DAISY Helps a Child with a Learning Disability in a Mainstream Classroom

By Misako Nomura, Information Center,
Japanese Society for Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities

February 29, 2012
Presentation at 27th Annual International Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference
(2012 CSUN Conference)

Introduction

I would like to share with you how DAISY has helped a child with a learning disability (LD) in a mainstream classroom.
　I am working for the Information Center of Japanese Society for Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities (JSRPD). My section in the Information Center started providing school textbooks in full text and full audio-synchronized DAISY formats to pupils with reading disabilities, including learning disabilities, from elementary to junior high school in cooperation with volunteer organizations after the establishment of the so-called “Accessible Textbooks Act” and the amendment of the related copyright law in 2008. As of February 2012, the number of users is 1109. Those digital textbooks are requested mostly by special education teachers whose responsibility it is to support LD children with an IEP (Individual Education Plan) in their special education room or resource room, since DAISY multimedia came to be known as an effective tool for the target children who have difficulties in reading books. Most of those teachers are using textbooks in DAISY format for LD children with an IEP to help them study in advance for a regular class. Thus, there are few cases of DAISY multimedia being used in a mainstream classroom. So it is a challenge for a regular teacher to use DAISY in a mainstream classroom to support LD children who want to study together with other classmates even though they have reading and writing problems. 　We started conducting research on how a regular teacher can do effectively support a child with a learning disability in using DAISY textbooks assisted by a special education teacher. At the beginning of this case study we discussed what subjects we would choose for producing textbooks in the DAISY format for the target child and how the textbooks and exam questions in the DAISY multimedia format would be produced for him. We also discussed creating a suitable environment to meet the needs of the target child regarding his use of DAISY textbooks and exam questions in a mainstream classroom. In other words we asked what we would need to take into consideration in order to help him study comfortably and at the same time not bother his fellow classmates in the classroom.

The target child

The target child is a boy with a learning disability diagnosed as developmental dyslexia at the Osaka Medical University in Japan. In the first and second grades of elementary school he felt he was stupid and lost confidence because he could not read well however hard he tried. He has an average intellectual level. In the third grade he started to attend a special education class and also started using DAISY textbooks there in order to study in advance for a regular class, as suggested by his special education teacher. In his special education class, he himself found it very effective for him to understand the textbooks. So, he wants to use DAISY textbooks in a mainstream classroom in order to study with other classmates.

Research has started

In accordance with the child’s wishes, we set up a research group called “DAISY team“ in cooperation with his regular teacher and special education teacher. We chose two subjects, Japanese language and Science, and exam questions on them. Science was chosen because of his interest in it. 　For Japanese class, textbooks in DAISY multimedia format shown on a big screen were used for everyone in the class when they read it aloud together. When the regular teacher told the class to work on textbooks individually, the target child used a tablet computer to read DAISY textbooks with a headphone so as to not bother others. We provided a tablet computer because he is not good at using computer keyboard. He also used this computer whenever he had an examination. In a special education room, the teacher taught him how to use a computer to read DAISY textbooks. Since the child has difficulties in reading and writing, the teacher also helped him improve his basic knowledge of Japanese such as the hiragana alphabet and Chinese characters. At home, the target child studied the Japanese textbook on his own to prepare for class, using a DAISY textbook available on the computer. He progressed at his own pace.

DAISY textbooks and examination questions in the DAISY format

Each unit in Japanese and science textbooks was transformed into the DAISY format so that its text and image could be presented in the same layout as in the original textbooks. The highlighted part of the text was kept short, and the same ruby characters as in the original textbooks were used. Similarly, examination questions were transformed into the DAISY format. The following screen shot of “A Small Fox Called Gon Gitsune” illustrates the details of Multimedia textbooks in the DAISY format.

The following features can be found when you play DAISY textbooks.
(1) Text, audio, and images are synchronized.
(2) Vertical text and horizontal text in DAISY format are available.
(3) Navigation is available.
(4) The text being heard is highlighted.
(5) The ruby for Chinese characters is added if necessary.
(6) Different playback styles are available by changing the display settings, font size, color contrast, and reading speed.

When playing DAISY textbooks, the target pupil used software called “AMIS” and “EasyReader” installed on a tablet computer. “AMIS,” a free software, was used for the Japanese textbook, while the “Japanese version of EasyReader,” a proprietary software, was used for the science textbook. The big difference between “AMIS” and “EasyReader” is that you can enlarge the images of the textbooks when using “EasyReader,”but not when using “AMIS.” If you want to use iPad or iPhone to read textbooks, you can do so on the software called “Voice of DAISY,” purchased through iTunes. When a DAISY textbook was read by the whole class, it was played using an electronic blackboard, or the content being played on a PC was shown by a projector on a white sheet put over a blackboard.

Findings from this research

From reflections on the　classes performed in the regular class including the target pupil, discussions at the follow-up seminar, observations of the target pupil taking examinations in the DAISY format, his examination scores, and responses to questionnaires and interviews from the teachers working in the resource room and the regular classroom where the target child belongs, the following findings were made regarding the use of DAISY.

• Making use of DAISY textbooks in the regular class in collaboration with special education room teaching has helped the target pupil to restore and maintain his self-esteem and promoted his participation in the class.
• Previously the target pupil had not been able to study at home by himself, but now that he can, his irritation about having to rely on his mother has disappeared and his mental burden has been eased.
• Examination questions in the DAISY format allowed the target pupil who cannot read or answer at all on ordinary paper tests to read and answer questions on his own, to get almost average scores, and to show academic achievement.
• In whole class teaching where the target pupil used DAISY textbooks with a PC, DAISY had been introduced to all the students beforehand, which enabled inclusive teaching.
• DAISY has such features as changing font sizes and high contrasts, opening and closing a side bar where a table of contents is presented. These features were used to customize an easy-to-read interface to meet the needs of the target pupil.
• Use of a multi-touch PC had a positive effect on the target pupil’s understanding, because the content was read aloud whenever he just touched a passage he could not understand.
• Before using DAISY, the regular class teacher had often read textbooks and examination questions for the target pupil, but once DAISY was introduced this was no longer necessary and the teacher’s burden was eased. However, other, new problems arose. It takes time, for example, to prepare the necessary devices for DAISY to be used by the entire class.

Conclusion

In this study, it seems that the target pupil was able to realize, “I can study with others,” by using DAISY textbooks and examination questions in the DAISY format. Behind this outcome was collaboration between the special education room teachers and regular class instructors, as well as the cooperation of parents. In addition, the introduction of DAISY to the pupils other than the target child in the regular class facilitated inclusive teaching. However, since the target pupil’s reading skills have not improved, support through DAISY should be continued. Moreover, because the target pupil has writing difficulties as well, in examinations using questions in DAISY format, alternative ways to answer questions should be considered and provided, which is another issue to be solved.
　We evaluated the analysis done by a regular teacher and special education teacher about the change of the target child’s attitude toward reading before and after using DAISY and how DAISY has helped him to read and understand the textbooks. He succeeded in completing an exam in DAISY multimedia format without any help from a regular teacher who previously had been reading aloud the exam questions for him.
　He felt happy to study with others in a mainstream class using an effective tool like DAISY, since he had felt before that he could not read well and was therefore stupid. We are sure that he regained self-esteem. However, he continued to have severe difficulties in writing, even though he understood the questions on the exams. In order solve this problem considerable efforts may be needed to produce exam questions in a DAISY multimedia format that will allow him to answer them easily.
　In this sense, the purpose of providing DAISY textbooks to the target children is not only to improve his reading ability but also to ensure that he has support for continuous use of the DAISY materials.

Finally, I would like to say something about the financial support for our activities in providing DAISY textbooks for children with reading problems. As I mentioned earlier, “Accessible Textbooks Act” allowed us to produce DAISY Textbooks and it means that　our activities are legally supported by the Government, but there is no budgetary allocation for such activities. I strongly hope that the Japanese Government will give financial assistance to our activities, because books and textbooks that can be read by everyone are considered to be a “reasonable accommodation” ensured under the UN Convention on the Right of Persons with Disabilities, to which Japan is party.