Assistive Technology: Helping all students reach their potential

1. Assistive Technology:  Helping all students reach their potential Kari Lee Siko, Ph.D. Assistive Technology Instructional Leader University of North Carolina Wilmington

2. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) “The Americans with Disabilities Act 1990 (ADA) provides civil rights protections to individuals with disabilities like those provided to individuals on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, age, and religion. The ADA guarantees equal opportunity for individuals with disabilities in public accommodations, employment, transportation, State and local government services and telecommunications.”

3. Individuals with Disabilities • Individuals who have a mental or physical disability that substantially limits one or more major like activities • Individuals who have a record of a mental or physical disability that substantially limited one or more of the individual’s major life activities • Individuals who are regarded as having such a disability (regardless of whether they have the disability).

4. TITLE II and ADA • Protects qualified individuals with disabilities from discrimination on the basis of disability in accessing services, programs, or activities provided or made available by local or state governments or their affiliate agencies

5. Reasonable Accommodations • A reasonable accommodation is any change or adjustment to a job, the environment, or the way things are usually done so that a qualified individual with a disability gets equal opportunities

6. “Undue Hardship” • Colleges and Universities are not required to provide an accommodation that will impose an “undue hardship” on the operation of the class, where “undue hardship” mean significant difficulty or expense in, or resulting from, the provision of the accomodation

7. “Undue Hardship”

8. Assistive Technology • “any item, piece of equipment, or product, whether acquired commercially off-the-shelf, modified, or customized which is used to increase, maintain, or improve the functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities” (IDEA) • assistive technology comes in many forms and is not limited to electronic devices, although the use of high tech, electronic devices poses one of the greatest challenges to teachers and interventionists working with persons with disabilities

9. Assistive Technology • the use of technology can empower persons with disabilities to accomplish tasks that would otherwise be impossible for them without the availability of such resources • the use of assistive technologies can increase the functional capabilities and strengths of persons with a range of intellectual and/or physical disabilities.

10. Who can Assistive Technology Help? • a) cognitive abilities such as reading, writing, and reasoning; • b) sensory abilities (e.g. hearing, vision); • c) language (e.g. listening and speaking) and; • d) motor abilities to complete certain tasks (Bryant & Bryant, 2003)

11. Levels of Assistive Technology • High Tech • Use electricity and usually computer programs • Expensive • Mid Tech • Run on batteries • Affordable • Low Tech • Inexpensive

12. Categories of Assistive Technology • Switches • Mounting • Daily Living Aids • Communication • Adapted Toys • Sensory Tools • Vision • Hearing • Computer Hardware/Access • Controls and Interfaces • Environmental Controls • Time Management Tools • Gross Motor • Fine Motor • Curriculum Access

13. Assistive Technology Demonstration and Lending Site • model facility • housed at the University of North Carolina Wilmington • facility would physically hold • new and innovative materials and equipment currently available on the market, • cutting edge materials, and • material and equipment created by those attached to the center, • as well as those technologies with a history of positive effects

14. The Site Will… • offer training opportunities for persons to learn the application and potential of various assistive technologies • be interactive and showcase technologies that address the needs of people with all types of disabilities inclusive of video instructions and simulations • be a point of information for the community for education and training • will allow people to “touch”, “feel”, and “try” some of the latest devices • house a team with experts to develop assistive prototypes for specific disabilities to allow for a better quality and a more productive life

15. Focuses Of the AT Site • Aids to Daily Living (dressing, grooming, care for one’s personal needs) • Augmentative Communication for persons with limited or no speech • Computer access • Environmental controls (home and work access to electronic and physical equipment and materials) • Physical mounts and controls for assistive devices used by persons with physical disabilities • Microswitches (tools for physical access and control over the environment) • Guided academic instruction • Training for professionals • Adaptive equipment designed for specific individuals

16. Some items available (soon) from the site • Kindle – electronic readers • iTouch – Proloquo2go (Communicator • Switches • Communicators • Adapted devices • Dice – talking and light up • Talking Scientific Calculator • Toys – Fenton the Frog

17. Make and take workshops • Summer Series of Workshops • Still have openings for • Math Madness on June 11 at 2pm • Visual Supports for Students with Autism on June 15 at 2pm • Math Madness on July 22 at 10am • What is Assistive Technology? On August 6 at 10am

18. Fidget Toys • Good for some tactile students, some students with ADHD and some students with Autism • Helps students stay focused • Sensory reward • How to make: • Choose color of balloon • Fill ½ way full with beads or beans (or sand) • Tie balloon close • Fidget away