Reflection blog

At the beginning of course I did not have a lot of exposure to assistive technology and to students who made need it. Through out the course our exploration of different types of AT has broadened my understanding of AT and how it can be used in the classroom. I can now see how all students can benefit from it and how those who need it especially will suffer without it. The myths around allowing students to use AT, especially on test, are just that myths and through the writing of the weekly blogs I have come to a better understanding of this. As educator we need to focus on breaking down this misunderstanding within our field because not all educator realize that the myths are myths. These myths also exist for any students who need any sort of assistance in the classroom and are far too prevalent.

Week 14

http://letsplay.buffalo.edu/toys/special-toys.htm

This website was extremely informative on how to help students and children who need assistance with play. Often we only talk about AT in terms of how to help students in the classroom and not on how to help them enjoy life. When I worked at a preschool the summer after my freshman year of undergrad we focused on helping those students learn how to play and help them play. It was a great experience to see how to help students who are autistic learn how to play. For many of them they did not develop as other children did and would not play on their own. I also thought that the website would be really helpful to parents. For many parents who have children with disabilities they may not know where to turn and this website provides great information. I especially thought the Lekotek's Top Ten Tips would be helpful to a parent because it is broken down by disability with questions for them to think about.

Week 12

Of those who say nothing, few are silent ~ Thomas Neile

This quote can be taken in many different ways. One can think of it in terms of those who can not speak for themselves; those that do not have a voice of their own because of their life’s circumstances. This could apply to those who are oppressed, disabled or with a low status in our society. It could also be looked at in terms of actions speaking louder than words because people often say more by what they do than what they say. Silence can also be a very powerful tool too and it is not always necessary to voice your opinion to get a point across.
Unfortunately in today’s society of “who can yell loudest gets the most attention,” those who are silent get over looked. Their message gets lost and often their rights get trampled and swept under the table. For those who can’t speak for themselves those of us who can must speak for them. We must collaborate with them to get their message across. This is particularly important in working towards fair access for those who are disabled. In many movements for equality it is not until those with the power get involved that change occurs. This statement hold true for both stages of the Civil Rights movement and in some ways the feminist movement. It could also be said that a lack of cross over support for marriage equality for gays and lesbians has stunted their goals. When people standby silently and let the majority rule over the minority they are really saying, “it’s ok, I like only allowing the majorities wishes to come true.” When we stand by silently and allow the rights of the disabled to get trumped we are sending a message to those in power that we are ok with it. Since most people aren’t, in fact, ok with the rights of American’s who are disabled being stepped on we must use our voices to stop it from happening. Silence is compliance and the message comes out loud and clear everyday when we say nothing.

week 11

Recently I have noticed more public attention being drawn to children who have autism. This attention is coming from a celebrity; People Magazine and a new TV show called Parenthood. The celebrity who I am referring to is Toni Braxton who is using her experience, as a mother of a son with autism, to raise awareness for a group called Autism Speaks. Through her work she is making the odds of having a child with autism (1/110) prominent along with encouraging people to go to autismspeaks.org to learn the signs of it. Also, in the April 12, 2010 issue of People Magazine there was an article about a family with a son who is autistic titled “Accepting My Son.” The article discusses the acceptance of his father Rodney Peete, a former pro quarterback, of his son’s condition. Peete is currently writing a book along with his daughter about their experiences with his son R.J. The other source of public awareness for autism is on the show Parenthood, which started after the Olympics. On the show, in the first couple of episodes, the parents of a 10 years-old boy discovered that he has autism and it follows their journey and struggles.

This new public eye on autism is raising awareness for those who do not yet know a person who is autistic. This awareness is focused on acceptance and the message that, “it is more common than you think.” With the odds of having an autistic child at 1/110 chances are that eventually everyone will know a person who is autistic. Through publicity parents of new born children might also be more likely to notice the signs of autism in their child and get them help sooner rather than later. Public awareness is the first step in acceptance and this new mass media push will help to make that happen.

week 10

10 Things I Learned While Observing People for 30 Minutes at the Brighton Starbucks

1. Some people are really boring to watch and they do not do much. These people are those that sit still while they read their newspapers or work on their computers. Since they do not move a lot, there isn’t a lot to observe.

2. Some people are really interesting to watch because they do move a lot. These are the people who change seats and gesture a lot while they talk. These are also the people who impatiently wait for their coffee by puttsing around the store and looking around.

3. People switch seats often when they first arrive at Starbucks.

4. Some people talk using their hands constantly and others do not use them at all.

5. There are multiple ways to prepare coffee the same way. By this I mean, if one is putting sugar in their drink and then stirring, there are multiple different ways to do it based on the tinniest of gestures; some people shake their sugar and some do not and some stir for a long time and some barely even leave their stirrer in the drink.

6. At 9 am on a Monday morning there are many different people in Starbucks who are doing many different things. Some people are just in and out of the store getting theirs and others’ drinks, some are here to read the paper, others are here to do work and others to meet with friends. These people are all doing something different and on their own missions but for a space in time occupy the same space.

7. Writing for 30 minutes is tough. First of all it hurts the hand and secondly if it is not busy, it gets boring with people doing the same 3 motions over and over again.

8. Some people are natural people watchers. These are the people who get distracted by everyone who walks by them or into the store. There are also the people who never look up from what they are doing and do not seem to care about those around them.

9. The store will get extremely busy once you are done with the observation.

10. Even with the store not being busy there is a lot going on. I can now see how someone with ADD or ADHD would have problems concentrating in a space such as this. There are constantly things to distract someone and a lot of the movements or gestures that were observed are also those that are used in the classroom. The amount of movement that one individual does is astounding and it would be difficult to sit in a room where there are 30 people doing them.

week 10

10 Things I Learned While Observing People for 30 Minutes at the Brighton Starbucks

1. Some people are really boring to watch and they do not do much. These people are those that sit still while they read their newspapers or work on their computers. Since they do not move a lot, there isn’t a lot to observe.

2. Some people are really interesting to watch because they do move a lot. These are the people who change seats and gesture a lot while they talk. These are also the people who impatiently wait for their coffee by puttsing around the store and looking around.

3. People switch seats often when they first arrive at Starbucks.

4. Some people talk using their hands constantly and others do not use them at all.

5. There are multiple ways to prepare coffee the same way. By this I mean, if one is putting sugar in their drink and then stirring, there are multiple different ways to do it based on the tinniest of gestures; some people shake their sugar and some do not and some stir for a long time and some barely even leave their stirrer in the drink.

6. At 9 am on a Monday morning there are many different people in Starbucks who are doing many different things. Some people are just in and out of the store getting theirs and others’ drinks, some are here to read the paper, others are here to do work and others to meet with friends. These people are all doing something different and on their own missions but for a space in time occupy the same space.

7. Writing for 30 minutes is tough. First of all it hurts the hand and secondly if it is not busy, it gets boring with people doing the same 3 motions over and over again.

8. Some people are natural people watchers. These are the people who get distracted by everyone who walks by them or into the store. There are also the people who never look up from what they are doing and do not seem to care about those around them.

9. The store will get extremely busy once you are done with the observation.

10. Even with the store not being busy there is a lot going on. I can now see how someone with ADD or ADHD would have problems concentrating in a space such as this. There are constantly things to distract someone and a lot of the movements or gestures that were observed are also those that are used in the classroom. The amount of movement that one individual does is astounding and it would be difficult to sit in a room where there are 30 people doing them.

Week 9

Welcome to Holland by Emily Perl Kingsley response

For someone who doesn’t have children and especially doesn’t have a child with a disability, “Welcome to Holland” paints wonderful imagery about the feelings of those who do. Despite not having children the description gave me insight into the world of having a child with disabilities. The use of a trip to describe the disappointment that one might feel about a change in their plans is one that people can connected with. I have been on many trips and I do know what it is like to plan for one with all the excitement and anticipation that comes with it. I also know what it feels like when future plans, that are anticipated, do not always pan out the way one would hope. Just from reading these short words from a parent I can appreciate a little of what it is like to have a child with disabilities. Kingsley also makes a great point about just appreciating what you have been handed. I think it could be easy for parents to feel bad for themselves about having a child with disabilities. Kingsley points out that if this happens then it would be easy to miss what is special about having a disabled child. Every individual child and person has his or her own unique personality and may not live up to the expectations set by parents and others. This piece helps to make you realize that life is not always going to hand you what you expect but it is important to accept what you receive and appreciate it for its own beauty.