Thursday, October 21, 2010
Assistive Technology
It has been really interesting this week looking into assistive technology. It is amazing what is out there but wow how costly it is. The least restricitve environment is an awesome ideal but I would be interested to know if it is really monitored and how closely it is adhered to. What really made me think was the trouble I am having with Dreamweaver, and how I feel it is hindering my learning. This scenario is one that a special needs student could experience everyday. Although they may have been provided with assistive technology, if it is not presented in a manner that gels with their learning style or dextrous abilities, or comfort level then they will not enjoy using it and that will color their view of the class, subject material and may diminish their engagement and cause frustration for them. I guess what I concluded was that just because assistive technology is available, it is not necessarily a magic wand and a panacea to the special needs student's needs. We must not assume any subsequent performance shortfall is a result of inability or lack of application of effort. Our assumed solutions may be at the opposite end of the scale of least resistive environment from the one we intended.
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Claire,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, the costs of many assistive technology devices make their use prohibitive. At the same time, however, there are web accessibility laws and regulations that require federal agencies at least to make their information technology accessible to persons with disabilities. Those laws are applied to the public sector by American Disabilities Act. Its interestiing to think that corporations could face serious liability for failing to do this. I found that Target case really interesting, they ended up having to make their website fully accessible as well as paying serious financial damages. I wonder if there is a watchdog group out there checking random sites for their accessibility!!! If so, I know a lot of companies might find themselves facing the same fate as Target!
Claire,
ReplyDeleteExcellent point about the technology not being a perfect fix for everyone. How it is presented to them and how it works with their learning and even their personality styles is so important. Many people and teachers don't understand how crucial that is. On a side note, sorry you're having so much trouble with Dreamweaver. Have you tried the Dummies Guide for it? I found that helpful (but it had a lot more in it than I'll need).
I do now have a great help guide for Dreamweaver so I feel a bit happier about it now. Thanks!
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