Assistive+Devices

= Assistive Devices = Lauren Bernstein Image 1: http://www.atsolutions.biz/

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Description and Uses of Technology
Assistive Devices are devices designed to aid students in the classroom who have some type of handicap. Typically students with disabilities frequently use assistive devices. These devices are designed to assist students with sensory, health, or physical challenges, students with speech and language impairments, or students with a specific learning disability. According to Wisniewski & Sedlak (1992), these devices "may help rehabilitate/reeducate, facilitate normalcy, or augment current functioning" (p. 297). These devices are designed to help students play, learn, and socialize in a school setting. Some examples of, but not limited to, assistive devices are as follows. I will describe the devices not commonly known, as discussed in Wisniewski & Sedlak (1992).

Laser Cane: cane that provides sensory information about the environment.
 * Assistive Devices for the Visually Impaired: **

Sonicguide: a pair of glasses that emit a high-frequency pulse in order to orient the user to their surroundings to increase mobility.

Pathsounder: a device that emits pulses in front of the user's chest. Pulses are reflected back to the device to let user know what is 3-6 feet in front of them. This gives the user spatial orientation.

Tape Recorders

The Optacon: a reading aid; small handheld camera that when passed over printed material, helps the user see because of its piezoelectic reeds, a silicon-type retina.


 * Assistive Devices for the Hearing Impaired and Deaf**

Hearing Aids: a device that is attached to a person's ear to amplify sound in order to aid overall hearing function

Improved Upton Eyeglasses: relays important information to the wearer how the speech is formed; gives visual cues to help with lip-reading

Microprocessors: convert messages to voice output
 * Assistive Devices for the Speech and Languaged Impaired**

Devices that have text-to-sound capabilities: convert text or images to spoken words aloud

Artificial Larynx: device that is attached to the throat that maximizes vocal chord vibrations, and produces sound.


 * Assistive Devices for Physically and Health Impaired**

Wheelchairs: chairs that have wheels attached, thus assisting students with physical impairments

Mechanical, Electromagnetic, and Bio-potentional Access Switches: Switches that allow the physically impaired to alter their personal environment; these switches can be used to move limbs if there is paralysis. Ex. Slight turn of the head can cause the user to point their finger.

Talking Books: Books that have a micro-computer that reads the text aloud.
 * Assistive Devices for the Learning Disabled**

The Talking Pen: provides auditory feedback that "sees" when a student is writing outside the lines.

The Auditory Music Converter: Reinforces students with music via headphones when displaying proper penmanship

Word Processors & wide variety of software such as Microsoft Word, for example.

Calculators: handheld computer with buttons that completes math equations.

Important Findings on Student Outcomes
According to Smith (2000), "outcome in education usually relate more to the performance or participation of a student with the disability in educational activities" (p. 275). To be clear, there is little research that measures the outcome impact of assistive technology in education. This is because the results of each assistive device paired with a singular student is completely individualistic. The outcome that Student A has while using an assistive device may be and can be completely different from the outcome that Student B has when using the same device. There is an infinite amount of outcomes because there is an infinite amount of combinations of students and assistive devices. That being said, there are subjective outcome variables that are measured when using assistive devices in an educational setting. They are:
 * 1) Student and family perception of the IEP
 * 2) Student and family perception of the special education services
 * 3) School district administrator perception of the cost of technology devices
 * 4) Student perception of the value of the assistive device
 * 5) Student self-satisfaction of their own educational related performance
 * 6) Assistive technology specialist perception of the effectiveness of the assistive technology provided

The reported student outcomes deliver conflicting information. According to Copley & Ziviani (2004), a benefit of using assistive devices allows students with disabilities "mastery and control over their environment, including enhanced exploratory play and independence in activities of daily living" (p. 230). Independence is the most frequently cited benefit, yet independence is not part of a school curriculum. However, what assistive devices do improve that is specifically education related are "handwriting, motor skills, reading, visual attention and perception, and math skills...understanding of the cause-effect relationship, increased attention span, and problem-solving ability" (p. 230). Using assistive devices unlocks a student's true learning potential, and gives these students more opportunities to overcome their disability. Assistive devices in general improve academic behavior.

Even though assistive devices are in nature helpful, there are many setbacks to using them in the classroom. It has already been mentioned that there is no evidence that links improved academic achievement with the use of this technology. In addition, these devices are not adequately implemented in the lesson: "Studies that have tracked assistive technology use by students with severe and multiple disabilities in their educational settings consistently reveal a lack of planning for successful implementation" (Copley & Ziviani, 2004, p. 234). This means that teachers are not including proper learning outcomes for students to achieve.

Emerging Trends and Open Issues
Assistive Devices is an excellent technology to use in the classroom in order to help disabled students and/or students with handicaps. However, there is an open issue that confounds how assistive technology is used, thus making it difficult to link student success with the students' use of the actual technology. It could be that the student actually learned the material, and using assistive devices was asymptomatic of that. In plain language, the open issue is that there is difficulty deciphering in what caused student success or failure: the teacher or the assistive device. The emerging trends that result from the open issue are as follows: The first trend is the use of an instructional aide. One-on-one intervention really will help a student succeed regardless of whether an assistive device is used. The second trend is the use of special education teachers. If a student is given special education services as well as an assistive device, and that child sees improvement, it is impossible to ascribe the success to either the special education team or the device. The third trend is that it is the special education teacher who is responsible for creating a plan of improvement for the student. There has to be differentiation between the improvement due to education and due to the use of an assistive device. The fourth and final trend that confounds assistive technology is the new Universal Design Learning strategies that classroom teachers are now using to create their lessons and subsequent activities. The principles behind UDL state that the learning segment should be designed so that all students can participate, regardless of disability. UDL principles are inclusive in nature, so this leads can lead to a lesson that renders technology unnecessary. The learning activity that is designed with all students in mind may circumnavigate the use of assistive devices.

Conclusion
Assistive devices are designed to improve not only academic achievement for students with disabilities, but also their quality of life. This makes them beneficial to the students in general. More research needs to be conducted in order to effectively prove however, that the use of this technology actually is the cause of increased achievement. Since the field of educational technology is constantly evolving, it is assumed that there will be an increase in research in order to keep up with the field. Time will tell if the trends that confound the use of assistive devices will continue to do so.