Critical Issue Reflection #4: Assistive Technology
By: Jessica Tanoesoedibjo
Technology is often associated with computers and sophisticated infrastructures, when it in fact comprises of the simplest of objects and tools to aid processes. For students with disability, technology would become a helpful addition to their individualized learning journey. However, it had only been quite recent that the IDEA acknowledged and required that assistive technologies be provided for students with disability. 1988 was the year that the Technology-Related Assistance for Individuals with Disabilities (Tech Act) formally coined the term “assistive technology” into a piece of legislation (Gargiulo, 2018).
The Tech Act (1988) was first incorporated into the IDEA in 1990, although the use of assistive technologies had begun a century earlier, such as through the use of Braille and close-captioning in films. The Tech Act would later, be renamed the Assistive Technology Act, and as a result of the reauthorization of the IDEA in 1997, today, all students with disability enjoy the consideration to use assistive technologies (ATs) (Gargiulo, 2018). Even in the context of high-incidence disabilities, ATs are to be included in the Individualized Education Program (IEP) of the student with disability, and if doctors prescribe the AT as a medical necessity, then the government would pay for the device (Assistive Technology Industry Association, 2019).
Low- to High-Tech Assistive Technology
Technology that is to be considered to aid students with disability range from the simplest to the most sophisticated of tools. It is easy to consider a computer a piece of technology, but low-tech AT includes highlighter strips (for reading) and pencil grips (for writing). Mid-tech ATs would include calculators and audio recorders—tools that facilitate learning but are still very much manual. High-tech ATs, on the other hand, are the more technologically advanced tools, such as speech-to-text and word prediction devices. (Gargiulo, 2018).
Purposes of Assistive Technology
Assistive Technology may also be categorized based on the purposes they may be utilized for. The Assistive Technology Industry Association (2019) defined seven purposes, namely: positioning, mobility, augmentative and alternative communication, computer access, adaptive toys and games, adaptive environments and instructional aids. These are helpful categories especially as ATs are to be prescribed to people based on their disabling needs.
Benefits of Using Assistive Technology for Students with Dyslexia
For example, for a student with dyslexia, which affects a person’s ability to read, write, and spell, an assistive technology that may be used is the speech-to-text and text-to-speech device (Gargiulo, 2018). It is helpful that today most smartphones have this feature. Some things that may be included in the IEP of the particular student include prescribing e-books, rather than physical textbooks, so that the student may easily utilize the text-to-speech and speech-to-text features. Audiobooks would also be a good alternative.
Examples of Assistive Technology in the Classroom
Some personal examples I have encountered, though not in the classroom, as I do not teach a class, are wheelchairs, hearing aids and prosthetics. As I am in charge of my company’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities, we have given away a number of wheelchairs, hearing aids and prosthetics to a number of people with disability. Some were born with the disabilities (e.g. polio), while others had been in accidents (e.g. motorbike accident, untreated snake bites). In the more rural parts of Indonesia these are common occurrences, and for the majority of the population who lives below the poverty line, many do not have access nor the financial ability to these assistive technologies.
One of the greatest joys of my job has been witnessing the recipients use these assistive devices for the first time. I once met a girl who was born with polio and a hearing disability. As a result, she could not walk, and found speech to be difficult as she could hear no words for her to mimic. We gave her a wheelchair and a hearing aid on the same day—as she sat shyly in her wheelchair, and we plugged in her hearing aid, she turned around and with the widest grin when her guardian called out her name from behind her. It made me think about the times when Jesus would heal the lame or the blind (Matthew 21:14)—of course they would leap in joy and gratefulness, even as Jesus warned them not to tell anyone (Mark 7:36).
What I perhaps love most about these miracle stories that we learn of in Scripture is how holistically transformative they were. By healing these individuals, Jesus restored their dignity among the rest of their peers—no longer seen as inconveniences, but individuals able to participate in and contribute to community life. In a similar spirit, may the use of these assistive devices only be so that others may be encouraged in looking to the many strengths and gifts that God had given them, without the constraints or hindrances of their disability.
Assistive Technology and the Universal Design for Learning
The Universal Design for Learning (UDL) as outlined in the Public Law 108-446 requires that “the design of instructional materials and activities that allows the learning goals to be achievable by individuals with wide differences in their abilities to see, hear, speak, move, write, read, understand English (or any other language), attend, organize, engage and remember.” (Gargiulo, 2018, 28). ATs therefore have the unique ability to somewhat level the playing field of those who might otherwise be hindered by their disability, so that they may learn in the general classroom with fellow peers.
Myths About Assistive Technology
Two of perhaps the most common misconceptions of ATs are that these technologies provide an unfair advantage for the students with disability, or that these devices will immediately “fix” their deficits (Lamond & Cunningham, 2018). Fairness for the student with disability, however, is not to provide equal access to ATs for all students. Fairness, is, instead, providing equity, where the disadvantaged is given the same opportunities for learning and success, through perhaps different means. Similarly, Jesus’ approach to His followers were never one that was fair in an equal sense. But God never showed favoritism (Acts 10:34-36). Instead, He dealt with all in the ways that they needed to be loved: either through gentle acceptance (John 8:1-11) or even a harsh rebuke (Matthew 16:23).
Lastly, unlike how Jesus would completely restore those He healed, ATs are only able to be of “assistance”. They may help students manage and overcome their deficits, but ATs do not fix or heal a student’s disability. Take the hearing aid for example: although it may help augment hearing, it will not be helpful for those who have a profound hearing loss. Furthermore, it perhaps should be kept in mind that students with assistive devices may face judgment from peers, especially if the class had not been given an understanding of disabilities and the importance of compassion.