TECHNOLOGY IN

SPECIAL
EDUCATION
Assistive Technology for Students with Visual Impairments in the Music
Classroom

By: Bianca Cendejas

 - Visual impairments in the music
classroom, some assistive technology:
braille, braille music, notetaker,laptop,
and braille embossers
- Colleges, school district, and

Description community not-for-profit agencies

who know of the technology can
provide on-site translation of
materials into accessible formats
 - Use to translate the music sheet
so the visually impaired student
can participate in class
- Can have a quick translation
How Students Use music notation into braille
music notation
- Use a notetaker, braille
embosser (braille on paper), or a
laptop for text-to-speech
 - Makes the student feel included
in the lesson
Pros - Can potentially help the other
students in having an
alternative to learning the
music
 - Could make the student feel
Cons -
different if not offered
Has the potential of being
expensive
 - https://kidshealth.org/en/teens
/visual-impairment.html

Youtube/Link
Image
 Rush, Toby W. “Incorporating Assistive Technology for

Reference
Students with Visual Impairments into the Music
Classroom.” Music Educators Journal, vol. 102, no.
2, Dec. 2015, pp. 78–83. EBSCOhost,
search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=e
ric&AN=EJ1082870&site=ehost-live.
Incorporating Assistive Technology for Students with Visual Impairments into the Music Classroom

Although recent advances make it easier than ever before for students with severe visual impairments to be fully accommodated in
the music classroom, one of the most significant current challenges in this area is most music educators’ unfamiliarity with current
assistive technology. Fortunately, many of these tools are readily available and even free, and using them to provide a comfortable
and inclusive environment in the classroom is fairly simple and requires only a small amount of additional preparation.
Assistive technology; braille; braille music; disabilities; visual impairment
Current accessible assistive technology means that all students, including those with visual limitations, can participate in music
learning.
Thanks to recent advancements in assistive technology, students with visual impairments can succeed in the music classroom with
greater ease than ever before.1 [ 1] Interestingly, one of the biggest challenges in the field today is not making music curricula more
accessible to students with visual impairments; it is making assistive technology more accessible to sighted teachers.2 [ 2]
This is certainly not the first time this problem has been identified, but it should be noted that most previous articles on this topic
have predated the advent of more recent computer hardware and software that are fundamentally changing how students with
visual impairments can participate in the traditional classroom.3 [ 3] Many colleges, school districts, and community not-for-profit
agencies have experts on staff who are familiar with this technology and who can provide on-site translation of materials into
accessible formats. While these specialists may often be unfamiliar with issues specific to music, they can nevertheless provide
valuable instructional and financial assistance for music teachers to use assistive educational technology.
Additionally, there are several software solutions available that allow for quick translation of traditional music notation into braille
music notation—a service that traditionally has required the services of an experienced professional translator—as well as ways for
students with visual impairments to compose and analyze music that do not require the use of braille music notation at all. These
tools are available to anyone, and many of them are free.
This article describes some of the most common technologies available to music educators and students with visual impairments and
some examples of how they can be used to facilitate the standard teacher–student interactions that make up a music course. While
this article focuses primarily on interactions in an academic music course—for example, a dedicated course on music theory, aural
skills, or music history or lessons on these topics within the curriculum of a performance ensemble—many of these techniques will be
useful for other music courses, both academic and performance based.4 [ 4]