Assistive Technology Case Study

This article focuses on the many forms of technology in relation to special education. The article discusses the “high” and “low” forms of technology that is available for students with special needs to help “bypass” or “compensate” for their disabilities. The article goes on to survey the current status of assistive technology for the special education population. In the end, the article uncovers that the use of assistive technology for the special education population is promising though uncertain. Assistive technology has proven to be beneficial for students with learning disabilities, as it would empower them to work beyond their normal capabilities (Lewis, 1998).

1. Was I aware of the laws pertaining to students’ rights regarding accessing assistive technology?

I will find out if patient is responsive first. If responsive, I will ask the following questions:

Mr. Tim is a 52-years-old, Caucasian male, married, born in LaSalle, IL. He lives in an apartment since April 2013 with his wife and son. His family supports his efforts with everything. His present source of income is SSDI. He drove trucks for thirty years and is interested in becoming a dispatcher for trucking company. He is not going to school at present but would be interested in going to school to become a youth counselor.

Assistive technology and ePortfolios can pair well to assist disabled students and help create and maintain an environment for learning that will promote respect for and appreciation of human diversity. As time and technology goes on there have been great strides in integrating the blind into society on a basis of equality, ensuring full access to information technology and resources.

The use of technology in educating children with special needs has widely grown in the past few decades, and has since has changed the way people with disabilities live, work, and learn” (Winzer, 2002, p. 98). 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, have helped people to find useful and easier ways to become educated.

Assistive technology is any device, aids or services, that substitute or compensate for an impaired physical or mental ability. (Grand Canyon University. n.d. Lecture 1) There are a number of assistive technology devices available to use with students. The members of the IEP team will collaborate to determine the devices, if any, that fit the needs of the special education student. There is a range of options available, from low-tech devices using no electronics and usually inexpensive, to high-tech devices, that are often computer based and can be expensive. (Dell, Newton, Petroff, 2012) Some examples of a low-tech assistive devices are, pencil grips and extra wide pens or pencils. These devices will aid the student with fine motor problems and help them to write and draw in

My Assistive Technology Implementation Plan artifact demonstrates my ability to facilitate the use of adaptive and assistive technologies to support individual student learning needs by allowing my student to master the standard using digital resources

Completing the School Profile of Assistive Technology Services was an eye opening experience. I anticipated above average scores in all categories but, upon finishing the scores and reflection, I realize we operate on more of a case-by-case basis instead of having a uniform plan for referral, evaluation and review across the district.

The technologies described in this article were made to enhance a person’s learning experience by making it easier to access learning materials such as e-books and other learning materials. The purpose of this article was to introduce the uses of technology and how they are used to make learning easier and more accessible, but what it doesn’t say is how the use of these technologies are helpful and use for individuals with disabilities (mental, physical,

Donna has had some introduction to assistive technology because she uses a CCTV device during her classes. “Assistive technology makes information displayed visually and in print available and readable for students, and provides information about the world that might not ordinarily be possible for them to know.” (Allman, C., Lewis, S., McNear, D. and Farrenkopf, C. 2014) Students have an enhanced ability to be in control of their learning with the use of assistive technology. IDEA describes assistive technology as any item, program, equipment or product that improves functional capability for a child with a disability. Danna’s use of Braille would also qualify as an assistive technology for her. An activity that would use both her CCTV and Braille would be for Donna to practice taking notes from the board. The teacher or even other student could assist Donna with developing these

When I first registered for this course, I wasn’t sure what to expect. A few weeks went by and I received the syllabus on Blackboard. After looking over the syllabus and looking at the assignments that I would be completing, I was excited to see that we would be talking about Assistive Technology. I had known about Assistive Technology and how it can and how it is used in the classroom to help students. The school that I work at uses a lot of low tech Assistive Technology in the classrooms such as fat pencils in the kindergarten classes, pencil grips for students who have finger gripping challenges, and wobble stools for students who have a hard time sitting for long periods of times, to name a few. The school also uses mid-high

Kurzweil 3000 was a good educational software to provide reading and writing. I learned in Trends of Technology is about Assistive Technologies can use the screen readers that you can hear electronic text as a speech-to-text software to use their voice to enter to your text. However, Assistive Technology can be useful for a students with disabilities it can make things possible. Moreover, students without disabilities it makes things easier. With this new knowledge in my life was i can read the words aloud, writing a misspelled words, and highlighting a important text in the worksheets.

Technology is rapidly changing and growing, and the ability to use technology is almost essential for working in the real world. Educators are not only responsible for teaching students how to use common technologies but are also responsible for assisting students in using technology to improve there ability to learn and stay engaged in the classroom. There are various articles and studies that have been done to show that different types of basic technology, and more specialized assistive technology, can have a benefit on the education for students’ with disabilities. Along with the articles and studies done on the effectiveness of technology in the classroom, there are a multitude of website that offer resources and extensive research on devices and apps created to help improve students accessibility to the classroom and curriculum. The Library of Congress is a valuable tool when it comes to integrating technology in the classroom. There are various types of primary and secondary sources available to assist students in understanding different topics along with interactive websites to help students remain engaged in the learning process.

One trend in special education classrooms is the increased use of assistive technology. It is very uncommon to walk into a classroom today and not see some form of technology there for the student’s benefit. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention almost 17 million Americans are using some kind of assistive technology. (Number of Persons Using Assistive Technology Devices, 2015) This is increase in technology in and out of the classroom thanks to the increase raise and development of today’s technology. Through these advances children are able to have technology that make it easier for them to communicate, participate in the classroom, and be more involved in their learning process. Assistive technology varies between the skill levels and needs of each individual child but can include things as simple as an eReader or as complex as a wheelchair that is controlled by the head movements of the child. Through each of these creations children have been able to set and achieve goals that would have been unheard of 30 or 40 years ago. Assistive technology has come a long way in the past few years; it also has many varieties, purposes, and benefits. This helps provide a bright outlook on new advances to help future children inside and outside of the classroom.