Granted Dreams with Assistive Technology

Students with disabilities struggle with learning, achieving their goals, and pursuing their dreams. In the classroom, they are presented with challenging ways to learn effectively. Every student has a different way of learning and needs, particularly students with disabilities. As a future educator, it is my job to serve every student’s learning needs and provide the tools they need in order to be successful participants in the classroom. Modifying lesson plans and activities to accommodate students with disabilities is an essential attribute every educator should possess. These accommodations create equal learning opportunities and allow every student to participate in class actively.

The video, Assistive Technology: Enabling Dreams, demonstrated how technology has helped numerous students with their learning and how it is incorporated into classrooms. Each student used unique devices that accommodated their specific needs. Teaching strategies, materials, media, and activities are all vital features in a lesson plan. In the video, a college student, Susanna Martini, uses voice-activated software to complete her written assignments. Although, teachers who assist students with disabilities do not understand that some materials and media can be utilized to aid their students as they complete a task. Such assistive technology helps students become more independent, which guides them to successful careers in the classroom and college. 

Also, Lucas Bratcher, a highschool student, has amyoplasia arthrogryposis multiplex congenita. It is a disability that creates stiffness of joints and absent muscles. His musical instructor did not believe in Lucas's abilities because of his condition. However, the instructor noticed Lucas’ perseverance and dedication to music, so he allowed him to play in the school jazz band, in concerts, and the marching band. With the help of Robin Amend and Andrew Coleman, Lucas was able to play his horn with the use of a joystick. Being aware of the available media and materials go beyond, including it in a lesson plan, which was established in this story. Attaining resources beyond the school creates a community that will work together to ensure the success of others. The teamwork behind this community will act as a domino effect to bring awareness to other schools and communities that assistive technology is available for students with disabilities.

To include students with disabilities into activities, I must adequately assess the revision of the lesson plan. A disillusioning concern of mine is changing the nature of the assignment to accommodate students with disabilities. However, accommodations are designed to give all students equal learning opportunities. The framework of a Universal Design is “to emphasize a flexible curriculum that could be presented in multiple formats so that the content would be accessible and appropriate for students with diverse backgrounds, learning styles, and abilities” (Courey, 2012, p.8). Representation, action and expression, and engagement are all principles that lead to creating universally designed activities. Representation can be defined as providing multiple interpretations of an assignment, which enables more profound engagement. Action and expression refer to administering alternative communication methods, such as traditional assessments or using multiple tools to construct a presentation. Lastly, engagement involves triggering students’ interests with entertaining activities. These principles are fundamental concepts to apply when revising lesson plan activities.

I believe that students with disabilities are given an excellent opportunity to shine and achieve their dreams once they are presented with assistive technology. According to the United States Assistive Technology Act of 1998, an assistive technology device is “any item, piece of equipment, or product system, whether acquired commercially, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities." It does not need to be an intricate piece of electronic. It could purely be a voice-activated software, a wheelchair, cellphone, enlargement of text, or photos. With assistive technology, educators will be able to unite the gap between the student and their environment and give them the ability to learn new skills that will help them enable their dreams.

References 

United States Assistive Technology Act of 1998, Pub. L. No. 108-364, 1707 Stat. 118 (1998). Retrieved from https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/PLAW-108publ364/html/PLAW-108publ364.htm

Courey, S. J., Tappe, P., Siker, J., & LePage, P. (2012). Improved lesson planning with universal design for learning [PDF file]. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/258193233_Improved_Lesson_Planning_With_Universal_Design_for_Learning_UDL