive technology to be purchased) and also with anonymity if they prefer," says Jenner. "Our goal is to make using assistive technology or accessibility features of Microsoft Office as 'normal' as using a spell-checker. That increases productivity for everyone while taking away stigma from students with disabilities," she says.

Benefits

Ninety percent of students participating in the DOE demonstration project who were surveyed on their impression of the value of assistive technology and other teaching strategies said it had a positive effect on their experience. Eight instructors have now integrated assistive technology into their classrooms and Jenner says more are on the waiting list.

An example of the assistive technology now in use at RTC is Texthelp Read&Write software which allows students to both see and hear the text—they can read along as it is read aloud. It also includes a dictionary and word prediction features that are particularly helpful to students with literacy and ESL (English as a Second Language) issues. "Learning research indicates that multi-modal learning helps accelerate comprehension," Jenner says. So, listening while reading visually, and actively using the information increases comprehension for students with any learning challenge. It also helps others—even those considered average or good readers. Interactive whiteboards is another example of accessible technology now being used at RTC. These work in conjunction with Microsoft Office 2003 to capture board notes for later downloading and playback—again providing a multi-modal approach to learning for students. This is also an assistive technology that benefits the majority of students.

"Students with learning barriers now have a powerful tool to succeed in their educational and career goals," says Jenner. "And that benefits the business community in general. More confident, well-trained, motivated graduates entering the workforce with well-developed computer skills help businesses succeed. Accessible technology is just one more tool at their disposal."