High-tech devices help kids with disabilities

[Guest guest]

High-tech devices help kids with disabilities

Carol Peck - Guest columnist

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0203edpeck0203

..html

Ever wonder if the advances in technology are really making a

difference for children? One family no longer wonders. is a

typical 11-year-old boy who loves fishing and music, but he also has

cerebral palsy.

To help him communicate, participate at school and just have fun,

uses Assistive Technology, proximity switches on his

wheelchair to operate a computer with his head.

Assistive Technologyis any tool that promotes independence

across all areas of daily living for individuals with disabilities.

It can be as low-tech as a highlighter pen to distinguish words on a

page for a person who has reading difficulties, or as high-tech as a

computer with Optical Character Recognition to scan text and read it

back through a speech synthesizer.

Unlike instructive technology such as Smart-boards that enhance

learning for all students, Assistive Technology is focused on

individual needs. From computers to communication devices to

environmental controls, technology offers many children with

disabilities the tools necessary for success.

In many school districts, a team of specialists connects students

with tools that support success in all aspects of life. To make the

investment worthwhile, fit is key. The technology must be matched to

the strengths and needs of the student.

Selecting the most appropriate tool involves a team evaluation,

finding the resources to acquire the technology, customizing the

product for the individual and providing the training to use it

correctly.

" It is our job to make sure all of our students can learn, " said

Carol ers, Assistive Technology coordinator for the Pendergast

School District. " It is exciting to see the results. "

Southwest Human Development provides a variety of workshops designed

to improve expertise in the use of AT in the classroom and to build

school capacity for evaluations. The program's professional team

includes rehabilitation engineers, special educators and a full range

of therapists.

Their philosophy underscores training and service leading to consumer

choice that results in effective and functional use of AT.

One of the great hopes for technology in the future is that it will

open new worlds of communication and learning for individuals with

special needs, helping them to reach their full potential.

For more information, visit the Family Center on Technology and

Disability at www.fctd.info.