Assistive Technology.

In their article, The Future is in the Margins: The Role of Technology and Disability in Education Reform, David Rose and Anne Meyer, provide examples and suggestions for assistive technology for students with special needs.

For even myself as a special ed teacher, one of their comments is very true. They state that "for students with disabilities, technology tools can make a dramatic difference, but they are still being used in traditional, “assistive” ways. These tools primarily provide access to traditional activities that are otherwise inaccessible" (page 1). This year, most of my students are able to access and interact with the classroom material in similar methods to non-disabled peers. I have a few students who have occupational therapy (OT) services, and use modified pencil grips and keyboards to assist them with writing assignments. Rose and Meyer pointed out that "in the years ahead it is clear that text, still dominant in education, will give way to a more intentional use of varied media for instruction" (page 3).

In the past, I have worked with physically handicapped students who used switches and nonverbal students who used communication boards and speaking devices. These technologies are important for the student to understand and use each day, at school AND at home. Many of those students used the technologies at school, but didn't use them at home, which impeded their ability to communicate and achieve independence at home. 

I really liked one of the final comments the authors provided: "the ultimate educational goals will no longer be about the mastery of content (content will be available everywhere, anytime, electronically) but about the mastery of learning" (page 6). 


There were several links that the UDL website provided. The first was checkpoint 3.1: activate background knowledge. Students with special needs have many issues with retaining taught information, so providing assistance with recognizing and activating background knowledge is key to them comprehending a reading passage or story. Along with this checkpoint is 3.4: maximize transfer and generalization. While it's great for students to be able to understand something in isolation, it is much more important for them to transfer that knowledge to other areas and skills/tasks.