SENSwitcher

SENSwitcher is a free cause and effect program that you can download or run online.  There are over 100 customizable cause and effect programs that can be used for progressive learning and as an assessment tool.  There are also teacher notes, model lesson plans, and checklists.  This is a great program to use at home or at school.

Free Training and Student Activity DVDs

District 75 has a library of assistive technology training DVDs available to you for free.   These tutorials will help you stay current with best practices, explore new technology, and get great ideas from your colleagues in District 75.  You can access the titles here. Follow the onscreen instructions to get your free copies of these professional development DVDs.

District 75 also has a DVD collection of stories and activities made specifically for students with disabilities.  You can find those titles here.  Again, follow the onscreen instructions to request your free copies.

Free, Web-based Text-to-Speech Services

ReadTheWords.com is a free, web-based service that allows you to quickly create an audio version of many types of electronic print on your Macintosh computer. After you create a free account, you can upload text files (Word, etc), website addresses, or PDF files and receive a clear audio file within minutes. You and your students can then download the audio file and listen to it on a computer or iPod. For example, I uploaded the text from a CNN.com article and had an excellent audio file within 5 minutes. Using this, my students had visual and audio access to age-appropriate current events.

ReadPlease is a similar program for classrooms that use Windows.