Hey viewers! Today's blog topic is technology helping students with disabilities.
Has anyone you know needed to wear glasses, hearing aids, or use other technology like audio books? I know I have. I personally need to wear glasses because I am near sighted. These aids can actually be considered as assistive learning technology! Assistive learning is the use of technological devices to help people with disabilities adapt to their environment easily. Did you know that there are many different forms of disabilities? There are physical disabilities such as poor vision, poor hearing, or sensory motor difficulty to name a few. There are also disabilities that pertain to mental health such as speech impairment, emotional disturbance, or even severe brain injury. Disabilities can be due to heredity or injury; they can also put limitations on someone being able to reach their full potential and that is where assistive learning devices come into play.
I recently found out that assistive technology can range from simple devices such as glasses, to high-tech devices like pens that record and convert your written notes to your computer! After the passing of the American Disabilities Act of 1990, all unique needs of eligible disabled persons must be met and this also applies to the classroom. I've had a few other experiences with students that had disabilities. For example, during my senior year of high school (forever ago) I took a class called Teacher's Academy which was pretty much going out to elementary and middle schools and gaining field experience.
While I was working under a veteran teacher at one of South East Polk's elementary schools, I got to work with a little girl named Mariah. Mariah was considered to have a hearing disability, as she had limited hearing in only her right ear; she needed to use hearing aids to help her in everyday life. My mother also runs a day care center that I've worked at for about seven years; I've learned to work with children with disabilities there also. The reason for this blog entry is that I feel disabilities have become more common over the years, or at least I'm starting to become more aware of them and I feel that I should learn more about the different ways people adapt to their disabilities.
Feel free to post your thoughts or share your experiences with students with disabilities or opinions of different assistive technologies!
Happy Friday everyone!
~Ms. K. Lawler
Has anyone you know needed to wear glasses, hearing aids, or use other technology like audio books? I know I have. I personally need to wear glasses because I am near sighted. These aids can actually be considered as assistive learning technology! Assistive learning is the use of technological devices to help people with disabilities adapt to their environment easily. Did you know that there are many different forms of disabilities? There are physical disabilities such as poor vision, poor hearing, or sensory motor difficulty to name a few. There are also disabilities that pertain to mental health such as speech impairment, emotional disturbance, or even severe brain injury. Disabilities can be due to heredity or injury; they can also put limitations on someone being able to reach their full potential and that is where assistive learning devices come into play.
I recently found out that assistive technology can range from simple devices such as glasses, to high-tech devices like pens that record and convert your written notes to your computer! After the passing of the American Disabilities Act of 1990, all unique needs of eligible disabled persons must be met and this also applies to the classroom. I've had a few other experiences with students that had disabilities. For example, during my senior year of high school (forever ago) I took a class called Teacher's Academy which was pretty much going out to elementary and middle schools and gaining field experience.
While I was working under a veteran teacher at one of South East Polk's elementary schools, I got to work with a little girl named Mariah. Mariah was considered to have a hearing disability, as she had limited hearing in only her right ear; she needed to use hearing aids to help her in everyday life. My mother also runs a day care center that I've worked at for about seven years; I've learned to work with children with disabilities there also. The reason for this blog entry is that I feel disabilities have become more common over the years, or at least I'm starting to become more aware of them and I feel that I should learn more about the different ways people adapt to their disabilities.
Feel free to post your thoughts or share your experiences with students with disabilities or opinions of different assistive technologies!
Happy Friday everyone!
~Ms. K. Lawler
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