Kailangan nating itigil ang pag-iisip sa teknolohiya gamit ang mga pangngalan (hal. PowerPoint, YouTube, o Twitter) at sa halip ay mag-isip gamit ang mga pandiwa (paglalahad, pagbabahagi, pakikipag-usap).
~ Douglas Fisher at Nancy Frey, Mga Kasanayan sa Ika-21 Siglo
Ano ang Teknolohiyang Assistive at Accessible?
Ang assistive technology (AT) ay isang malawak na termino na sumasaklaw sa iba't ibang kagamitan, estratehiya, at serbisyo na nagbibigay-daan sa isang mag-aaral na may kapansanan na makumpleto ang isang gawain na mahihirapan o hindi nila kayang gawin.
Ang teknolohiyang accessible ay tumutukoy sa teknolohiyang idinisenyo na isinasaalang-alang ang mga pangangailangan ng maraming iba't ibang gumagamit. Kadalasan, ang teknolohiyang Accessible ay may kasamang mga katulad na tool at feature gaya ng AT. Halimbawa, isipin ang mga closed caption… Ang pagbibigay ng teksto na may video o audio ay isang mahusay na itinatag na suporta sa teknolohiyang pantulong para sa mga mag-aaral na may kapansanan sa pandinig. Ngunit ang pagsasama ng mga materyal na video/audio ay maaari ding maging kapaki-pakinabang para sa mga mag-aaral na nag-aaral ng Ingles, mga mag-aaral na visual learner, at maging sa isang mag-aaral na pumapasok sa paaralan na may pagkapagod at nangangailangan lamang ng kaunting dagdag na suporta sa araw na iyon. Bilang resulta, ang teknolohiyang Accessible ay may malawak na implikasyon. Sinasabi sa atin ng Universal Design for Learning na ang mabuti para sa iilan ay maaaring mabuti para sa marami, at para sa mga tagapagturo, ito ay isang magandang panimula kapag ginagawang accessible ang pag-aaral.
Tanungin ang iyong sarili, ano ang maaari kong ihanda sa disenyo ng pagtuturo mula sa simula, na magbibigay-daan sa LAHAT ng mga mag-aaral (kabilang ang mga mag-aaral na may kapansanan) na maging mas matagumpay?
Kapag pinag-uusapan ang mga mag-aaral na may kapansanan, may mga pagtukoy sa mga kagamitan, estratehiya, at mga suporta, tulad ng "teknolohiyang pantulong" bilang legal na iniaatas na mandato na ito, na dapat tugunan sa proseso ng IEP. Sa pamamagitan ng pagpapalawak ng pag-unawa sa kung paano nagsasapawan at nagpupuno sa isa't isa ang mga teknolohiyang Pantulong at Naa-access , maaaring lumipat ang mga guro sa pagsuporta sa LAHAT ng mga mag-aaral.
Ang pagkakasunod-sunod ng pagsasanay para sa Open Access na tinatawag na " Accessible Curriculum for ALL " ay idinisenyo para sa mga guro sa pangkalahatan at espesyal na edukasyon, mga tagapagbigay ng serbisyo, at mga administrador na nagsusumikap tungo sa access at inclusion para sa lahat ng mga mag-aaral.
Mas palalimin pa ang pagtalakay sa paksang ito sa pamamagitan ng paggalugad ng mga sipi mula sa artikulong pinamagatang, Assistive Technology and Universal Design - Two Sides of the Identical Barya .
Ang UDL at AT ay magkaugnay sa pamamagitan ng ideya na ang mga hadlang ay maaaring mabawasan o maalis sa pamamagitan ng sinasadyang disenyo ng pagtuturo na nakaugat sa UDL kasama ang pagbibigay sa mga mag-aaral ng mga kagamitang kailangan nila.
Bakit Napakahalaga ng Teknolohiya para sa mga Mag-aaral na may Kapansanan?
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.