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students' disabilities ranged from speech and language impairments to mental retardation, and more than half were described as having a specific learning disability due to a psychological disorder.8 Children with disabilities vary with respect to the type and number of disabilities they have, and their disabilities vary in cause, degree, and the effect they have on the child's educational progress. Although children with disabilities are a very diverse group, data describing the demographic characteristics of students with disabilities suggest the following:   More than half of all students receiving special services are males. Most are in elementary or middle school. Most have no obvious disability; they have problems that are primarily academic, emotional, social, or behavioral.

Teachers have found that technological innovations can help level the playing field for special needs students and enable these students to succeed in the regular classroom.12 Technology for students with special needs is defined by federal law as “any item, piece of equipment, or product system, whether acquired commercially off the shelf, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities.”13 This broad definition encompasses a wide variety of both high-end and low-end technologies that have proven to be useful for improving educational options for students with disabilities. The following sections describe how various applications of computer technology can help meet the individual needs of students with disabilities and enable them to function effectively in the school setting.