I am a Teacher Consultant for the Visually Impaired from Michigan that works with many low vision students that need access to what is being presented on the Smartboard on their own devices (i.e. an iPad or a Chromebook). This allows them the close proximity to the screen that they need, and also the ability to magnify smaller details on the screen as necessary. I just talked with Smart Tech Support and it seems that the only option for this currently is to use virtual meeting software (i.e. Teams, Zoom, Google Meet), which is what several of my students are using. The problem with this option is that there are several steps that the teacher and the student must take in order to open the meeting and adjust the settings (like muting the microphone, turning off the camera, minimizing windows that are needed, etc.). Both teachers and students have said that this is a cumbersome process, but it is the only way to make the Smart Board accessible for Visually Impaired students.

Clevertouch technologies have an app available called Clevershare, that allows the student to open the app, input a code presented on the smartboard (only 1 time), and then automatically shares in realtime what is on the board - whether that be presentations shared from the teacher's computer, or what they are drawing/noting on the board during instruction. This means that the student and the teacher, with the touch of a button, can ensure access without a cumbersome process that takes mutliple steps. I strongly encourage Smart technologies to come up with something similar, because as an advocate for the Visually Impaired, currently I would recommend that school districts choose other brands that provide ease of access for students with Low Vision.

Here is a link to the Clevershare web page for your reference: https://www.clevertouch.com/us/products/clever-software-solutions/clevershare

Thank you - Joshua Kimball-Cobbs, TCVI