Using Graduated Guidance to Teach iPad Accessibility Skills to High School Students With Severe Intellectual Disabilities

Abstract

Advances in and the decreased cost of technology has resulted in a significant increase in educational programming that incorporates technology into the school curriculum. Specifically, the use of iPads has become quite common to support students social, communication, and academic outcomes in recent years; however, many students with moderate to severe disability do not have the access skills necessary to navigate these devices independently. This study investigated the effect of graduated guidance on iPad accessibility skill acquisition for three high school students with severe intellectual disability. Students were taught to swipe, drag, touch tap, minimize, and enlarge images on an iPad to access high-interest websites, images, and instructional resources. A multiple probe across students design was used to examine the effects of graduated guidance on the number of trials completed independently on each accessibility skill. Results indicated a functional relationship between the use of graduated guidance and student independent correct physical responses for all three students. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.