Assistive Technology: A Lifeline for the Future

     In the Whitney Houston rendition of The Greatest Love Of All (YouTube, 2010), she beautifully serenades her audience with an important message: "I believe the children are our future. Teach them well and let them lead the way."  This message is a timeless reminder that children are our future; they deserve the best education the world has to offer for a successful future.  As we move about in the 21st century, it is critical to ensure that students, specifically those with disabilities, receive the appropriate and best education possible.  Preparing students who need assistive technology will ensure better opportunities for their future.  To do this, the education departments worldwide must be mindful of the assistive technology available and implement it in the classrooms of students with disabilities. 

     Technology in the classroom is a great help not just for students, but for teachers as well.  Watching movies pertaining to a lesson, viewing PowerPoints of a lesson, and listening to audiobooks are a few of the many different ways teachers use technology to attract students and keep them engaged.  Additionally, it is also a good alternative to the traditional textbook method.  Implementing assistive technology in the inclusive classroom would be accommodating for all students, disabled or not.  If the disabled students have the necessary means they need to participate in the class, they will not be a distraction to their classmates and the teacher will have more time to spend on the lesson.

     The National Center for Learning Disabilities (n.d.) states that, " Learning disabilities do not go away with time.  However, assistive technology can help children with learning disabilities leverage their strengths and work around or compensate for specific learning problems.  These supports can be key to helping users become more independent in school and throughout life---on the job and in activities for daily living." With this statement, it is possible to understand just how critical AT is in a disabled individual's life. In the video, Assistive Technology:  Enabling Dreams (Edutopia, 2005), elementary teacher George Rehmet asserts that the earlier students with disabilities are introduced to assistive technology, the more proficient they will be with the tool.  He goes on to assert that AT prepares them to focus on the lessons. In the same video, Sheryl Burgstahler of the University of Washington asserts, "Technology has changed all of our lives, but for these students technology truly changes their life and the opportunities that they'll have in the future." This is also another example of how AT continues to be a critical aspect and a positive change in these individuals' lives.

     As a teacher, I would ensure that my lesson is accommodating for all my students.  A few examples of how I can accomplish this is by:

1. Supplementing a video or film in place of reading a text.
2. Closed captioning a film shown in class.
3. Implementing audiobooks.
4. Having in-class review sessions before tests.
5. Offering additional time to take the test for students with disabilities.

     AT gives individuals with disabilities a sense of normality because it enables them to do almost anything their peers can do; it is their lifeline. A sense of normality offers them a chance at having a successful life.  By being aware of the availability of assistive technology, teachers and parents can work together to ensure the success of the child and his or her future.

Works Cited

Edutopia. (2005, February 2). Assistive Technology: Enabling Dreams [Video File]. Retrieved October 17, 2014, from http://www.edutopia.org/assistive-technology-enabling-dreams-video

National Center for Learning Disabilities. (n.d.). Assistive Technology. Retrieved October 17, 2014, from http://www.ncld.org/students-disabilities/assistive-technology-education

YouTube. (2010, September 27). Whitney Houston - Greatest Love Of All [Video File]. Retrieved October 17, 2014, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYzlVDlE72w

[Untitled photograph of children using a smart board] Retrieved October 17, 2014 from http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/images/stories/large/2012/09/16/af1f0a85.jpg

[Untitled photograph of children using laptops in a classroom] Retrieved October 17, 2014, from http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jC1_NAP9sm8/UEuMUf6GICI/AAAAAAAABOc/7khAOcUpF4E/s1600/IMG_1637.JPG

[Untitled photograph of children raising their fingers in a classroom] Retrieved October 17, 2014, from http://ak.picdn.net/shutterstock/videos/2390780/preview/stock-footage-cute-children-raising-their-fingers-in-the-classroom.jpg