Voiceover

A sense of touch doesn't give much of a clue when a blind person uses the smooth, featureless interface of a tablet device like this iPad2. Fortunately those clever people at Apple include a "talking computer" app called Voiceover with their products. So people like the young musician in this picture can compose, record and edit their songs by seeing the display with their ears.

Helpful "Pound Shop" audio accessory

There are many challenges facing a learner who is both visually and hearing impaired when he or she is using a computer fitted with access technology. Not least of these is the sheer number of voices they must focus on. In an apparently straightforward classroom (group) situation, where a Learning Support Assistant (LSA) is working with a teacher to help such a student, there are multiple conversations to make sense of. At any one time those talking may include:


• The teacher

• The LSA

• The screen reader app’s voice

• Other students

Using a low-cost headphone splitter can help create a more productive learning environment:

The headphone splitter directs an audio feed to the learner's digital hearing aids and another to the LSA's headphones.