Topic 1 - B
Basic Information about Assistive Technology
This topic is offered as a review for students who have a basic understanding of assistive technology (AT) from previous courses or hands-on experience, or as an introduction to assistive technology for any students who have had limited experience with AT. The information is from the beginning of the course DIS 505 - Assistive Technology in the Lifespan.
Students who have not completed DIS 505 should complete the following assignments:
DIS 505 - Module 1
This module will give you basic information about assistive technology (AT) devices and services. You will be able to define assistive technology, review models for understanding assistive technology devices and services, and you will gain a better understanding of some of the important issues surrounding these devices and services.
What is AT?
This first topic will help you gain an overall understanding of assistive technology. You will review some basic information about this term, learn foundational principles that are necessary for later topics, review the potential benefits of assistive technology, and understand some of the myths that pervade our service delivery system about this special class of technology devices.
What Technology Do You Use In Your Life?
Defining Assistive Technology
Important Concepts in AT
Myths & Realities of Assistive Technologies
Objectives:
At the completion of this unit, you will be able to:
Define assistive technology (AT).
Describe the role of AT in meeting the needs of persons with disabilities.
List and describe the different categories of AT devices.
Discuss some of the myths and realities of AT.
What Technology Do You Use In Your Life?
Technology is such a large part of our lives that, in some cases, we rarely give it a second thought as we use it. Consider these devices:
- automobiles
- toasters
- the computer you are using now
Do you spend much time thinking about how they work? Chances are that you don't. This was not always so. When technology is first introduced, you probably found it to be a novelty. It is also something quite different and you usually need to devote some time to learning how to use the device. Over time, however, this same technology becomes so commonplace that you don't even recognize that you are using it. In other words, it becomes generic.
Precisely because technology is so generic, we will begin the course by having you look at the technology you use and how it helps you. This will serve as the starting point in our discovery of how assistive technology helps persons with disabilities.
Assignment
1. Create a MS Word document and answering the following questions. You'll submit this assignment in the "Drop Box for Assignments" title "Topic 1 - B Basic Info about AT".
1. Look at the technology you use in the course of a typical day. List all the different devices you find in this brief survey of your environment.
2. Choose your favorite device from the list above. What steps must you do to use this device?
3. Now, list the various physical, cognitive, and sensory capabilities you need to use when you use this device.
4. If you had a vision impairment, hearing impairment, physical disability, or difficulty thinking and reasoning, what problems/difficulties might you have in trying to use your device?
5. What things can you think about that may have helped mitigate against or solve the problems you identified in the previous question?
Submit your MS Word document in the "Drop Box for Assignments" area
located from the left Course Menu or from the Homepage. You'll find a link titled "Topic 1 - B Basic Info about AT" for this topic.2. Choose either A or B for the second part of this topic's assignments
A. Review three of the following articles from the journal “Teaching Exceptional Children” Volume 37 No. 3, Jan/Feb 2005 Theme: Adapting Curriculum for Middle and Secondary Students. There are five articles in this issue that address teaching and transition issues for students with disabilities.
- Moving from Elementary to Middle School: Supporting a Smooth Transition for Students with Severe Disabilities
- Woodshop, Technology, and Reading!
- Math Games for Adolescents
- Navigating the College Transition Maze: A Guide for Students with Learning Disabilities
- Empowering Students with Severe Disabilities to Actualize Communication Skills
After reading and reviewing these articles, how many references to assistive technology do you find? Do you think that AT should have been included in the teaching strategies or in the transition plans? In a short paragraph for each article (3 paragraphs total), list the AT tools (or general categories) and associated services that might have been included in the article if the author had been knowledgeable about the field of AT.
B. Read the following chapters from "Living in the State of Stuck" by Marcia Scherer, Brookline Books, Cambridge,1993 .
1. Going Into the 21st Century with a Disability pages 7- 28.
2. Independent for the First Time, pages 29-42.
Summarize the information in these two chapters in a 2-3 page paper.
Submit your MS Word document in the "Assignments" area located from the left Course Menu. You'll find a link titled "Journal/Article Review".
Defining Assistive Technology
One of our first tasks is to get a good handle on just what we are talking about - that is, defining assistive technology (AT). While the word assistive technology and the practice of using AT devices has been around for some time, Trying to define AT is unfortunately more difficult than it seems.
Generally, you will find that people talk about AT in one of several ways, each getting at a different aspect of what AT is. The links below take you to discussions of each of these definitions of AT. After following each link, you will have a better idea of what AT really is.
Common Definitions
At first glance, defining AT appears to be a relatively easy task. Unfortunately, we have a problem right away! The term assistive technology is not transparent. That is, you do not immediately know what we are talking about without additional information. Never fear, though, one should be able to simply go to the dictionary and look up a definition. Let's try that.
Well, we are off to a wonderful start. I could not find the word "assistive" in the Random House Webster's dictionary. I could, however, find the word assist. So here goes again.
assist (e sist') v.t., v.i.1. to aid; help. - n 2. A play helping a teammate to score or put out an opponent. 3. A helpful act -assistance, n.
technology (-nol'e je) n., pl. -gies.
1. the branch of knowledge that deals with applied science, engineering, etc. 2. the practical application of knowledge. 3. The materials, techniques, etc. used for a practical end.
Sadly, this was only slightly more helpful (or should I say assistive). From all that effort we see that AT is something (either knowledge or a device) that aids or helps someone. While somewhat helpful, this nevertheless does not help to get a good handle on exactly what we are talking about. We will need to try another tack. Let's see how other people define AT.Legal Definitions of AT
Part of our problem with defining AT is that practitioners did not develop the most common definition we use. Rather, this task was left to legislators as they crafted federal laws that regulate access to assistive technology devices for persons with disabilities. Therefore, our most used definition is the one codified in public law.
Assistive Technology "any item, piece of equipment or product system, whether acquired commercially, modified or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve the functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities."
Assistive Technology Service: "any service that directly assists an individual with a disability in the selection, acquisition, or use of an assistive technology device."
Legislation frequently establishes more restrictive definitions that allow practitioners to make distinctions about what is, and what is not, an assistive technology device. In addition, federal laws delineate a set of assistive technology services that are required as part of providing assistive technology for persons with disabilities.
AT device and services are defined in all major pieces of federal legislation for persons with disabilities. Each adopted the definitions listed in the "info box," but the Rehabilitation Act went one step further and added definitions for rehabilitation technology and rehabilitation engineering.
rehabilitation engineering (this link will open in a new browser window - http://www.techconnections.org/legislation/RehabAct/Q1-4.cfm)
rehabilitation technology (this link will open in a new browser window - http://www.techconnections.org/legislation/RehabAct/Q1-5.cfm)
Functional Definitions of AT
Ah, now we are getting somewhere! We can see that AT is both devices and services. In addition, different groups of people will call AT different things (for example, the VR Act describing "rehabilitation technology"). We are somewhat better off now that we know how the law views AT. This, however, is still not enough. We need a more practical, or functional, definition because professionals and persons with disabilities who may benefit from assistive devices and services still are often unclear exactly what AT is.
Another way to figure out what assistive technology is would be to try and define it by the functions these devices perform. I will call this the functional definition of AT.
Let's look at how programs define AT. I am going to send you to one more site: the Arizona Technology Access Program resources page. The fact sheet "What is Assistive Technology" presents a more common, practical definition of AT and gives you several examples of how people with disabilities may use AT devices or services.
The Arizona Technology Access Program - a fact sheet on assistive technology with examples of devices uses. (this link will open in a new window - http://www.nau.edu/ihd/aztap/whatisat.html)
OK. Now we have a little better working knowledge of AT. We see that AT helps a person with a disability to do what they could not normally do on their own. In addition, there is a wide variety of assistive technology to help the person do a variety of jobs. Before we leave this topic, I will have you complete a little exercise to illustrate four important points about AT, without which, our attempts to define AT would be lacking.
Types of Assistive Technology Devices
Our last task in understanding how to define assistive technology is to look at the types of assistive devices that are commonly used by persons with disabilities. There are several ways to categorize AT devices, but each list contains some common elements. Explore the following sites to tease out the different types of AT devices.
Categories of Assistive Technology
More Categories of Assistive Technology
Categories by Primary Use of Assistive Technology
Access vs. Adaptive Technologies
As you can see, we really don't have a common understanding even of the categories of assistive devices. For practical purposes, we usually talk about device categories such as communication devices, aids for daily living, and such.
So, let's summarize what we learned. AT is:
A device or a set of devices
A set of corresponding services (very important to remember that AT alone is often ineffective without the services).
A variety of devices that assist a person with a disability to overcome the effects of their disability or to maintain a functional capabilities.
Come in a variety of types/categories.
Important Concepts in AT
Now that you understand what AT is and how it can benefit person with disabilities, it is important that you understand seven basic concepts about AT. The following concepts pervade all our discussions of AT throughout this course. These concepts are:
- Low vs. high technology
- AT is a tool
- 80/20 rule
- AT as a system
- AT as a team process
- Human-device interaction is the basis of AT use
- Universal design - access for all
We will examine each of these basic concepts in turn during this online lesson. You may use the links above to take you to the discussion of each topic.
AT: Low vs. high technology
One helpful distinction to keep in mind when thinking about AT is the difference between low-tech and high-tech. Often, these terms are bantered about as if everyone knows exactly what they mean. I have found, to my dismay, that this is not the case. We should begin by attempting to come to some consensus on these terms.
Unfortunately, you will find that there is no universally agreed upon definition of high- or low-tech devices, but each definition has certain similar elements. I have reviewed many definitions and propose the following distinction between these two terms.
Low-tech = devices that are non-electronic, generally use simple electronic designs (if any at all), are low cost, are simple to use, and require little or no formal training to effectively operate. Low, or light tech as some will refer to this class of devices, can often be fabricated by school personnel, family members, or friends.
Here are a couple of examples of low-tech devices. The first is a communication board that allows a person to point to the letter to talk to others. Next, a small plastic keyguard for a computer guides the person as they type. Lastly, a simple switch with an interrupter allows someone to turn on or turn off a radio.
High-tech = devices that are electronic, driven by a computer, generally expensive (over $1,000), and are complex, often requiring more in-depth knowledge and skills to operate effectively. High tech devices are rarely fabricated by persons other than those with extensive knowledge in electrical circuitry, mechanics, and programming.
Now, let's contrast this with some examples of high-tech. The first is a computerized communication device that produces speech output. Next, the young woman in this picture is using a voice recognition program to enter information into a computer. The last picture shows an example of a switch operated environmental control unit to operate TVs, VCRs or other electronic appliances.
You will frequently find persons relying more on low tech, even those who use high tech devices. I find this to be the case for three reasons.
- Low tech alternatives are less expensive so, if the solution is not effective, the team is rarely out a lot of money.
- Because of the relative simplicity of low end (tech) solutions, teams and the consumers who use the device do not need to invest large amounts of time in training.
- Many high tech devices will fail to perform on occasion. For example, the battery on a device that speaks for a person may lose its charge. When this happens the individual needs a back up system. Low tech is perfectly suited to fulfill this purpose.
The 80/20 Rule
Related to the high-tech/low-tech dichotomy, is the notion that AT solutions can range from low-tech modifications and devices to the most expensive high-tech devices, sometimes costing $20,000 or more. For many persons, especially employers and service agency staff who often see AT has high tech, this is a scary proposition. This fear, in turn may make people reticent to consider AT devices because they are only aware of high-tech devices whose cost is prohibitive. For this reason, it is important that you are aware of the 80/20 rule.
THE RULE: Eighty percent of the effective AT solutions for persons with disabilities are simple, low-tech devices. Only twenty percent of the necessary modifications involve high-tech options (The 80/20 rule)
While the Job Accommodation Network (JAN) research supports the notion of most of the effective solutions being low-tech, inexpensive solutions, some researchers are questioning just how broadly this limited research pool fits with the larger assistive technology field of study. It is very possible that the generality of the results of JAN's research (i.e., the 80/20 rule) is much more limited than originally anticipated. Also, there is a great danger in applying this rule - if indeed it is accurate - automatically, excluding high-tech devices from consideration.
AT as a system
Many people make the mistake of thinking of AT as the devices they see people with disabilities using. In reality, AT is really a system that can be thought of as a jigsaw puzzle consisting of several pieces. In a typical jigsaw puzzle the puzzle is incomplete and the final image is indistinct until all pieces are in place. The same situation exists with AT systems. Without each piece of the puzzle, the AT intervention is incomplete, and is more likely to fail. You should also be aware that each component of this puzzle interacts with each other element. Devices allow the person to do a task better. Strategies (including learning strategies) help the person use the device effectively. Supports assist the person by giving them assistance using the device or encouraging the person to use the device in a particular setting. Isolating devices, strategies, and supports from each other - as is often the case with AT interventions - can have disastrous consequences.
Explore these elements. Click each piece to learn more about how it contributes to the overall AT intervention.
Myths & Realities of Assistive Technologies
As with many fields of study that deal with persons with disabilities, AT interventions must often contend with several myths. These myths are seldom overtly stated. More often, the skilled AT provider must read between the lines to infer their influence on AT decision-making. Myths have the effect of preventing persons from using AT devices, limiting the use of available technology, and removing potential sources of necessary AT support personnel. It is important that you become familiar with the various myths about AT devices and services so you can effectively dispel each as you encounter them in your AT interventions.
Read
(find this article at - http://www.gatfl.org/ldguide/myths.htm)