Reflections

I want to take a moment to reflect on what I have learned about Universal Design for Learning so far in my journey to improve education. The UDL guidelines are used to help teachers develop lessons that are capable of meeting the needs of all students in the classroom environment. Providing modifications, accommodations, and assistive technology can make any lesson more universal. Assistive technology has the capability to reduce barriers and empower all students, especially those with moderate to severe disabilities. Assistive technology must be properly researched and implemented in order to maximize effectiveness. Putting the right technology in the hands of a student with a disability can change their life forever!

There are many wonderful resources available for teachers and families online. Teachers can help students be infinitely more successful by researching these resources and making them available for students and families.

Transition Planning for Assistive Technology

I've already discussed how teachers can incorporate Assistive Technology into the IEP for current use, and now I would like to further elaborate on how teachers can help students and parents plan for Assistive Technology to be a part of transitioning into life after high school.

To help with this planning and process, I have developed a list of needs that the AT must be capable of meeting in order to be effective for the student's transition after high school.

• Easy to use and easy to customize
• Age appropriate
• Selected by the student's own choice
• Match the specific task
• Fit appropriately into the environment
• Be easily accessed by the student
• Training and technical support must be available if needed

IDEA versus ADA

IDEA is the law that guarantees a quality education to all school-aged children. Many parents of students who have special needs depend on IDEA to support the technology, accommodations, modifications, and other services their children require in order to succeed in school. IDEA does not apply to higher education, making it both shocking and challenging for students who have special needs and are pursuing a college degree.

ADA is similar to IDEA however, the ADA only protects students and individuals who meet a specific set of qualifications laid out by the college board. Colleges are not required to make drastic modifications to the curriculum or provide substantial accommodations to students who have special needs.

Resources for Effective Implementation of AT

In keeping with my most recent post, I decided to continue my search for suggestions on how to effectively implement AT in classrooms and at home. In order for students to fully develop their skills and increase independence, they need to be able to use their devices at home as well as in the classroom. This means that parents need to play an active role in helping their children use the AT.

The Special Education Technology of British Columbia has a website that provides information to help teachers and parents through the process of introducing and using AT effectively. The website has a page called Making It Work: Effective Implementation of Assistive Technology. This page offers tips and suggestions for guiding individuals through using AT.

The resources on the page include books, websites, images to model AT use and implementation.

Education Tech Points

I've been so fortunate to locate so many wonderful resources that inform teachers about what assistive technology is available for today's classrooms. I do realize that the technology is only useful if the teachers and parents using know how to do so effectively.

Education Tech Points is a great resource for parents and teachers. The website is easy to navigate, offers tips to parents and teachers regarding AT, and has information about training sessions, brochures, and case studies. All of this information helps enable parents and teachers to support students in using AT. I would highly recommend visiting the website to investigate any questions you might have about implementing AT in your own classroom.

Designing Augmentative Communication Devices for All Environments

Since I’ve listed all the demands that augmentative communication devices need to meet in order to be effective means of communication for a student, I decided to include some resources teachers can use to help them design augmentative communication devices that will help meet those demands.

I Can Cook, Too! and Art for Me, Too! are two collections of activities that can be used in either the classroom or the home environments that students using augmentative communication devices can actively participate in. The activities are a fun way to help facilitate peer relationships and give students with augmentative communication devices opportunities to practice independence.

Boardmaker is a user friendly, time efficient way for teachers to create custom augmentative communication boards that will meet individual student needs for the classroom, the home, and the community.

Augmentative Communication Devices at Home and in the Community

In order for augmentative communication devices to be fully effective, students need to generalize their skills in all environments of daily life. I’ve already discussed strategies teachers can use for incorporating the augmentative communication technology into the classroom, so now I am ready to focus on augmentative communication devices in the home and the community.

Provide direct instruction on how to use the system to a select group of family members who will be able to share this knowledge with the student’s wider family circle.

Identify vocabulary that is relevant to the home environment such as religious or cultural language that will allow the student to participate in celebrations and activities.

Family members also need to be taught how to give the child regular and frequent opportunities to use their device in the home and community environments. 

Provide the family with a simple way to keep a record of the student’s use of the device. This could be in the form of a simple data sheet or an excel file.

The most important thing the teacher can do to help the family adjust is be supportive of any progress being made through all the changes that might be taking place in their home.