TAPit® Reinforces Its Commitment to Meeting the Needs of Special Education Students at BETT 2015

Underscoring its commitment to provide special needs students with an effective interactive and assistive learning solution, TAPit®, developers of the first ADA-compliant interactive learning station, today announced that it will be demonstrating its unique educational platform at BETT 2015 in the ExCeL London Convention Center at Stand #SN90. What’s more, the company will be showcasing how its learning station can work with Ken-A-Vision’s EduCam® software to provide a more complete special needs educational solution.

“We are very proud to showcase the remarkable applications of the TAPit platform for attendees of BETT 2015,” Denise Glatzhofer, TAPit Business Development Manager, said today. “Modern technology is revolutionizing education across the globe. Interactive platforms like TAPit enable educators to cater to special needs students individually, which helps lay the groundwork for success, regardless of the disability." 

According to Glatzhofer, the TAPit station has already been put to use by more than 1,000 schools in North America.  TAPit, or the Touch Accessible Platform for Interactive Technology, is the world’s first assistive learning center to use "intended touch" to serve a student’s special needs. This means that the platform can tell the difference between a purposeful interaction and an accidental interaction with the screen, which makes it easier for disabled students to learn. 

“This system is a transformative tool for therapists and educators because it minimizes barriers and maximizes flexibility by adapting to a student’s special needs,” Glatzhofer said. “It’s also the first ADA-compliant interactive learning station to provide a platform that supports shared occupational therapy and academic goals.”

Serving a wide range of students’ special needs, the TAPit platform provides multiple modes of learning to accommodate tactile, visual and auditory learners.

The program’s Fine Motor Delay function enables students to operate the screen using a finger, assistive device, or reach stick. Additionally, the work area is designed to ensure that the majority of students are able to reach the entire surface.

Students can use the interface to interact with applications on TAPit’s LCD panel, which helps to accommodate their lack of precision and accuracy in directing the mouse pointer. If a student is visually impaired, teachers, students and parents can resize graphics, adjust brightness and contrast controls, and enlarge images or change background colors.

The TAPit platform also caters to students with developmental delays; ongoing visual reinforcement complements lessons and improves functional capabilities. This allows students with ASD or ADD to track content with greater ease. “A student’s physical interaction with TAPit's visual stimulus offers an additional sensory channel to help process information,” Glatzhofer added.

What’s more, the TAPit platform is within reach for students using wheelchairs, walkers or other mobility devices, providing full access to the screen with easy adjustments that adapt to individualized needs. The TAPit platform can move up or down and the 42" interactive LCD panel can be tilted from 0 - 90 degrees.

Ken-A-Vision offers educational solutions with its market-leading EduCam® software. The company’s dynamic educational software unlocks today’s content by broadcasting real-time lessons, images, and student work. Students own their learning experience while expressing critical thinking, proving comprehension, and demonstrating creativity.

Also exhibiting in booth #SN90 is the world’s first affordably priced ‘plug and print’ 3D printer — the Robox® — from the British development company. “The development and widespread market availability of a full-featured, affordably priced 3D printer for the home market is exactly what educators have been waiting for,” Glatzhofer emphasized.  “By removing the price barrier, Robox is moving strategically to make the benefits of 3D printing immediately available to a large and growing consumer and commercial market.”