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.