Reflections of Assistive Technologies

List and explain the disabilities demonstrated in the videos and tell how the technologies supported the students.

1. Meet Elle- Elle is a fourteen-year-old girl who enjoys going shopping at the mall. She was diagnosed with cerebral palsy and has a Dynavox that she uses to talk. The Dynavox is a communication device that she uses by looking at pictures. She enjoys writing emails and she is able to do this using her Dynavox. She tried several different things to communicate with others before the Dynavox. The book her mom made worked but when they advanced to a Pathfinder it was too difficult and she became frustrated. It had too many buttons so they moved to a laptop with communication software. They ended up with the Dynavox based on data in her IEP and the IEP team helped find the best device for Elle. The Dynavox has opened up possibilities for Elle that she did not have previously or were frustrating to her. The IEP Team and Assistive Technology Coordinator will continue to monitor and check into new technologies that might better suit Elle's needs.


2. Meet Mason- Mason is a six-year-old boy who likes a variety of activities. He is visually impaired so some of his favorite activities are difficult for him but it does not slow him down from trying and having fun! He is blind in his left eye and can only partially see with his right eye. He is a normal child living with a normal family and uses adaptations to help meet his needs due to his vision loss. At school, Mason uses the Mountbatten. It is used primarily for writing activities. The Mountbatten is a brailler that the district provides for him. He can read some large print but is learning Braille so that as he gets older and print gets smaller he has an alternate form of reading.  He also utilizes an iPad for learning as well as the class SmartBoard. Technology for the visually impaired is constantly advancing and changing. Mason is very technology driven and no doubt will do well with any new technologies that become available.


3. Meet Jared- Jared is an ad/website designer. Jared loves utilizing his computer, communicating with others around the world, playing online games, designing and spending time with his family. He was born with cerebral palsy. It affects him physically but he is a very smart young man and has a passion for computers. He uses a sip and puff to utilize his computer. The sip and puff is somewhat complex in that it sends a signal to Jared's environmental control unit on his wheelchair. It then sends a signal to the task switch; which sends a signal to the intelli-key switch. A wireless signal is then sent to Jared's computer which controls a software program called SwitchXS. This software allows him to do anything on his computer. He began in elementary school utilizing technology to help him function. He started out with the Leaf Switch to access the computers. The Leaf Switch is a device that is activated when the user lightly presses against the Leaf in one direction. It provides auditory and tactile feedback.Then as he got older utilized a Jelly Bean Switch and moved on to the Sip and Puff. The Jelly Bean Switch is also an activation surface with tactile and auditory feedback.