New Technologies Engage Students With Disabilities

By Frank Schultz, The Janesville Gazette , Wis. (MCT)

Janeseville, Wis.

Kyle Beasley is a smart 2nd grader with an infectious grin. He's also functionally blind.

Until last fall, the 7-year-old used 8-by-11-inch Braille texts that teachers printed for him on a special machine. Each page cost about $1. He once had four lockers just to store his textbooks.

Today, the student at Roosevelt Elementary School in Janesville, Wis., easily carries his own iPad and a special Braille translator that allow him to read all his textbooks, send emails, access the Internet, check the weather, and do just about anything anyone else can...