Life Less Complicated

         Assistive Technology for students with disabilities does not simply help them manage with everyday life; it truly changes their lives to become independent, social and confident individuals.  If Guam public schools had the funding, implementing an Assistive Technology class would be beneficial for our special needs students as well as the educators.  Investing in this type of program will allow the students to participate in classroom activities, prepare them for the future, become more productive individuals and will not impede them from any type of passion they desire to achieve. 

           

Students with disabilities already have a challenging time participating in class.  Assistive Technology will give the students the confidence to get involved with class discussions and interactive activities.  According to the video Enabling Dreams, “The student’s disability prevents them from participating in school” (The George Lucas Foundation, 2005).  However, with these technological devices, it will provide them with a sense of belonging.  Susanna Sweeney-Martini, a student from University of Washington says,” Technology is my life, without it, I could not exist today" (The George Lucas Foundation, 2005).

Preparing a lesson plan for students with disabilities requires extensive research and background information of each student.  Sensitivity towards each of the individuals’ special needs is necessary to accomplish the goal of the learners.  It is essential to understand that each individual is different and the educator must consider revising lessons to accommodate every student.  With the use of Assistive Technology, accomplishing the instructions and/or lesson plans in class will be helpful to both student and teacher.  For instance, if a student has difficulty comprehending or utilizing written text books, audio books can be available to him through Assistive Technology.  The learner will be able to understand the lesson more effectively and the educator will be able to teach the lesson successfully.  Access to online educational tools for students with disabilities creates a profound and more elaborate way of communicating with their peers and educators.  The opportunity to utilize these tools makes learning easier for the students and the lessons are more fun and stimulating for the learner.  Additionally, educators should be fully trained to handle any situation that may arise (e.g. troubleshooting or technical issues) while working with technology devices.  According to Kids Together, Inc., “Bridging skills with goals is what Assistive Technology and related services provide.  There also needs to be an on-going cycle of evaluating and recommending, maintenance of technology, reviews of emerging needs, and upgrading of equipment when necessary.”

I initially wanted to major in Special Education (SPED) because I knew the demand for SPED teachers is high.  However, I was less than confident in my ability to assist students with disabilities.  I observed a SPED class last semester and it was certainly a challenging task that I felt only certain people could undertake.  If our schools offered Assistive Technology for students with disabilities, I would have chosen that route without hesitation.  Teaching would be less challenging and the students would have a better opportunity to effectively learn each lesson created specifically for them.  Basically, life would be a lot less complicated for both educator and student.

References

Kids Together, Inc. (2010). Assistive Technology. Retrieved October 18, 2011 from http://www.kidstogether.org/at.htm

The George Lucas Educational Foundation. (2005, February 02). Assistive-Technology: Enabling Dreams [Video File]. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/assistive-technology-enabling-dreams-video

 Photos provided by:

Enabling Dreams video and Google Images