Often we curse technology since it does not always contribute to making one happy. Technology, at times, just complicates life because of the rapid pace of change and complexity. Some change is absolutely for the good. There are now amazing tools available to help students with exceptionalities. Technology and Augmentative Communication for Learning Enhancement (TACLE) allows people, like Adrian in the video, to use his controlled eyebrow movement to communicate. This quality of life enhancing technology was not readily available 20 to 30 years ago. Susana, in the video, has cerebral palsy but is able use voice recognition to: type, take her own notes, write her own papers and research the web. There is even technology that allows artistic musical expression for people that could not otherwise play traditional instruments.
Providing appropriate technology to assist people reaching their potential is not just a nice thing to do, it is the law. The Administrative Appeals Tribunals (AAT) require a disability action plan. The Americans with Disabilities Act also requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004 also insures that students receive appropriate education. Lesson plans should be developed so that all students can participate when possible. This requires the instructors to be fully aware of the abilities and limitations of all students. If a student with disabilities cannot perform all tasks as quickly as the majority of students in the class a lesson plan can easily be modified to accommodate this by allowing extra time for this student to complete the assignment.
Mainstreaming of students with exceptionalities, in my opinion, is appropriate in many cases and not appropriate in others. I believe a hybrid system should be utilized that allows both social and educational interaction and specialized instruction. This hybrid concept of inclusion would be the best scenario for all. One also has to face economic practicality when developing educational programs for people with disabilities but this should not be the only decision making factor. We live in a wealthy society that can afford to provide much assistance to those with disabilities and we should based on our own high standards for our country.
Stephen H. Vold
http://www.edutopia.org/assistive-technology-enabling-dreams-video
Monday, February 16, 2009
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