Enabling Dreams - Reflection

Last school year, I was impressed to know that I was required to attend a Special Education PD session given in the school library.  Since I began teaching under my temporary license, I've been to numerous IEP meetings and teacher team meetings where discussions of students with disabilities were not all that informative.  They were purposeful and well-meant, but not the progressive, forward-moving stories such as the kind we watched on the video, Enabling Dreams.  I recall Assistive Technology as being discussed once during a meeting and the whole concept seemed glossed over and dismissed rather quickly, before anyone could really decide what it entailed.  There is no doubt, the lack of funding and very limited access to technology equipment was the culprit.  We don't have the equipment, can barely afford to talk about getting it, may be able to scrounge up funds to try to acquire it, but until we know for sure, we just skip discussing it.  This is the message and impression I received. 

Assitive Technology and the students who depend on it as a "lifeline" (Ellis, 2005), gives a whole different spin on Technology Applications in Education.  Though most students with severe disabilities are in resource rooms and few are mainstreamed in the regular school population, all teachers should be aware and know that Assistive Technology tools are establishing students' futures across the country and the earlier the exposure to them, the more successful students in need will benefit from them. 

In writing and revising now and all future lesson plans, I am strongly encouraged and obligated to include AAT.  Most modifications made for students with disabilities are simple and often are limited to providing more time, giving simpler or slower directions, flash cards, etc.  Though something as simple and low-tech as a highlighter can be considered AAT, teachers like myself should be more cognizant that with each eligible student, an AAT of some sort may be fitting.  Of much interest to me are tools that assist students with learning disabilities.  Kennedy (n.d.) states that technology has done three things in the classroom:  it has enriched teaching, facilitated remediation, and improved communication.  AAT for the student with a disability would allow a dedicated teacher passage to what otherwise may be an impassible roadblock.  For a student with cerebral palsy or limited use of his or her extremeties, AAT blurs lines drawn by traditional teaching methods. 

As a science teacher, AAT is an opportunity to introduce the merging of science and technology firsthand.  In order to appropriately include disabled students in lesson plans and activities, one must be knowledgeable about their specific disabilities and be able to work together on a district or school level in determining if and what kind of AAT would be appropriate or available for the student.  Certain items such as a triangular pencil grip, a talking calculcator, a larger computer monitor, and a voice amplifier for a teacher are only a few examples of how individual needs for an AAT can be met in the classroom (Wahl, 2003). 

With the aid and development of Adaptive/Assistive Technology, the most important thing would be having the opportunity to connect with a student on a level more convenient and less frustrating for them.  It is not only important to revise lesson plans to include students with disabilities, it is only right and fair.  I have been blessed as a teacher to have witnessed students with disabilities raise their grades from average to above-average, to win a place in the school science fair, and even participate more in class, when they are given just a little bit of needed assistance.  When students with disabilities come to school ready, knowing they may have to try harder or do things a little differently from their peers, and expect nothing more than a fair chance, we all should do our part and pay attention.  Adaptive/Assistive Technology and its inclusion in education's plans will help us all learn one way or another. 

References

Ellis, K. (2005). Video: How Assisitive Technology Enables Dreams. 

     Retrieved June 15, 2012 from http://www.edutopia.org/assistive-technology-enabling-dreams- video. 

Kennedy, R, About.com Guide. (n.d.). Is Technology the Answer to our Education

     Problems?  Retrieved June 16, 2012 from  http://privateschool.about.com/od/educationaltechnology/f/solution.htm

Wahl, L., Edutopia. (2003).   Assistive Technology: Enhanced Learning for All. 
    
     Retrieved June 16, 2012 from http://www.edutopia.org/assistive-technology-enhances-learning-all