Assistive TechnologyFor Special EducationModule 6 part II

By Dee Vaughn EDUC W200 C8582

December 5, 2008

Table of Contents:

• Miracle Workers by Marc Bainbridge• Slides 3, 4, & 5

• Special Needs Technologies: An Administrators Guide

by Terry Lankutis• Slides 6, 7, & 8

• Teachers & Technology: June Weston by Neal Starkman• Slides 9, 10, 11, & 12

Bainbridge, M., (2005). Miracle Workers. Retrieved December 1, 2008, from http://www.teachlearning.com/shared/article

8 year old Nico is using his communicator, he choose icons they display words, he hits the speak/display button, and a hand held machine talks.

The hand held device is a “Voice Output Communication Aide” (VOCA) it is attached to a 40MB laptop device with a 128 location static keyboard that is capable of producing 4,000 word vocabulary.

Every student in Nico’s class has a severe communication disorder

Over 2 million Americans suffer from severe communication disorder

Miracle Worker cont.

Bainbridge speaks of his friend Ruth Sienkiewicz-Mercer who is a writer that suffers from Cerebral Palsey.

Ruth says “as long as people consider my brain useless, my facial expressions and sounds meaningless, I would remain voiceless were it not for the new assistive technology. Where once I felt defeat I now have hope and excitement” (2005).

The Technology Ruth uses is called: Alternative and Augmentative Communication (AAC) which uses the Voice Output Communication Aid (VOCA) that Nico uses.

Where people like Ruth and children like Nico who were once trapped in bodies that could not communicate they now chat and vocalize with the assistive technology.

Personal Reflection

The technology described in this article is familiar to me from my working with special needs students; not the exact technology but similar versions. I had a student who was 16 when we met, he is now 20 and has never spoke only grunted, shook his head, or gestured. His new therapists found him this type of technology and it was such a rewarding experience to KNOW he was intelligent instead of just thinking he was. He is an example of a boy trapped in a body that could not communicate. His mother said that his first sentence was “I tried to tell you not to talk about me like that.”

So my question is this; what took so long to develop this kind of assistive technology?

Lankutis, T., (2004). Special Needs Technologies: An Administrator’s Guide. Retrieved December 2, 2008, fromhttp://www.teachlearning.com/articleID=160400821

The Individuals With Disabilities Education Act, requires every school to provide its special needs students with whatever technology is necessary for a “free and appropriate education” (Lankutis, 2004).

IEP Teams assess students and decide what the student needs.

Using any and all resources available to them they will make long-term decision in selecting assistive technology for students.

Special Needs Technology. cont

Assistive Technology is defined by IDEA legislation as:

– Item, price of equipment, or product system; whether acquired commercially, off the shelf, modified, or customized that is used to increase, maintain, or improve the functional capabilities of a child with a disability.

It is the responsibility of the IEP Team to assess the technology needed in order for the child to receive a free and appropriate education.

“Continual assessment is necessary to continue identifying the specific functional capabilities of the students” (2004).

Personal Reflection

I am familiar with an IEP Team and the role they have in special needs students. I also know that IDEA requires schools to provide assistive technology for students with disabilities. What I don’t understand and haven’t seen much of is:

– Very little technology is being used by each student.– By the time the IEP Team gets the student evaluation completed,

decided on the assistive technology, found it, purchased it, it is well into the school year.

– I have noticed an improvement in the students abilities that have assistive technology.

– I have noticed that funding and cost factors are the biggest problem in getting assistive technology; and who is going to implement the technology when purchased?

Starkman, N., (2008). Teacher & Technology: June Weston. Retrieved December 3, 2008, from http://www.thejournal.com/articles/23000

“Teachers & Technology is a column featuring teachers who share specific technologies or strategies that have made a positive difference in students” (Starkman, 2008).

June Weston, teacher, Midwest City, OK, grades 9-12 Math, science, LA, social studies, and electives.

Specialist in Assistive Technology for special needs students.

She develops and implements programs designed to meet the special education needs of students that are experiencing difficulty within their current special education placement (2008).

She uses a 1 room school for all grades and ability levels.

Programs target specific skill development in areas of: Conflict resolution, social skills development, behavior management, and academic achievement.

June Weston cont.

June uses computers and Special Technology designed and supplied by: – The American Education Corporation– They provide the needed curriculum for students

in computerized format.– All grade levels– All ability levels– They even provide a pre/post testing option that is

for accelerated student movement.

June Weston cont.

June calls her program SNAP it has existed for 7 years, her program has remarkable results:

Helped students get on the right track academically and behaviorally.

Students in trouble with school, law, and parents now are keeping up with peers, not fearful or distrustful of adults, and other authority figures.

They use this technology instead of a book to accomplish what there peers do at the same time.

They achieve success which might otherwise not have been accomplished in a regular classroom.

SNAP has the benefit of teaching different levels of math and LA in the same room with all ages and abilities.

Personal Reflections

Neal Starkman writes about teacher June Weston who has made positive differences in students lives. It’s to bad there isn’t a June in all school districts to develop and implement programs designed for special education needs. I have seen the problems students face when they fall behind their peers and can’t function in a regular classroom; failure causes behavioral issues. Students loose confidence in their school and their teachers. So programs like the ones June implement should be what all schools focus on instead of treating students like criminals if behavior becomes an issue. Some kids only need a different avenue to learn and June seems to have found the right programs to accomplish this.