Some challenges in distance education for individuals with speech impairments may include:
Individuals who have speech impairments may use assistive devices with or without speech generating technology for communication. Some types of software programs may be incompatible with these devices and some equipment may not provide or support speech generating applications.
Voice recognition systems can be useful for individuals who are able to produce sounds consistently, but are not beneficial for those whose speech impairments cause a lack of loudness or clarity. Be aware that individuals who are able to use voice recognition systems will require ample time to test various products and adequate time to train the selected system to recognize the specific sounds and their association, produced by the individual.
Reasonable accommodations should be made for individuals with speech impairments for those portions of the coursework that rely on oral communication. For example, offer individual sessions in any interactive format for individuals with mild speech impairments. This provides an opportunity to ask questions for individuals previously unable to articulate during a discussion, conference or audio/video lecture due to time constraints, nervousness or other complications that stem from, or exacerbate, their speech impairment. Finally, individuals who must expend considerable effort and energy in producing speech should be given the option of communicating through text to allow them to demonstrate their comprehension and grasp of the subject matter.
Other accommodations for individuals with speech impairments may include:
The next page will present information about individuals who are blind or have low vision.
College of Architecture (COA)
Fax: 404-894-9320
Phone: 404-894-4960 (v/tty)
User Agreement
Disabilities
Speech Impairment
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