Blog C Assistive Technology

What is assistive technology? When first presented with this question I had little idea of how to answer aside from computers and telephones and tape recorders that make everyday life easier. Now I have had the opportunity to see how much more assistive technology can be and how necessary it is to have in the classroom. In the ideal class everyone would learn at the same pace and in the same way, but that is not how life works. Students learn differently and there will always be students ahead or behind in a class, this, however, is no reason to let them fall farther behind. With assistive technology teachers can find more effective ways of teaching students with disabilities.

Universal Design for Learning, or UDL, is a system created by CAST
(http://www.cast.org/research/udl/index.html), which provides teachers with the resources to create goals and assessments, as well as discover the methods and materials available to them to allow a greater range of accommodation for different learners in their classroom. Research has proven that people’s brains actually process information in different ways. What this means is that we, as teachers, need to find different ways of getting information across to students. By failing to provide a method and the materials that work for different types of learners we are failing to give students the chance to learn all that they can as well as the opportunity to appreciate and love the ability to learn. And convincing to schools to comply with requests for classroom aid was made easier with the help of a 1998 amendment to the Rehabilitation act, which strengthens the necessity for the provision of informational and electronic technology to employees as well as the public in Federal agencies such as public schools.

When visiting the Kalikow Center we were able to look at different examples of assistive technology that could easily be used in a classroom to create a more successful learning environment for multiple learning types. One of the tools I enjoyed using was the LOMAC, which provides students who are paralyzed below the neck or have lost use of their hands/arms to type on a computer using a headset or visor with a clip-on laser devise to pinpoint the letters or keys. At first, this was not an easy tool to use because it required time and precision, but it was also clear that with practice and familiarization paralyzed students would be able to type quickly and accurately without the need to dictate to a teacher. Another assistive technology I tried out was Touch Numbers, a system created to give students a visual representation of numbers to help them with basic math. The technique can be carried on through higher math and make the intangible idea of numbers much more real for visual learners to grasp. The drawback of this system would be when students reach a math where numbers no longer have the same properties, such as fractions where they cannot just be added or multiplied in the same way whole numbers can. A favorite item that I was able to use was the Start-to-Finish books. These are abridged versions of classic novels and popular school assigned books that would be perfect for students reading either above or below their reading level. The books look similar to the copies other students would have, eliminating the embarrassment of being behind, but they also provide a CD where the book is read aloud with a clear distinction of each character so that students can hear accents and implied tones. For students reading above level you could select a book a level or two higher than they are in a Start-to-Finish book so that they are not overwhelmed by vocabulary and topics beyond their knowledge.

When searching for a different type of assistive technology I came across Kindertools (http://www.kindertools.com/). These are everyday tools such as silverware, toothbrushes, crayons, paintbrushes which have specially designed handles to help children with the development of fine motor skills. The handles are detachable and their position on the tool can be rearranged depending on how a child would grip the object. For student who have trouble grasping or making small movements, these tools can help them develop the motor skills they need. I liked this idea because they incorporated not only classroom tolls for coloring, painting, and drawing, but also objects they use at home such as toothbrushes, spoons, and forks, to help them develop their skills wherever they are.

All of these technologies are designed to help students with disabilities not feel left out or segregated for their inability to do the same things other students can. All students deserve the ability to learn in whatever way is best for them and it is the responsibility of teachers and parents to make sure that the right tools are provided for them. Assistive technology is available to everyone who is willing to take an extra step. The perfect classroom would not have students who needed special assistance, but perfect is not only unachievable, it is overrated. Children are all different and they all learn in a variety of ways that should be accommodated in the classroom. I will definitely be using a variety of assistive technologies in my classroom to include all students in the curriculum and provide for all types of learners so that every student has the same opportunity to love to learn.