Assistive Technology Devices - Case Study Example

? Final Project Final Project Case Study Emily has a great deal going for her. The age of onset for her vision disability is early in her academic career, such that educators and parents can work with her to introduce some assistive devices that should enable her to excel in a school environment (Beard, Carpenter, and Johnston, 2011). Because she has a low-incidence disability, the classroom teacher, and indeed the larger school staff, should be familiar with safety procedures and look out for any potential issues that might arise when someone is visually impaired. Barring that, however, Emily should be able to be included in most, if not all, classroom activities with relative ease. This is stated in her IEP, and is certainly the desire of her parents. Naturally, Emily will benefit from this as well as she can have normal interactions with her peers and not be subject to constant ‘extra classes’ that pull her away from valuable class time. There are various assistive technology devices that should help Emily. The first component that should provide needed sight assistance is a screen magnification system. Such a device will magnify information presented in class up to 20 times. At five years old, Emily will be learning a great deal about numbers and letters. She will also begin to write. This requires her to be able to adequately see what the teacher is doing, so that she can model after that. Screen magnification software does not have to take up much room and can be used at Emily’s desk. Another device that could be quite useful to Emily is a video magnifier. In the early childhood classroom, there will be many modern technological tools employed to assist in the teaching of reading and writing. A video magnifier will utilize closed circuit tv technology to make written text and small objects easier for her to see. As the teacher writes numbers and letters on the white board, it can be magnified on CCTV for Emily to easily see while sitting at her desk. Finally, a digital book reader can be utilized to play back stories or other lessons. Especially as Emily progress through school, she may not be able to read as quickly as her classmates. A digital book reader can help her receive extra time outside of class to catch up as the reader will provide audio versions of printed text. It is important that each of the assistive technology devices be implemented in a non-invasive way that does not draw undue attention to Emily. This will enable her to have a relatively normal classroom existence and she can then fit in with her peers a bit more cohesively. With proper care and the implementation of a few non-traditional instructional strategies, Emily should continue to thrive academically and be able to overcome her disability. Case Study #2 David shows all indications of being a bright young boy with a specific high-incidence disability. While his verbal skills appear to be great for the third grade, he is already exhibiting extreme difficulty in the areas of reading and writing. At this age, David is likely not interested in failing in front of his friends, so he appears unwilling to give any special effort. While it is not indicated in this particular case study, an IEP is likely being developed that focuses on tools in these areas to help David get back up to grade level in these critical areas. David could very well benefit from an assistive technology device that will help him to improve upon his below grade level reading skills. One such device is to utilize books and other publications that are in audio form. This can come in the form of, most commonly, CDs and MP3 Downloads. David can begin to listen to certain texts that are being used in his classroom. In so doing, he can begin to hear how words are pronounced and hopefully, over time, begin to improve upon his comprehension skills. There are many audio book readers on the market. In addition, there are subscription services that the school can be a member of that makes audio versions of texts available for educational use. Such services would not be prohibitively expensive for the school and should provide valuable assistance to reach David and his high-incidence disability (Beard, Carpenter, and Johnston, 2011). In addition an optical character recognition device could prove helpful to David. Such a device would allow him to scan material that is printed into a portable computer, of even a handheld device. This text is then read aloud to David by utilizing a system of speech synthesis. There are many different types of devices currently on the market, but a small portable model should suit David just fine. This AT device should continue to help him with his reading difficulties by making certain texts come alive to him, when before they were just words on a page. David also has a stated writing disability, such that he does not even write much more than one sentence at a time. Part of this disability arises from his inability to read properly, causing him to struggle in such areas as word formation and sentence structure. Because of this, he may not be able to take ideas from his head and transfer them to paper. One device that could help with this is a graphic organizer. Such programs also utilize outlines to help students organize information. This is a fun device for David where he can just type in his ideas, words or sentences at a time, and then the program will help organize these thoughts into text. This could prove invaluable to David as he begins to write more than one sentence at a time. His self-confidence will improve, as will his ability to communicate ideas in written form. The programs usually come in software, are not expensive, and are relatively easy to implement into a classroom setting. Case Study #3 Michael has a relatively serious disability that precludes him from being involved in every activity in a classroom setting. As he is now ten years old, he can be quite physically intimidating to other students given his propensity to act out and become physically aggressive. It is important to provide a safe environment for Michael, while still providing him tools to progress academically. While this is a challenge, certain devices are currently on the market that should help the teacher work with Michael to improve his communication skills, while at the same time motivating him to behave appropriately in class. Students with autism can end up becoming highly successful in life, but they often need some assistance in developing proper language and communication skills. While we are still learning much about autism, there have traditionally been few devices that really worked with children that have extreme forms of the disability. Technology in this area is rapidly expanding, however, such that Michael’s teacher can help him communicate in non-traditional ways that before did not seem possible. The iPad tablet computer device is one such example of this and can easily be incorporated into a classroom setting for Michael. Many autistic children can communicate verbally in an effective way. Michael certainly appears to be no exception. The iPad can be useful in allowing him to not only communicate verbally, but to use sign language as well. The iPad can help him respond to verbal prompts by the teacher and then he can provide responses via his device that simulates a real-world conversation. Before the implementation of this device, Michael might have become frustrated and felt that nobody is listening to him. The reality, however, is that were simply misunderstood. This device can take away that frustration by allowing to communicate more effectively with his teach and friends. In so doing, many of Michael’s behavioral problems may disappear as he begins to feel that his voice is being hear. Children with autism, such as Michael, can use the iPad in multiple ways that will make daily living and survival a bit easier and less cumbersome (Allsop Gallagher, Holt, Bhakta, & Wilkie, R, 2011, p. 151) One example of how the iPad can be used is in the area of memorization. By mimicking certain sounds and images, David can use the tough screen on his device to state not only what he is thinking, but what he is feeling as well. As he does so, those around him are able to ask him questions and elicit responses. This provides and exchange of thoughts and ideas that simply was not possible in a classroom setting before. Michael would even be able to communicate with his peers in this manner, possibly leading to him becoming more socially and physically active. In the end, the teacher is also concerned about his behavioral outbursts. While there is not like a piece of assistive technology out there that can suitable guarantee the elimination of such behavior, it can be help be alleviating much of the frustration that Michael feels in school. If he begins to feel that he is understood and that others are truly his friends and want the best for him, then the hop is that he will be less to prone to manifestations of physical behavior that could be harmful to himself and other students. Case Study #4 Holly is a lovely high school student that has thrived academically, even in the face of her disability. Having cerebral palsy is certainly physically limiting, yet students such as Holly can still excel in an academic environment. While Holly has done well to this point combining a physical classroom presence with learning from a distance, she now desires to transition to more of an online medium as she prepares for college. This is certainly understanding given the likely distance that would be involved in traveling to a traditional campus, so it is helpful to now plan for that eventual transition. Beard, Carpenter, and Johnston (2011) recently found that, “Distance education is a viable learning alternative to traditional classrooms for all students, however a student with disabilities who cannot meet the standard rigor of attending classes may need an alternative way to receive his or her education other than attending class” (p. 174). This certainly fits the bill for Holly. Because of a debilitation of her gross and fine motor skills, she may find it difficult to excel in a traditional university environment. There are, thankfully, countless assistive technology devices available today that can help learners such as Holly. To begin, Holly can consider attending live classes on the Internet. In this way, she can be connected with her actual class via a webcam that is installed in both location - the classroom and at home. This would allow Holly to feel connected to the class and she can actually participate in many of the class discussions and activities, even if it is from a distance. In addition, specially modified keyboards should help Holly. As she will be doing a great del of typing and research in an online environment, she would likely benefit from a device that enables her to type more easily and with less effort. This could also result in her needing voice recognition software. University courses are labor intensive. Because of Holly’s physical disabilities, certain tasks may take her a lot longer to complete than it would for other students. By utilizing devices that are designed to speed up the time required to type, for example, Holly can spend more time studying and reading important material. Speech recognition software will allow her to speak what she wants to say, and the computer will type that for her. In addition, it can help her navigate certain research material on the computer by scrolling down and changing pages (Shoemaker, 2009, p. 1020). Such tasks are often difficult for students with cerebral palsy due to their lack of ability in manipulating a mouse or other pointing device. Like their traditional school counterparts, online students at the university level must read a lot. Because it is likely difficult for Holly to hold reading material for long periods of time, is also quite probable that it becomes quite cumbersome for her to read a great deal of material on the computer, microfilm, or via another medium. There are currently devices available that can convert text to voice. This could prove beneficial to Holly. Once she find material relevant to a particular topic that she is interesting in pursuing and reading more about, she can better focus her attention by listening to the text and taking notes as needed. This strategy would actually eliminate her need to manipulate certain texts, the computer, or paper to accommodate her physical disabilities. Each of these devices mentioned are designed to help Holly focus on her studies and not on her disability. She has a great deal to offer the academic community. In utilizing various devices that are designed to help her overcome certain physical limitations, she can begin to focus on the main part of education, which is researching and learning new material. While the university will likely not need to make too many adjustments to her course work, they may consider giving her extra time to complete assignments that are deemed to be labor intensive. Other than that, Holly should be able to fit right in when attending school in this way, particularly considering her experience doing so in high school. References Allsop, M., Gallagher, J., Holt, R., Bhakta, B., and Wilkie, R. (2011). Involving children in the development of assistive technology devices. Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology, 6(2), 148-156. Beard, L. A., Carpenter, L. B., and Johnston, L. B. (2011). Assistive technology: Access for all students (2nd ed.) Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc. Shoemaker, L. (2009). Mobility related assistive technology device classifications: Implications for outcome research. American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, 88(2), 1020. Read More