Assistive Technology
A Look at Technology for the physically handicap and learning disabled
Adam Dalton
The University of Alabama
There are 48.9 million people in the United States that are classified with a disability. Of that, half can be classified as having a severe disability (National Institute of Disability and Rehabilitation Research). With these numbers it is no wonder why the field of assistive technology has exploded over the recent years and breakthroughs are made each day in an attempt to help these people function on a daily basis. This report will look at two research articles related to this growing technology, as well as, an interview with a previous technology director of a city school system.
Jody Elliott served as Director of Technology for Martinsville City Schools in southwestern Virginia. Her roles included overseeing the technology staff, ordering and installing hardware and software for the entire system, training faculty and staff, and many other duties. Mrs. Elliott currently resides in Emerald Isle, NC where she is a media specialist in an elementary school.
When speaking of her tenure as a director of technology, Mrs. Elliott thoroughly enjoyed her time with the Martinsville City Schools. It was a dream job where she got to “play” with computers and technology and she liked being on the cutting edge of new technology. She spoke about purchasing hundreds of thousands of dollars in computers and hardware and the ability to provide students with the best technology possible was truly and honor.
Throughout the conversation, Mrs. Elliot mentioned that while with Martinsville City Schools, she was introduced to the idea of assistive learning. She found that there were always new advancements in this field whose sole purpose was to provide students with handicaps and disabilities be better students. She mentioned one instance of a child who was deaf. The child had an assistant that went along with her to every class. Both the student and the assistant had small laptop-like computers and the assistant would sit in the back of the class while the student sat with all the other children. As the teacher spoke, the assistant would type in exactly what she was saying and the text would instantly pop up on the students computer in real time. Mrs. Elliot said she could imagine how great it would make a student feel to have something less conspicuous and be able to “fit in” with the other students. She also said this was much less distracting to the other students in the class instead of having sign language interpreter in front the whole time.
Woodward and Rieth (1997) did a review of the technology research in special education. In the study, the authors completed a search of research literature since 1980. They found that computer aided instruction (CAI) stated its big push after the mid 70’s with the invention of micro computers that made them more accessible and affordable for schools. Initially, these computers were used as remedial devices for students with learning disabilities. Early studies showed that there was little evidence that CAI methods helped with instruction (McDermott & Watkins, 1983). It was speculated, however, that this was a result of the poor software quality and/or lack of motivation by the student. Some research attempted to pair the CAI lesson with some sort of arcade game (Christensen and Gerber, 1990) but found that while students stayed more motivated and gains were noted, those students who stayed motivated with traditional CIA methods showed even greater gains.
These methods are truly a great asset when dealing with learning disabled students and regardless of who you talk to, these tools are a great way to supplement traditional instruction. It’s even spilled over into the rest of population with thousands of computer software and toys utilizing computers to help reinforce what a child learns in school.
Computer aided instruction, however, is not the only form of assistive technology. Many other devices are being created to help those students with physical disabilities (Wisniewski Sedlak, 1992). In their article, they discuss the numbers options for people from sensory, health, and physical challenges. The first new device they discuss is the laser cane for blind people and is mean to replace their traditional cane. The device produces three laser beams that constantly give the user feedback via vibrating pins on distance, height and drop offs. Another device being used by students is an Optacon where an optical pen is moved over lines of text and then converted onto a small rectangular surface on the tip of a finger.
When looking at devices for the hearing impaired, the first and most obvious device is the hearing aid. This device, when placed inside the ear amplifies the frequencies of sound and allows the student to hear better. While these are great devices, Wisinewski and Sedlak said that on any given day 30%-40% of hearing device may not work. They also note that there are limitations in what types of sounds and frequencies a child can hear.
Their research continues to go over more mechanical and utilitarian devices for students with disabilities such as braces and wheelchairs or eye glasses. Other products like video cameras, amplifiers, and text to speech devices are being reworked and used to help facilitate students with disabilities. With new technology being discovered in every field of technology, new ideas and inventions will continue to emerge to meet the needs of these students and make their lives as easy as possible.
It would be interesting to continue research in to other needs and problems in the learning disabled and handicapped communities to find other areas that still need to be addressed. With this type of information, engineers and inventors can focus on specific problems to come up with better, more precise products. The future, however, is looking up and the push towards assistive technologies is sure to help change the lives of those 48.9 million people living with disabilities.
Bibliography
Christensen, C., & Gerber, M. (1990). Effectiveness of computerized drill and practice
games on teaching basic math facts. Exceptionality, 1, 149-165.
McDermott, P., & Watkins, M. (1983). Computerized vs. conventional remedial
instruction for learning-disabled pupils. Journal of Special Education, 17(1), 81-88.
Wisniewski, L., & Sedlak, R. (1992). Assistive devices for students with disabilities. The Elementary School Journal, 92(3, Special Issue: Integrating Learners with Disabilities in Regular Education Programs), 297-314.
Woodward, J., & Rieth, H. (1997). A historical review of technology research in special education. Review of Educational Research, 67(4), 503-536.
