Assistive Technology
The use of technology in educating children with special needs has widely grown in the past few decades. Individuals with special needs are unique and all have different areas in which they need assistance. Due to the advancements in assistive technology, computer programs, software, and other technology tools, it has become much easier for people to find useful and easier ways to become educated. Because of this, “technology has changed the way people with disabilities live, work, and learn.” (Winzer,98)
Although computers were initially created for use in business, they have since become a key resource for teaching all children, including those with special needs.(Winzer, 83) Many computers have the the ability to be programmed to respond and react differently for different users. Individuals with sight problems can adjust color and brightness to assist them in viewing programs. Children with hearing problems can adjust volume controls and replace noise commands with visual demands. For example, if a child clicks on a program that is unable to open, they can program the computer to respond with a verbal message informing them of the inaccessible program.
There are currently over one thousand different software programs available for teachers and students with special needs. Olson, author of Teaching Children and Adolescents with Special Needs places these programs into four different types of applications: traditional, exploratory tool and communication. Traditional applications are those that directly educate the individual. An example of traditional application software is called drill and practice software. “Drill and practice software is the most commo...
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...be expected to live up to its potential.”(Winzer, 98) Some of the problems associated with the internet are inaccurate information, lack or need for censorship, cost and proper use. Other types of programs that are in this category are electronic field trips and interactive distance learning. Through these types of programs, children can gain knowledge and experience different places without having to leave their classroom.
“Assistive technology provides powerful tools for students with disabilities to become an integral part of school and society.”(Olson, 341)
Assistive technology devices are defined 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.(Olson, 342)
In this paper I will discuss two different case studies. The first case study involves a 35-month old girl named Kim who struggles with meal time, potty training, and play time with others. I will discuss four assistive technology devices, that would work for Kim. These devices will assist Kim with balance, mobility and undressing. The second case study involves a school age child name Billy, who struggles with benchmark objectives. Billy is in the fourth grade and use Assistive technology devices reading and math. I will discuss different AT devices that can be used to assist Billy with reading and math.
Technology may offer a variety of options for students who may struggle with written expression or have learning difficulties or disabilities. Programs can simplify website, such as netTrekker; encourage visual expressions of knowledge, such as PowerPoint or Google Slides. Students can add images, words, recorded audio and videos.
“The purpose of the Wisconsin Assistive Technology Initiative (WATI) is to provide a comprehensive and thorough assistive technology assessment process” (Barbara, n.d., para. 14). WATI consists of an Assistive Technology Consideration Guide that is made like a table. Horizontally the table entails tasks that the student might be expected to complete in the classroom. Vertically the table asks if the student completes the tasks with special accommodations or AT devices. It also asks what new assistive technology the student will try (Marino, 2006). The ultimate goal of the WATI is to consider different types of AT, and to ensure that the student receives the best services and accommodations. Which will allow the student to learn the curriculum to his/ her full potential and meet the IEP and IFSP objectives (Barbara,
Including technology in lessons, for instance with applications and websites, can raise a student’s enthusiasm to learn and make lessons more suitable their specific needs. Students with these types of auditory disorders can also benefit from the use assistive technology so that they may able to adjust better in the classroom setting of typical students, and allow them to perform at their highest potential can be reached in ways that were not available in the past. Teachers must make adjustments for students with various learning styles and disabilities so that they can become productive citizens in a world that is constantly
Click the image below and visit Nancy's site, Special Appucations to see information and tools to help make the learning process fun and engaging for kids with special needs.
Assistive technology is often used by individuals with a learning disability. A learning disability “describes a neurobiological disorder in which a person’s brain works or is structured differently” (Lee1). A person’s abilities can be severely affected from a learning disability. They may listen differently, talk differently, write, spell, organize, and work with school subjects in a different way. Learning disabilities also affect people’s individual and personal lives to a great extent. According to the National Institutes of Health, one in seven children has a learning disability. The disability manifests itself when the child shows difficulty in reading, writing, spelling, and conversing with others. The added time they need to process information may make them seem less intelligent then others around them, but this is not the case. Individuals with learning disabilities are just as smart as anyone else; they just need to learn in a different way. The earlier a learning disability is noticed and detected, the earlier a child may be able to learn how to deal with or compensate for it (Lee 1). This is where assistive technology comes into play.
Instructional planners should design a variety of experiences that will allow active participation of the learners. The gap that exist between the level at which students with learning disabilities perform as well as the demands of the curriculum that they normally are expected to cover is wide. As a result, incorporating instruction design and technology in their learning will certainly go a long way. Ginsberg and Karen (2008)argues that technology, whether instructional or assistive, has however, played uneven role within the individuals with learning disabilities since it was started. Moreover, technology can be said to be in a constant state of flux, and consequently, several authors have indicated the need to have appropriate experimental testing of the interventions. Currently, a number of schools are seeking to improve learning outcomes of the students while employing certain instructional design and technology theories not only to guide but also to enrich the literacy instruction for the students with disabilities. This article hence discusses the common instructional design and technology theories and models relevant for individuals with disability.
The World Health Organization put forward a document in 1980 titled, International Classification of Impairments, Disabilities and Handicaps (ICIDH). This document defines individuals with disabilities as having an impairment that does not allow them to contribute to everyday conventional activities and in which they are incapable of performing their normal role, resulting in a disability. The use of assistive technology then comes in order to minimise interruption to a user’s habituated and desired ways of doing things, which then results in an enhanced quality of life (DeRuyter, F. 2002). A massive development has gone through the application of technology in improving the problems of people with disability in the last two decades. Devices and services that are applied to ameliorate the difficulties faced by persons with disabilities or illness mainly parallel the definition of assistive technology (Cook and Hussey, 2002).
There are many devices in the market that were designed to make education easier for both the instructor and those with a disability. I have chosen to discuss Math Assistive Technology Devices. These tools are designed to help many who struggle with organizing, computing, and writing math problems on paper. Those who do struggle benefit with help from audio and visual support, these are just a couple support ides that will allow users to set up and calculate anything from basic to advanced math problems.
1.Name at least three items that could be considered AT and describe how those devices could support a student with a disability in the classroom.
Several assistive listening devices can improve the communication ability of deaf children. According to IDEA, every child with a disability is entitled to have access to assistive technology (California Department of Education, 2004). The California Department of Education (2004) outlines IDEA’s definition of an assistive technology device. It explains that this device consists of “any item, piece of equipment or product system…that is used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities of a child with a disability” (California Department of Education, 2004, p. 1).
... CLD info sheets: assistive technology. Council for Learning Disabilities. Retrieved on April 24, 2005, from http://www.cldinternational.org/c/@CS_yKIo7l8ozY/Pages/assistive.html
This paper was written to spark the debate on how technology can be used to help students with disabilities do better on standardized testing. All students, regardless
But how is this achieved? The range of special needs covers a very wide spectrum. It will be necessary therefore to examine how ICT can support the various needs. Standard equipment is often suitable for children with SEN. the settings of the computer can be changes to make it more computer friendly.
The Impact of the Internet on Education A dusty, one-bedroom schoolhouse on the edge of a village. An overworked teacher trying to manage a room full of boisterous children. Students sharing schoolbooks that are in perpetual short supply, crammed in rows of battered desks. Children worn out after long treks to school, stomachs rumbling with hunger.