Thursday, April 20, 2006
Power Tools
'Assistive technologies' help students with special needs keep pace in the regular classroom.
Not so long ago, Justin Litke never would have had a chance to join 24 other eager and energized kids in Jane Throndson's third-grade classroom at Fernbrook Elementary School in Osseo, Minnesota.
But thanks to a power wheelchair and a special computer station, the 9-year-old with cerebral palsy and a winning smile gets along just fine. Because Justin has difficulties performing tasks requiring fine motor skills, such as writing on paper with a pencil, he usually types on his own Mac computer, hunting and pecking away with one finger. He motors around the classroom using the power wheelchair, which he operates with his left hand.
Without these supportive technologies, "I don't think Justin would have been able to keep up with the curriculum, and he would have needed to be pulled from class," says Ann Litke, Justin's mother. "With the help of technology, I see him going to college and being able to live really independently."
Known as assistive technologies, tools such as touch-screen computers, voice recognition or "talking book" software and the like, are showing up in more and more general education classrooms like Throndson's. Some of the impetus comes from changes in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act mandating that schools provide appropriate accommodations (such as assistive technologies) to allow students with disabilities to attend regular education classes. Using the new technologies, some students who would not even have been placed in regular classrooms are not only present-they're also participating in the curriculum and the camaraderie.
But teacher and staff training and collaboration are vital to making the technologies work.
Throndson says she felt pressure to succeed with Justin-without taking anything away from the other kids in the class-before the school year even started. "I was so nervous, thinking, I have never had this type of a disability in my class, " she says.
Fortunately, she got lots of help-from professionals like special education teacher Kelly Bredeken and paraeducator Carla Buckholtz. Before the school year started, Throndson met with Bredeken, who helped her set up the seating so Justin could maneuver his wheelchair easily around the classroom and participate in group tasks with other children. And she turned his desk into a computer station, so he could tap out his assignments on his keyboard while other kids write them on paper.
Throndson also learned to make day-to-day adjustments so that Justin, who has no cognitive impairments, can keep up with the other 24 students in the class. If students are editing sentences, she'll type Justin's sentences directly into his Mac ahead of time, giving him a few more minutes to work while other kids copy from the board. For creative writing assignments, though, "I just leave him on his own," says Throndson. "It takes him a little longer to produce as much but he's an extremely good reader, so when the other kids are finished reading, hell just go back to his story."
"He's a very capable young guy," adds Bredeken. "And that's why technology is so important to him. It gave him a method in which he can demonstrate his knowledge of curriculum."
Like Throndson, Ellen Budish, a kindergarten teacher at Sunrise Park Elementary School in Boca Raton, Florida, has a child in her class using an assistive technology. In her case, Danielle uses a DynaVox, a device resembling a touch-screen computer that provides a voice for children who can't speak. It's easy to use so that even Danielle, who has limited use of her arms, can manipulate it.
Before school started, Budish attended an all-day seminar in a school system office to learn about the technology and how to incorporate it in her classroom. About 30 teachers, paraeducators, and parents attended.
Budish works closely with Colleen Fritts, an augmentative communication specialist, to customize the program for Danielle. Fritts knows that teachers can be intimidated by the devices. "They're usually scared," she says.
But once that nervousness is overcome, the results can be magical. "Ellen is a fantastic kindergarten teacher," Fritts says. "She takes her job extremely seriously, and she wants to do her best for every single student in the classroom. It truly is a success story."
The commitment is just as strong in Throndson's classroom. With adequate support, Justin is making strides. And his classmates benefit from his participation, too-even if they sometimes envy his computer.
"The children are learning from him too," says Throndson. "They are seeing that...he's very smart and there are ways you can work around a disability."
"We're very fortunate to have him," she adds. "He brings us a lot of joy."
LEARN MORE about how to make your curriculum more accessible to all students-for free.
While supplies last, get a copy of NEA's Accessible Classroom Primer CD-ROM. Click away on the CO-ROM and you'll find articles and presentations on assistive technologies and universal design for learning strategies.
You can request a copy from gapsinfo@nea.org. Or save time by downloading the material yourself from www.cte.jhu.edu/accessibility/primer.
Copyright National Education Association Apr 2005
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