Week 5

Web accessibility is an area of critical need and understanding not just in benefitting those with disabilities

In today’s world it is imperative that everyone has access to the Internet and knows how to use it properly. Access to the Internet is becoming less of a problem even despite the ability to pay. For those who cannot afford the Internet or computers, there is access available at public places such as libraries. However, access to the Internet is nothing if one does not know how to use it. I learned a lesson the hard way about ones access to the Internet vs. ones ability to use it. During the ’08-’09 school year I taught down in Perry, NY in a long-term sub position. In this position I did a project with my students, which required them to do research on the Internet. This lesson opened my eyes to the problem of students not knowing how to perform a simple Internet search. They were well versed on how to get to Google or Yahoo but they could not perform an affective search. Instead of searching keywords, they searched whole questions and were completely reliant on website such as Wikipedia and Yahoo Answers. As a student I remember sitting through library class and being taught how to use a search engine because the Internet was new and something that needed to be taught. I think today teachers take for granted that students have had computers around their whole lives and assume that they can use it affectively. After this lesson I realized that the students were not taught how to use the Internet for positive gains and this is a lesson they needed. Accessibility is not just about being able to get to a computer or on the Internet; it is also about knowing how to use it to be most beneficial.

Week 4

People of all ages, abilities, and needs may be able to benefit from assistive technology. Everyone’s needs are different. Understanding and meeting the needs of the individual are critical. There are many technology solutions available.

Just as last weeks blog addressed, ones comfort with assistive technology is going to determine how useful it is to them. Everyone can be taught to use AT but some may be unwilling or have a more difficult time learning it after years without it. For children AT has the possibility of being very advanced and they will be able to quickly learn how to use it. Those who can quickly learn it will probably be those who are most familiar with technology as a whole. Ones familiarity with technology needs to be thought of when trying to fit someone with AT. If someone is not comfortable with a high tech device, a low tech one may be better for him or her because it will allow him or her to continue to use it and not abandon it. When ones experience and needs are not considered when fitting someone with AT it will have a higher percentage of being abandoned and not picked up again.

AT can be found to fit everyone’s needs and this only requires research. I believe that knowledge about how to use AT and knowing what is out there are the best ways of properly fitting individuals. Simple research on the Internet can inform someone of the many options available and from there they can do more research to figure out what is going to be the best fit. As we talked in the first week of class there are also agencies out there that will help fit individuals with AT and these can be used to find the right solution.

I performed a simple Google search for “Assistive Technology Devices” and the first website that came up listed options of different AT devices that can be used by all ages:

- Voice recognition software

- Touch screens

- Head/eye control devices

- Magnifiers

- Foot switches

- Sip/puff switches

- Portable personal amplifiers

- Sign language translators

http://www.enablemart.com/Catalog/Mobility

All of the devices would help individuals do everyday functional tasks and they range from low to high tech to fit ones needs.

Week3

Using assistive technology is a personal decision. Many people prefer the familiar to something new. However, assistive technology lets people do things more easily, more independently, or sometimes even for the first time.

Assistive technology is a personal choice and should not be forced on anyone; however everyone, especially children, should be exposed to it and given the opportunity to experience it. For those who are older and have lived without AT they may be resistant because it is unfamiliar to them. One possible example of someone being comfortable without AT is the person who is resistant because they believe that they have gotten along fine without it for a number of years. For others they may not be familiar enough with technology itself and AT might be a cause of more stress and anxiety than not using it. For these people, they should still be exposed to AT but it cannot be forced on anyone. Some individuals who are not comfortable with AT at first may be able to be pushed towards using and loving it but everyone has limits and they need to be understood when introducing someone to AT. For others AT may be what keeps them in the familiar. One example of this is my father who is legally deaf and uses hearing aids to interact in the world. He has not always been deaf and is as a result of fighting in Vietnam and then from an accident at work. His accident at work involved a blowtorch going off next to his unprotected ears and it took him from the hard of hearing to the legally deaf category. For him AT allowed him to stay in his comfort zone, of being able to hear people’s voices. If he was to leave what he was familiar with; he would have to learn how to sign or interact with others using writing. At the age of 55 he was unwilling to leave the familiar and used AT to accomplish this.

For children who AT could help I believe it is important to expose them to it in order familiarize them with AT. For them AT could be all they know and they may never realized that their disability could have severely hindered their interactions with the world. For children who have disabilities and who do not, technology is an important part of their world today. Most students have access to computers either at home and/or at school. To not give children with disabilities the opportunity to explore AT would be negligent because they should not have to know what their lives would be like it they were born before the technological age. The only way to make sure that children are exposed to AT is to educate their parents and teachers as to what is available on the market. Of course, AT can not be forced on anyone and children and caregivers today may still choose to not use it but education on what is available is the first step in making a well informed decision.