Assistive Technology Essay

The author of this article is a professor in the Department of Special Education at San Diego University. In addition to his participation in the Department of Special Education at the University, Rena B. Lewis, PhD is a member of the faculty of the San Diego State University-Claremont Graduate University doctoral program. She focuses much of her research on the application of technology for individuals with learning disabilities. Her qualifications alone would make me feel confident in her writing and findings. The article was published in the Journal of Learning Disabilities in

In this artifact, I researched for alternative technological tool(see Assistive technology.doc) for students with disabilities to represent how technology could be a great assistance for them. This assignment represents how technology could be used by all students no matter what they need. Therefore, in this assignment, I looked for tools and ways to implement access to technology resources for students who have neuromuscular difficulties, and/or difficulties of counting with her finger to show that there are varieties of technological tool for all the needs.

The world is constantly changing and evolving. Yet mankind does not like change. Many people resist it for as long as possible. One of the biggest changes in the past few decades has been the development of the Internet. With the Internet came a plethora of different advancements in how we communicate with each other. There have been so many recently with everything from e-mail to Facebook; it is difficult to keep up. Which is why some people don’t bother. Technology has endless possibilities especially when it comes to education. It can allow us to communicate in new and more effective ways to reach students who may have had trouble in the past due to disabilities. Technology should be integrated into the classroom to help students with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) and/or Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) because technology allows them to learn more.

Johnny is totally blind in both eyes. This is a defect from birth and there is no hope for correction. Johnny is a very bright and ambitious student. He does not let his impairment affect the quality of his life. He is completely self-dependent. He uses his walking stick to get from class to class and because the school is equipped with an AT setting, Johnny is able to make to the correct class by using the Braille directly under the room

Knowing and having a deep understanding of how the student’s difficulties or disabilities can help in modifying a lesson plan or in planning a student’s individualized educational program (IPP).

Throughout this six week course, Meeting Individual Needs with Technology, we have researched the spectrums of Assistive Technology available for the individual and the classroom, and researched the different types of disabilities and how the Assistive Technology can aid students in navigating life and succeeding as individuals.

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 becoming more prevalent in today’s classrooms. It is helping students with disabilities to access curriculum they were not able to in previous generations. Many laws have been put in place to ensure the availability of assistive technology to all who need it. Laws such as Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) and Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) have put an emphasis on public education systems providing necessary funding for these individuals placing their needs first.

In 1984 five clinicians from North Shore Children’s Hospital in Salem, MA founded the Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST). They met in a local pizza parlor and conceived the idea to “explore ways of using new technologies to provide better educational experiences to students with disabilities.” They were given an anonymous grant of $15,000 to get started and CAST began to focus on how technology could enhance the learning experiences for students with disabilities (CAST Timeline 2015). Today UDL is being applied in classrooms other learning environments to better accommodate the learning styles of all students. UDL is a powerful and flexible form of curricula, which is designed to embrace and enhance the natural variability of learners (Glass, Meyer, Rose 2013).

Results from Moore & Calverts computer program survey indicated that the ICT driven programs obtained a higher program satisfaction than the teacher-led group. Students are seen as more attentive and focused on tasks (Moore & Calvert, 2000). Children demonstrated and communicated a higher level of vocabulary. Heimann, Nelson, Tjus, and Gillberg (1995) investigated the use of an interactive computer program a typical group gained, on all their standardized measures from pre to post testing also made further improvements at follow-up testing. The ASD group surveyed displayed significant improvements in reading ability recognition of letters, words, and sentences. ICT highlights as a tool for communication and inclusion for children with disabilities, but it appears that implementation of technology in children’s everyday life in school is tough, Brodin (2012). Computer and internet technology also encourages an individual to be an active agent in his or her education by directly manipulating and progressing through the intervention programs (Williams, Wright, Callaghan, & Coughlan, 2002). Technology offers to the possibility of personalising stories by facilitating the use of visual images, animated

Improving education has always been a widespread concern in the US. As a country we are always looking to improve education. Technology is proven to help children learn much quicker, even up to 80 percent quicker. When the teacher is the only source in the room it is hard for every student to get exactly what they need to fully comprehend what they are being taught . Technology can provide tutorials, diagrams, and an abundance of information. At Northdale Middle school, special needs students showed greater focus and increased learning ability through the use of technology. (Blanca, “iPads improve special

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,

Centre for Applied Special Technology (CAST), a not-for-profit organization founded in 1984 that promotes the uses of technology to expand opportunities for all people, especially those with disabilities (CAST, 2004a). The work of CAST is grounded in Universal Design for Learning (UDL), an approach to planning and developing curricula in ways that promote access, participation, and progress in the general education curriculum for all learners (CAST, 2006). CAST is developing and exploring new digital multimedia learning tools that teachers can use in an approach to teaching that is designed to address the heterogeneity in abilities and learning styles among students.

I decided to call my friend and colleague Connie Hoffman and discuss with her the websites she used in her special education room. Most of her students were placed in classroom’s throughout the day and she organized what subjects and area of focus each student was capable of doing throughout the day. Connie has and abundancy of knowledge when it comes to students who have special needs. She gave me three websites she used to help one of my students named Brody. Brody is a student with special needs witch demands an aid to be with him at all times.

Many schools focus so much on post school employment that little focus is given to regular education courses that could assist students with disabilities. Assistive technology such as handheld computers and compatible software assist students at school and at home. Assistive technology can assist students in note-taking, animating concepts, word processing, self-management, organization, beaming, cooperative learning, spontaneous interaction, and reinforcing concepts. Many post education careers involve these skills. However, without the proper education and use of assistive technology many students do not have many successful coping skills for “real world” problems. Assistive