Physical disabilities come in a variety of different shapes and sizes, as do the technologies designed to assist those individuals to better access the world around them. This weeks readings focused on the wide assortment of assistive technologies currently available to help students both in their day to day lives and for educational purposes. I was interested in this weeks topic because I currently have a student in my class with a variety of physical disabilities that hinders his ability to utilize many of the classroom and school materials and equipment. This particular child struggles movements in all extremities including walking and maintaining balance, grasping and picking up objects and while he seems to have strong neck control, he struggles with coordinating eye and neck movement so that he will often view out of the corner of his eyes with his head turned in the opposite direction. The only assistive technology he currently has are orthopedic inserts for his shoes to help with posture. Because this child is so young I have been told that assistive technologies are not needed and to instead focus on helping him to navigate the classroom and school environment safely, despite the fact that the OT and PT have both said that it is unlikely that he will simply "grow out" of his physical disabilities. After reading about assistive technologies and researching other technologies that may be available I think there are many that would benefit this particular student. One of the technologies that stood out the most to me was the use of a mouse with a track ball instead of a regular mouse. This is a relatively cheap and easy to install piece of technology and it would benefit him during our monthly computer assessments that are conducted at both the beginning and end of the month. I have to control the mouse for this student, but by using a track ball he could take ownership of the activity and have more independence.
Another piece of technology that I thought was interesting was an amplifier for individuals that cannot project their voice. I had a student in the past that really struggled with speaking in anything above a whisper, and it wasn't for lack of trying. He would try so hard to talk to his friends, and no one could understand what he was saying unless the room was completely quiet. A device like this could have benefited him in social situations by making his voice more audible and allowing him to communicate more freely with his peers and teachers.
Other useful technologies are screen magnifiers which I have seen used by both my aunt because of visual problems and a student in one of the other classrooms in my school, seen screen readers, joysticks instead of a mouse, and touch screens.
This weeks topic also reminded me of my own experience using assistive technology in the form of a wheelchair during my first year in college at MCC. I had seriously injured my back resulting in nerve damage that made it difficult to walk. I spent six months in a wheelchair which allowed me the mobility to participate in college just like any other student. I found that while the technology (wheelchair) was a blessing, often times places simply are ill-equipped to utilize assistive technology efficiently and effectively. I struggled to maneuver in buildings with steep ramps, elevators placed in out of the way locations, and desks not made for a wheelchair to roll up to. When I had class in the lecture halls I had to take an elevator to the very top of the hall and sit by myself in the balcony instead of down in the classroom with all of my peers. Assistive technology can be great, but after my experience I realize that providing technology just to the individual with a disability is not enough, buildings themselves need to be better designed to utilize the technology to it's fullest potential.
Another piece of technology that I thought was interesting was an amplifier for individuals that cannot project their voice. I had a student in the past that really struggled with speaking in anything above a whisper, and it wasn't for lack of trying. He would try so hard to talk to his friends, and no one could understand what he was saying unless the room was completely quiet. A device like this could have benefited him in social situations by making his voice more audible and allowing him to communicate more freely with his peers and teachers.
Other useful technologies are screen magnifiers which I have seen used by both my aunt because of visual problems and a student in one of the other classrooms in my school, seen screen readers, joysticks instead of a mouse, and touch screens.
This weeks topic also reminded me of my own experience using assistive technology in the form of a wheelchair during my first year in college at MCC. I had seriously injured my back resulting in nerve damage that made it difficult to walk. I spent six months in a wheelchair which allowed me the mobility to participate in college just like any other student. I found that while the technology (wheelchair) was a blessing, often times places simply are ill-equipped to utilize assistive technology efficiently and effectively. I struggled to maneuver in buildings with steep ramps, elevators placed in out of the way locations, and desks not made for a wheelchair to roll up to. When I had class in the lecture halls I had to take an elevator to the very top of the hall and sit by myself in the balcony instead of down in the classroom with all of my peers. Assistive technology can be great, but after my experience I realize that providing technology just to the individual with a disability is not enough, buildings themselves need to be better designed to utilize the technology to it's fullest potential.