우리는 기술을 명사(예: 파워포인트, 유튜브, 트위터)로 생각하는 것을 멈추고 동사(프레젠테이션, 공유, 소통)로 생각해야 합니다.
~ 더글러스 피셔 & 낸시 프레이, 21세기 역량
보조 및 접근성 기술 이란 무엇인가요 ?
보조 기술(AT) 은 장애 학생이 어려움을 겪거나 수행할 수 없는 작업을 완료할 수 있도록 지원하는 다양한 도구, 전략 및 서비스를 포괄하는 용어입니다.
접근성 기술 이란 다양한 사용자의 요구를 고려하여 설계된 기술을 말합니다. 접근성 기술에는 보조 기술(AT)과 유사한 도구와 기능이 포함되는 경우가 많습니다. 예를 들어 자막을 생각해 보세요. 영상이나 음성에 텍스트를 함께 제공하는 것은 청각 장애 학생을 위한 잘 알려진 보조 기술 입니다. 하지만 영상/음성 자료는 영어를 배우는 학생, 시각 학습자, 심지어 피로감을 느끼고 등교하는 학생에게도 도움이 될 수 있습니다. 이처럼 접근성 기술은 광범위한 의미를 지닙니다. 보편적 학습 설계(UDL)는 소수에게 유익한 것이 다수에게도 유익할 수 있음을 보여주며, 교육자에게 있어 이는 학습 접근성을 확보하는 출발점이 될 수 있습니다.
스스로에게 질문해 보세요. 모든 학생(장애 학생 포함)이 더욱 성공할 수 있도록, 수업 설계 단계에서부터 무엇을 제공할 수 있을까요?
장애 학생에 대해 이야기할 때, 도구, 전략 및 지원에 대한 언급이 있는데, 이때 "보조 기술"이라는 용어가 사용됩니다. 이는 법적으로 의무화된 사항이며, 개별화 교육 계획(IEP) 수립 과정에서 반드시 다뤄져야 합니다. 보조 기술과 접근성 기술이 어떻게 서로 연관되고 보완하는지에 대한 이해를 넓힘으로써, 교사들은 모든 학생을 효과적으로 지원할 수 있게 됩니다.
" 모두를 위한 접근 가능한 교육과정 "이라는 이름의 오픈 액세스 교육 과정은 모든 학생의 접근성과 포용성을 위해 노력하는 일반 및 특수 교육 교사, 서비스 제공자 및 관리자를 위해 설계되었습니다.
" 보조 기술과 유니버설 디자인 - 동전의 양면" 이라는 제목의 기사 발췌문을 살펴보면서 이 주제를 좀 더 자세히 알아보세요 .
UDL과 AT는 학생들이 필요로 하는 도구를 제공하는 것과 더불어 UDL에 기반을 둔 의도적인 교수 설계를 통해 장벽을 줄이거나 제거할 수 있다는 아이디어로 연결됩니다 .
기술이 왜 그렇게 중요한가? 장애 학생들을 위한 것인가요?
The National Education Technology Plan (NETP, Office of Educational Technology, 2024) states, "Technology can be a powerful tool to help transform learning. It has the potential to empower students to expand their learning beyond the confines of the traditional classroom, support self-directed learning, help educators tailor learning experiences to individual student needs, and support students with disabilities. Technology also has the potential to allow students and educators to collaborate with peers and experts worldwide, engage with immersive learning simulations, and express their learning creatively. Furthermore, it has the potential to collect student performance and engagement data, providing insight into student progress and allowing educators to deploy targeted support".
Think about the quote at the top of this page. It’s not enough to provide teachers with a box of tools. Teachers need to understand how to leverage those tools using methodology that considers the variability of all learners, and how to strategically implement them to reduce the specific barriers to learning for the students they are teaching. By grounding the provision of assistive technology in the practices of universal design for learning, teachers can support the goal for students to be successful in inclusive settings.
What is the impact for our students with disabilities?
The National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 looked at postsecondary outcomes for students nationally and found that students with high incidence disabilities who received assistive technology performed significantly better than those who did not receive assistive technology.
Students who received AT graduated at a rate of 99.8% compared to 79.6% for students who did not receive assistive technology.
Students who received AT enrolled in postsecondary education programs at a rate of 80.9% compared to 40.1% for students who did not receive AT.
Students who received AT obtained a paying job at a rate of 80% compared to 50.8% for students who did not receive AT.
What are the mandates for providing assistive technology?
Because AT is so important for students with disabilities, there exist specific mandates for providing tools, strategies and the services that support their use. Since 1990, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) has required AT devices and services be available to every student with a disability - if that student needs AT in order to receive a free and appropriate public education (FAPE). Needing AT to access an educational program can mean access to special instruction; access to the general curriculum; and/or access to extracurricular activities. In many cases, the provision of assistive technology can be the most meaningful way of ensuring students can meet more challenging objectives and experience an appropriately ambitious program.
More than one federal law addresses the requirement that schools provide AT to students who benefit from it and have equal access to their educational programs. Others include the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, the Assistive Technology Act of 1998, and a fairly recent Seneate Bill from California called SB 605 which gives students greater access to assistive technology.
The U.S. Department of Education has provided new guidance about AT. Myths & Facts About Assistive Technology and Services answers many questions surrounding AT and can be very useful to teams that support students with disabilities.
Dive deeper into AT with the “Legal Basis for Assistive Technology” which includes excerpts from Gayl Bowser and Penny R. Reed's book titled Leading the Way to Excellence in AT Services: A Guide for Administrators.
References
Bowser, Gayl and Reed, Penny, Leading the Way to Excellence in AT Services: A Guide for Administrators, 2020.
National Center for Special Education Research, National Longitudinal Transition Study-2
U.S. Department of Education, A Call to Action for Closing the Digital Access, Design, and Use Divides, National Educational Technology Plan, 2024.
U.S. Department of Education, Myths & Facts About Assistive Technology and Services, 2024.