Learning with Disabilities: Information = Success! An Abilities United Service Project

1. Learning with Disabilities: Information = Success! An Abilities United Service Project Abilities Lisa J. Douglas Maurissa D’Angelo Amelia J. Greene Mark A. Burwinkel Megan E. Greenlee United Overview Wright State University has a long and successful history of working to improve the learning experience for students with disabilities. Campus organizations, courses that focus on success despite a disability, and nationally recognized research programs are all part of a university-wide vision to make education accessible. Abilities United (AU) is a student organization for persons with disabilities. Working in conjunction with the Office of Disabilities and the new IGERT Ph.D. Technology-based Learning with Disabilities program, AU is currently developing a community-based outreach program that will inform students, parents, and teachers about the availability and use of adaptive technology.  The common goal is to bridge the gap between disability, assistive technologies, and the pedagogy of individualized learning. Called Information = Success!, the aim of this service project is to provide area schools with a packet that includes information about the availability of adaptive technology, goal-setting strategies, and self-advocating. “I think there is a need to inform high school teachers of what kinds of reading and writing programs are available for students with learning disabilities. But more importantly, if the students know what is out there in the way of adaptive technology, they really have a shot at getting a great education.” … Mark Burwinkel “In school, I often had the feeling that no one heard or saw me because I was ‘different’. I was never able to reach things as simple as the latch on my locker, food in the lunch line, or even classroom countertops.  I thought it was just how life was. When I came to WSU, it was interesting to see how things are adapted for me – automatic doors openers and counters that adjust to MY height rather than a normal person height.  I really IGERT want other students with physical disabilities to know that with even simple adaptive technology, education, and life, before college can be a more positive experience.” … Megan Greenlee, AU president Several of the IGERT fellows have volunteered with AU to be a part of the Information = Success! project. IGERT fellows will be assisting in the creation and production of the packet and also will be involved in interacting with teachers, parents, and especially the students once the project is up and running. IGERT (Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship) is a nationally recognized research fellowship that has a unique focus at Wright State – Technology-basedLearning with Disabilities. This fellowship program, funded by the National Science Foundation, seeks to train Ph.D. scientists and engineers with the interdisciplinary background and the technical, professional, and personal skills needed to address issues related both to learning and physical disabilities (cf. IGERT.org). Fellows study in one of four doctoral concentrations: Human Factors/Industrial & Organizational Psychology, Engineering & Computer Science, Engineering, or Biomedical Sciences. The IGERT program incorporates three interconnected research efforts: understanding the basic biology, nature and development of human abilities, exploring the opportunities afforded by advanced technologies, and addressing the practical problems of the design of human-technology systems that broaden and enhance learning experiences. The main focus of IGERT is problem-centered research, but in order to fully understand the barriers that persons with disabilities face every day, IGERT fellows spend time outside the laboratory interacting with students on campus who are facing the challenges of disability. This experience gives IGERT students an opportunity to gain insight and understanding about the technological challenges of living in a modern society. Their association with AU will no doubt be successful for everyone involved. “No one in my high school seemed to know there was technology available to help me with my learning disability. I felt I wasn’t really given a chance to succeed in high school and was ill-prepared for college level coursework. When I came to WSU, I was amazed there was so Office of Disability Services The inspiration for the Information = Success! service project came from an innovative course offered at Wright State University – Adaptive Computer Technology. Katherine Myers, MRC, ATP, the associate director of Disability Services (ODS), developed the combination lecture and lab course to help students with disabilities learn to be both independent and productive adults – to be successful!. Her course incorporates not only the breadth of available adaptive technology, but she spends time helping students learn how to define goals, which technologies they need to help them achieve these goals, and how to be assertive with issues like technology fit and alternative funding. During this past year, AU members noticed that most of the students taking Adaptive Computer Technology had no exposure to adaptive technology at the junior or high school level. Class dialogue included the frustration of this lack of knowledge and the repercussions for students who may never attend college. If students did receive help for their disabilities before coming to Wright State, many said that the assistive technology they were given did not address their individual needs. This is called poor technology fit. AU members began to formulate the idea of an outreach service project. They felt the information developed for the Adaptive Computer Technology course should be shared with junior and high school students, as well as their parents and teachers. With the help of the Office of Disability Services, and some of the IGERT fellows, AU is incorporating Mrs. Myers resourceful ideas into Information = Success! Planned packet sections include technology search strategies for the internet, and specific product information, including company contacts for training and support. Other sections will include information on how students can identify their own goals and needs, what technologies can help facilitate those needs, and some ideas about where to look for basic and alternative financial assistance. much adaptive technology available. It was a relief … but at the same time, I was very disappointed that no one was able to help me in junior or senior high school. I want other students with disabilities to know they can succeed in education and how technology can help them before they go to college.” … Amelia Greene, AU secretary Abilities United Abilities United is a relatively new organization on Wright State’s campus dedicated to the representation and advocacy for students with disabilities. AU is open to all students, and serves as a forum for building a sense of community that promotes diversity and accessibility on campus. AU has begun work on Information = Success!, an informational and comprehensive packet to be disseminated to area schools. AU wants all students with disabilities to have a basic understanding of adaptive technology, including where to find it and how to fund it. However, perhaps the most important message that AU hopes to get across is that students need to learn to self-advocate. Students with disabilities may have a better chance at success if they can define their educational and life goals, understand their own individual technology needs, and effectively communicate their goals and needs to others. AU hopes Information = Success! will be a valuable resource for addressing these issues. More Information If you would like to obtain further information about or lend support to the Information = Success! project, please email Lisa Douglas at douglas.13@wright.edu or Amelia Greene at greene.25@wright.edu. For further information about the Adaptive Computer Technology course, email Katherine Myers at katherine.myers@wright.edu. For detailed information about our IGERT program, please go to www.wright.edu/lwd or visit the national recruitment program at IGERT.org. We would like to thank Megan Purtel, Katie Katulak, Jill Williams and all the AU members for their continued efforts to make Information = Success! a valuable and worthwhile project.