The Power of Assistive/Adaptive Technology

1. Disabled Bodies, Able Minds: Giving Voice, Movement, and Independence to the Physically Challenged (and Accompanying video: How Assistive Technology Enables Dreams) 

            After reading this article and watching the video on How Assistive Technology Enables Dreams, I have been reminded about the many advantages of such technology, and how alarming it is that many students are deprived from accessing these devices. As discussed in the video, even though there is an abundance of technology available for people with disabilities today, assistive technology is not implemented enough in our schools. The reasons stated were that people are unaware of what is available and that technology is not included in the planning process. In the article we heard the success stories of Susanna and Lukas, and how assistive technology has played such a crucial role in their lives. These stories should encourage educators and parents of students with disabilities to collaborate, and utilize technology whenever appropriate or necessary to prevent potential barriers for their children. As stated by the teacher at the redwood heights elementary school,” introducing children to technology early gets them better prepared and makes it easier down the road so they can spend the later years on
content curriculum."

2. A Personal Perspective on Adaptive Technology

     By: Dr. Richard Keller 

      Dr. Keller had the opportunity to be a student with a disability and a student without a disability, and therefore has seen education in both of those settings. This is a quality that makes his personal perspective on adaptive technology so useful and informative, especially for teachers. Listed below are  a few key points made in this interview by Dr. Keller that really made an impression on me. 

The Medical Model vs. The Disability Rights Movement Paradigm: 

Medical Model	Disability Rights Movement Paradigm
- Causes disadvantages to the individual	- Disability is not a personal attribute
- Reactive approach	- Proactive approach
- Desire to “fix” the person, not the surroundings	- Create things with UD principles in mind

Terminology: Assistive Technology vs. Adaptive Technology: 

“Assistive”	“Adaptive”
- Related to medical model	- Changing the technology, not the person
- Technology will make a person whole or complete	- Location of the disability is not within the person, but somewhere between the interaction of completing a task
- The person with a disability “needs help”	- A tool that works specifically for the person

Using Technology, Negative Aspects vs. Positive Aspects:

Negative	Positive
- Labeled as having a disability	- Feeling of independence and freedom
- Makes the person stand out as being different	- Ability to do what you want when you want
- Psychological/social issues	- Having the ability to do something after losing the power to do so

3. Adapting Classrooms for AT Users: Challenges and Solutions 

            The goal of this video was to prove that making adaptations in the classroom for children with disabilities is not as difficult of a task as it may seem. Listening to the students’ stories about how they were unable to fully participate in their local public schools truly depicts the hardships that these students faced. The presenters discussed the idea of partial participation, and how teachers must take a positive approach and look at what a student can do rather than what he or she cannot do. I believe this video painted an accurate view of how many teachers or school administrators’ focus on students’ disabilities rather than their abilities. I also think the speakers were correct in stating that teachers are more worried about their students’ safety and are lacking the knowledge about assistive technology. The presenters went on to discuss how teachers can give students an active role in the classroom rather than "making them sit on the sidelines." A few examples that stood out to me as making a big difference with minimal effort had to do with promoting class participation and configuring classrooms in a proactive way. The first was an  example of a student that was unable to verbally respond during choral reading class activity, so she had a switch that she could press that spun a fan with streamers. This was extremely simple to create but gave her an active role in the class. The second example was making sure the classroom furniture is positioned for easy access and maneuverability. Small steps can be taken to ensure this accessibility  such as lowering a keyboard, or using blocks to raise a computer monitor. 

    Overall, the takeaway of this video was that teachers and educators must look at accessibility with an open and creative mind. As opposed to being closed minded and preventing their students from engaging in the activities that the rest of their classmates are taking part in. A quote made by Dr. Keller in his interview correlates very well with the overall message of this video, “My greatest hope would be that we can shift the way that people think about disability, the attitudes that non-disabled people still seem to carry around about disability.”