How can technology help with learning disability?

[OscarSenior]

Hi,

I am interested to get advice what type of technology currently is used to support those with learning disability. What is the experience and what can be improved? Looking forward to your replies. Regards, Oscar

[Hidden]

Touchscreen and youtube are excellent tools to learn about things. Youtube has education programmes for all ages. Just google and search for phonic, colours, numbers, rhymes anything really

[Nijntje]

Ive just spent ages researching options for a smart watch for my brother with DSydrome. Nothing was quite right. He would like to rebuild his independence in a new area but gets lost or overwhelmed sometimes. A phone is too much to remember but a watch he can just put on in the morning would be ideal. But nothing was simple enough (from user interface to daily charging). I think a product where the interface can be scaled up and down in complexity would be great. It also needs to be future proof because unlike a child who will grow out of it, he will want to use it for a decade or more (so apps which potentially can become obsolete are a non starter) . Also the ability for a third person to be able to run updates etc remotely is a must because there is no-one who can do that for him.

[OscarSenior in reply to Nijntje]

Hi Nijntje (Dutch?), Thank you for your feedback. We at Oscar Senior are learning what apps are really useful to put on our dashboard. The feedback I got is very helpful. Thank you! Regards, Oscar (oscarsenior.com)

dashboard with useful apps?

[class9F]

My son in supported living has an echo show. He can ask it to play music he likes and I program reminders from my phone for things like his favourite TV programs (strictly is on at a different time each week), watering plants, getting ready to go out so he is ready when I pick him up. We have also found YouTube a useful tool for furthering his literacy skills. He knows he can find almost anything on there and will try to spell words out to find what he wants.

[OscarSenior in reply to class9F]

Hallo, That is very useful information. Will he be able to use a tablet with a very easy to use dashboard? On the dashboard you could add (remotely) his favourite apps, reminders, video calling. Thank you for your support. Oscar (oscarsenior.com)

[InclusiveZoom]

We run Zoom sessions for people with learning disabilities. What I love about these sessions is the joy on people’s faces when they see others who they count as friends. We have people join from as far away as California but we are linked by a common purpose of wanting to have fun together and make friendships and encourage one another. The activities are varied but all are designed with to be inclusive and welcoming, Carol 😊

[OscarSenior in reply to InclusiveZoom]

Hi, Thank you for your advice. We noticed that some users find it difficult to use zoom, skype, etc. Our platform has a build in tool to create different groups and start a webinar or groupcall. The device of the user (tablet) will switch on automatically just before the call starts. What is your experience? Regards, Oscar (oscarsenior.com)

[InclusiveZoom in reply to OscarSenior]

We haven’t found any problems with people being able to log on to Zoom. If you would like to join one of our sessions to see what we do please let me know - you would be very welcome! Carol 😊

[Annabellelily Community friend]

Hi Oscar! Others have given brilliant recommendations, especially in terms of touch screens and youtube resources etc., so building on that, I would specifically recommend text-to-speech and speech-to-text apps. They are very helpful and presumably are available on all devices

[OscarSenior in reply to Annabellelily]

Hi, Thank you for your reply. There are many speech-to-text and text-to-speech apps. Would you have a recommandations? We like to load our platform (on a tablet) with useful apps. Of course the user or a coach can (remotely) add/delete apps on the tablet. Appreciate your thoughts. Regards, Oscar (oscarsenior.com)

[Funnygames]

Hi all. I'm very interested also as I work in digital tech and interesting to developing bespoke tech or configuring personalised tech. My daughter is PMLD and autistic and she is driven to learn and use whatever can satisfy her particular interests. Much of these are based on music and YouTube video clips, so she enjoys the use of iPhone, iPad and Mac that she feels in control over. But this only works for her specific interests so all tech must allow for highly personalised experiences. Happy to discuss further with anyone interested in this field. There are other tech startups in the UK with video based learning, etc.