Page turners or fluffers are simple adaptations made to books or other reading material that make pages more accessible to turn. A fluffer is glued, taped, or clipped to the corner of each page. The fluffer puts spaces between each page allowing those with limited fine motor skills to get their fingers between each page. Page fluffers are helpful in fostering independent literacy skills.
Page fluffers are placed on the top of the first page, a little bit lower on the second page, lower on the third page and so on. When you reach the bottom of the page you start over at the top of the next page.
A pdf document on making page turners can be found here.
Tracking aids are low tech solutions that increase a student’s ability to visually focus on one line of text at a time. These solutions include bookmarks, rulers, reading windows, reading strips and highlighted bar magnifiers. Something as simple as a bookmark or straight edge can be used as a tracking aid to help guide a student’s reading to keep him/her from jumping to another line of text and thus unable to comprehend what he/she is reading.
Reading windows are typically constructed of cardboard or heavy stock paper and can be laminated for durability. A frame the size of a standard line of text is cut in the cardboard. The student then moves the reading window down the lines of text, one line at a time, helping the student visually focus or track across the current row of text.
Additionally, colored transparent acetate, i.e. translucent poly file folders from Staples, inserted in the opening of a reading window is beneficial for students who benefit from the background of the text being another color that the usual white paper background. At the same time, the window blocks out other information that may be distracting to the student.
Adjusting the position of books and reading materials to suit an individual student can make the content much more visible or accessible and result in improved reading skills. There are several ways to adjust the position of reading materials. Book stands can be obtained commercially or created by the teacher. The angle of commercially made book stands can be adjustable or fixed. Most book stands also provide either bands or pegs to hold the book open for hands free use.
For students who have difficulty reading or copying information from the board, a page-up copy holder can hold up to 20 pages and can hold worksheets for students to read or notes/information for students to copy. These can often be obtained from school, office supply or discount stores.
Students who exhibit difficulties reading may benefit from using a slanted incline on which the book may be placed. Using a bookstand may also help some students maintain an upright position while reading.
Contrast aids provide visual contrast between text and white or light backgrounds.
Common contrast aids include colored overlays/filters, highlighter tape, colored light bulbs, and choosing appropriate background and text colors when using the computer for reading and writing tasks. Colored filters or overlays are available in many different colors and sizes. Colored light bulbs are also available commercially (they are sometime called party lights). Some students use these lights in study lamps. Colored overlays are available as translucent poly file folders from Staples, or can be purchased commercially. Most word processing programs, text reading software, and other computer based reading aids provide the option of changing font and background colors. Students are often better able to focus and attend to text that is presented to them on the computer by choosing background and font colors that make their eyes feel comfortable.
Contrast aids can be beneficial for students who have difficulty reading and processing text displayed on the page due to visual distortions or discomfort. Students who report that text is fuzzy, don't appear to notice space between letters or words, have difficulty copying, or exhibit fatigue or discomfort (rubbing eyes, fidgeting) when reading may benefit from the use of contrast aids.
Choosing to write on different colors of paper or choosing different colors for background and font when completing the writing process on the computer can be beneficial for students who exhibit writing difficulties. Using different colored overlays on the text that these students are copying from will also help them be able to see the text that they are copying clearly.
Types of magnification aids include hand held magnifiers, pocket, stand magnifiers, bar and dome magnifiers and closed circuit televisions. Standard hand-held magnifiers are very portable and easy to use in many situations. Stand magnifiers are similar but will stand alone that do not require the user to hold them. Illuminated magnifiers add additional light but need to be held so they don’t rest on the surface of the paper. Bar and dome magnifiers rest on the paper, and magnify a single line or selected area.
These aids are primarily used with students who have low vision and only need a limited amount of magnification to be able to access standard print and other materials.
For additional information about accessing large type books in Allegany County Public Schools, email our Vision Teacher, Sue Felton, by clicking here.
However, current practice has suggested that modified picture supported reading can be of benefit if your goal is to develop emergent readers and writers early literacy attitudes and understanding. It is important to note that at no point does the literature or current good practice support the wholesale use of symbols to develop literacy or using symbols long term in a literacy program. Currently, no research has considered the influence of symbol supported text on language learning.
Here are some key questions that you need to ask yourself before you implement symbol supported text…
In county, Communicate: Symwriter and Boardmaker v6 are software sets purchased for all self-contained, SLE classrooms, and elementary schools that allow teachers to easily pair symbols and text to create adapted curriculum materials. In addition, News 2 You provides a weekly symbol supported themed newspaper and worksheet set. A sample can be downloaded here.
The graphic above right is a sample of a science handout created locally with Communicate:Symwriter. The whole document can be downloaded here.
Technology has great potential in providing access for all learners. Through the use of a variety of assistive, inclusive, or instructional technologies, students with wide ranging abilities and learning styles can access the general curriculum. When technology is appropriately integrated into the regular classroom, based on a thoughtful match of student skills and curricular tasks, students are provided with multiple means to complete their work. When considered after the curriculum media, materials, and tasks are developed it is assistive technology; when considered and integrated into the development of curriculum media, materials, and tasks it becomes universal design for learning (UDL). For additional information on matching technology, select the Consideration Process link above.
This site is designed to provide access to information and resources found in Allegany County Public Schools, not to be an exhaustive reference to the wide world of technology. By linking a reference of tools spanning the spectrum from low to high tech to common classroom needs we hope to create something that is useful and easy to navigate. By providing a way for you to contribute to the site we hope to create a tool that reflects use of practical and replicable strategies and tools that you’ve found to be of value. Select the contribute link above to submit strategies, web sites, files or other supports for addition to this site.