As a special education teacher I work everyday with individuals that have varying disabilities. According to the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act (IDEA, 2004), dyslexia and dysgraphia are subtypes of the Specific Learning Disability category. Dyslexia is the most prevalent subtype of learning disabilities. It is estimated that 5-10% of students in elementary school have dyslexia (Roongpraiwan, Ruangdaragon, Visudhiphan, and Santikul, 2002). Many of my students have excellent understanding and ideas but struggle to effectively communicate those ideas in writing.

Ghotit is a type of assistive technology that was created for people with dyslexia and dysgraphia. Assistive technology is "any item, piece of equipment, or product system, whether acquired commericially, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities (Hitchcock and Stahl, 2003)."

Ghotit Dyslexia Assistant. (2020, January, 9). Ghotit Exploring Video [Video file]. Retrieved from www.ghotit.com.

Ghotit works as an extention to already existing platforms. For example, Ghotit can be used as a supplement to Microsoft Office, websites, etc. Ghotit is compatible with both Mac and Windows based products.The app allows students who struggle with reading to use the augmented reading feature to assist them in reading a document. It allows students who struggle with writing to use their predictive text system, have definitions of words available with a click, and spelling and grammar correction.

[Ghotit photo]. Dyslexia Help for Children and Adults: Ghotit Dyslexia. www.ghotit.com

Seeing first hand the effect the dyslexia can have on someone inspired me to look into this program. Hopefully this is something that can be used to elevate the excellent ideas that exist within a dyslexic brain. This product provides access to information that previously seemed out of reach.

References:

Hitchcock, C. & Stahl, S. (2003). Assistive technology, universal design for learning: Improved learning opportunities. Journal of Special Education Technology, 18(4), 45-52.

Roongpraiwan, R. Ruangdaraganon, N., Visudhiphan, P., and Santikul, K. (2002). Prevalence and clinical characteristics of dyslexia in primary school students. Journal of the Medical Association of Thailand, 85(4), 97-103.