Assistive technology
seems to be a rapidly expanding field that is allowing people who have
disabilities that inhibit their lives to accomplish things we never thought
possible. I felt devices that enabled those who were once unable to communicate
verbally or with sign language was one of the most astounding accomplishments
of these emerging devices. I recently discussed an amazing individual named
Amelia Baggs in another class that I am taking. Amelia was diagnosed with low-functioning
autism at an early age, and it was believed that she would never speak. From
the use of Assistive technology, Amelia Baggs has accomplished more than her
doctors ever thought she could. Amelia is extremely intelligent, writes several
different blogs, and is an autism rights activist. She believes that she has
been judged constantly throughout her life due to her disability, but now that
she has a voice she can prove them wrong.
Using technologies such
as these will greatly benefit students who were once believed incapable of
learning. The first video we watched, “How Assistive Technology Enables Dreams,”
showed how many students were incredibly intelligent, they just need the proper
tools to help them bring out their talents. Students who were once unable to
communicate their thoughts and ideas, much like Amelia Baggs, are suddenly
given a voice to express themselves. One of her more well-known videos can be
found here. I hope
that we continue to explore assistive technologies and can find the funding to
support students of all ages in our classrooms. I imagine that as we continue
our exploration of these tools that we will see them more and more in our
schools. I think that it would be a bit daunting at first for a teacher to have
a student with an assistive speaking device, but as educators we must adapt to
educate all our students.
Works
Consulted
Ahrens, K. (2011, November). Build an Assistive
Technology Toolkit. Learning and Leading, 22-24.
Bowser, G., Cochrane, D. (2014, March). Mind the AT-IT
Overlap. Learning and Leading, 36-37.
Hey Stefan, as I mentioned in Stephanie's post, It is very helpful for future teachers to have an entry level of knowledge on this subject so they are not too confused on what he or she can do to help. I agree that we, as educators, need to adapt to every student need because they are all going to be challenging to teach in certain ways. It makes me really happy to see that there are tools to help students with certain disabilities to be able to learn when people thought they could not be taught.
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