Case Study
Typio Saves Time for Teachers, Customizable for Students of All Abilities
Grace Cipressi teaches assistive technology and computers to students who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, blind or visually impaired. The school, located in Philadelphia, has around 40 students, aged kindergarten through eighth grade.
Students of Differing Abilities and Needs, All in One Classroom
Grace knew she would have several students of varying ages, grade levels and abilities in her classroom simultaneously. Some students were Deaf, others Hard of Hearing; several had visual impairments, and some had neurological conditions, such as Cortical Visual Impairment (CVI), that would become overstimulated due to too much occurring on the screen visually. According to the students’ Individualized Education Program (IEP) requirements and school curriculum guidelines, each student needed to learn to type. So when Grace accepted the job in the summer of 2019 she began to evaluate typing programs.
“I started looking at the free typing games online,” said Grace Cipressi, assistive technology instructor. “A lot of them had too many graphics, or the content moved too quickly. Many of the programs accessible to blind and visually impaired students rely on auditory feedback. I knew that wouldn’t work with my Deaf or Hard of Hearing students. I wanted to find one solution for everyone.”
After a Google search focusing on typing programs for students who are blind or visually impaired, Grace found an article listing Typio in the top three options. None of the other programs that Grace tried matched Typio’s ease of use, flexibility and versatility.
Typio, a Program That Does It All
Typio is a web-based typing platform equipped with a screen reader. It is compatible with multiple devices, from Mac to Windows computers, smartphones to tablets. In addition to the lessons included with the program, individualized lessons can be created. Teachers can easily monitor progress, and the software generates reports in mere seconds. Typio’s creator, Joe Jorgenson, was willing to make modifications to suit the needs and abilities of Grace’s students.
“When I first looked at Typio, I noticed it was initially developed for students with visual impairments,” said Grace. “I was worried it wouldn’t work for my students who are Deaf. I emailed Joe, and his response really sealed the deal for me. He gave me free programs for my Deaf students and invited me to email him about modifications that could be made to adapt the software to suit their needs. I appreciated Joe’s willingness to work with me. He’s very open to feedback, and we’ve been emailing back and forth all year.”
Since Grace’s Deaf students were in younger grades and just learning to read, Joe customized Typio by adding graphics to the spoken menu items. He included other visual cues to indicate what was spoken, so the students who were Deaf could work independently alongside their peers with visual impairments.
Time Saver and Self-Esteem Booster
The biggest benefit Grace found by using Typio was the time savings. Students could use Typio independently, working toward their IEP goals. This allowed Grace to walk freely around the classroom assisting students and answering questions. She could later check the Teacher Dashboard to see what each of her students learned in the program that day. Since the range of dates was customizable, she could track a student’s progress over time.
“Every report card season I’m thankful Typio has such great reporting capabilities,” said Grace. “During class, I’m normally running around the room attending to my students, and I don’t have time to record on paper what they’re doing each day. They often play many typing games in each class period. It’s great that everything I need is right there in the Teacher Dashboard.”
Throughout the year, Grace’s students increased their typing capabilities using Typio. What’s more, they found the program fun to use and confidence boosting in other areas of life.
“Typio is something they can do on their own, without help from anyone else,” said Grace. “I’ve noticed that kids have become more confident and are excited about attending computer class.”
Typio proved invaluable during distance learning due to COVID-19, as students could continue using it at home on family computers and smartphones. The program is located in the cloud and automatically saves results upon log out, so students were able to pick up where they left off, no matter the device used.
“I definitely plan to continue using Typio next year,” said Grace. “It has been super helpful, and I plan to use more features with my students in the future. I’m excited to see how the platform continues to evolve. The customer service of this product is above and beyond anything I’ve ever used before.”
Teacher
Grace Cipressi
Assistive Technology Instructor
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Results
- Had 32 students using Typio
- Students were Deaf, Hard of Hearing, blind, visually imapired and those with CVI
- Generated reports for each student in seconds using Accessibyte’s Teacher Dashboard
- Used Typio to meet the individualized needs of students, resulting in greater student engagement and learning
- Students used Typio during distance learning due to COVID-19, continuing at home from where they left off at school
Teacher
Grace Cipressi
Assistive Technology Instructor
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Results
- Had 32 students using Typio
- Students were Deaf, Hard of Hearing, blind, visually imapired and those with CVI
- Generated reports for each student in seconds using Accessibyte’s Teacher Dashboard
- Used Typio to meet the individualized needs of students, resulting in greater student engagement and learning
- Students used Typio during distance learning due to COVID-19, continuing at home from where they left off at school
