Example of AT Communication Device

I FOUND IT!!!

This feature was on CTV Newsnet last weekend

Week 9-Presentation of Case Studies

The case studies presented in class were inspiring. Although the class was longer than anticipated, it was worth every minute. I enjoyed hearing and viewing the various elements of assistive technology at work in schools within our board.

Paula and Ian’s presentation and follow up were great examples of teachers that care, generating the best possible learning environment for their students. Joel, their student with Autism and his experiences with technology had me reflecting upon my own experiences with Bailey (a first grader) with technology. Similarly to Joel, Bailey has responded very well to Choose It Maker 2, because of this I want to integrate more technology into her IPP and daily programming. I had never thought of using the SmartBoard as a medium for her. Joel’s abilities and his talent with life size characters with numerous details are astounding. I enjoyed hearing the transition planning elements also shared during the presentation, being at the elementary level it is often difficult to understand the options or the transition process at the secondary level.

Laura’s presentation concerning her cousin Stan, was also well done. Presenting a family member can be difficult since it is easy to be very emotionally attached. Although, it was evident throughout the presentation that Laura cares very deeply for her cousin, I believe she also designed a program that appropriate for him and provided the necessary steps to make it successful. Throughout the presentation I was amazed with all the obstacles Stan had overcome and how he was very willing to try the programs. I hope he is able to continue to use the programs introduced and that Laura will be able to continue to help and support all of those willing to help him. I am sure this will occur; during the presentation it was very evident that Laura shares a very special relationship with Stan.

Meghan provided an interesting case study of her one year old daughter. The study gave an example of how technology can be used at any developmental stage or age. Throughout her presentation Megan provided reflections on the challenges of technology and a very young child. I think Megan did a great job modifying the tasks to meet the needs of her daughter (minimizing distractions, training).

Lydia’s case study was very interesting. Lydia provided an excellent background of the student, their strengths and also their challenges. Her concern for him was evident at all stages of the presentation. I hope the student will also be given opportunities for success like he is receiving with Lydia.

My own presentation concerning Abel was very difficult to complete. While I thoroughly enjoy working with Abel and I am very proud of his success, the challenge that remains still greatly bothers me. I just cannot understand how a teacher could not do everything they possibly can do to have every student experience success as much as possible. He is a student that I hope will always be a self-advocate and will continue to demand that his needs be met. With all the changes that may come at the school, next year I am sure he and his mother will ensure that his AT recommendations are followed but what if there is no one there to facilitate the process? While Abel does know how to use the programs pretty efficiently I believe it is so important that he continue to learn further aspects of the programs he is using.

Week 7/8- Dynamic Communication Board using BoardMaker Plus

Over the last two weeks Lydia and I worked on creating a dynamic communication board for a student with high needs. The process of selecting the phrases that will be most beneficial to the student is eye-opening. While these phrases will enable some communication and therefore independence, it is a remarkable responsibility to generate an accurate and useful board for the student. Other issues we discussed were related to generating phrases the mimic genuine expression and appropriate age level. I believe that knowing the student, their interests and needs along with those who they will be communicating with are all required to make a board that would be the most beneficial for the student.

The presentations of the various boards were a great way to reflect on the various approaches to generating an appropriate board. All presentations provided similarities and yet have distinct differences. By viewing the other boards I believe I could now generate a better, more effective board for the student.

Week 6-Communication Devices

EXHAUSTED!!!! That is how I felt after completing the scenario in class this week. Lydia and I used a very low tech device to communicate. The board was designed for someone with very little controlled movement abilities but with control over their eye movements. Using the device was very frustrating with the initial eye movement for the letter box and next immediate eye movement for the colour code for the letter within the box first selected. As the person trying to express myself in this situation I was very frustrated and was mentally exhausted by the amount of energy that was required to think through each letter of each word, locate the corresponding letters and maintain the final goal of conveying a specific message. While I am sure that this method would be better than the alternative of not being able to express myself, I could not imagine using this method for a long duration of time. I feel if this were my only method of communication it would only be used on a 'needs' basis.
The second element which stood out in class this week was the youtube.com clip with the young woman with Autism communicating her reality and understanding of the world. Her perspective was very interesting and well conveyed. The notion that her gestures and sounds where her way of interacting and responding to her environment led me to think about the definition of language. Explorers upon their first interactions with Native Americans or the Aboriginals of Australia made the same type of judgments that are experienced and reflected upon by the young woman. The explorers like many in society judge different as wrong or inferior because it is not their normal. When using the format and conventions of the English language through type, the young woman was able to eloquently and concisely describe her thoughts and experiences. Such a shift in perspective was very eye opening a great way to begin thinking about the various forms of communication.

What to do? When the plan isn't happening...

During the last course I worked very intensely with one student with a Learning Disability. We worked together using Kurzweil, Start to Finish books and Co-writer. Over the course of the term, there were many times when the student experienced great success using the programs in the Program Support room. Unfortunately, the success did not translate into the classroom even though Individual Adaptations with these as a specific strategies were named, for whatever reason they did not occur in the classroom. The parent's of the student were quite concerned and several conversations occurred between the teacher, administration and myself. After Christmas break the issue seemed to disappear, although this student still only receives Assistive Technology support when in the Program Support room, it appears as though the parents have given up.
Today, however, a second concern was raised regarding a second student in the same classroom not receiving the outlined and necessary IA/AT supports within the classroom. Similarly, the student is using a great deal of Assistive Technology in the Program Support room with great success but is not being provided with opportunities to experience success in their own classroom. As a PST and a classroom teacher I understand the demands every teacher has, however I do not understand how it is possible for a teacher who claims to be concerned for their students to not at least attempt to provide the necessary tools for a student's success!
How can we advocate and ensure AT is used within the classrooms? Besides providing opportunities for training, what else can be done? I understand legal accountability as far as the IA goes but how do we make it as a best teaching practice instead?

Week 5-Choose It and Power Point

I am excited at the prospects of using Power Point to design interactive programs. Unlike many other programs explored in class, Power Point is readily available at all schools and can achieve a variety of activities to introduce, reinforce and evaluate student's work.
Choose It activities completed and presented by all groups this week were very well done. It was interesting to share very different activities using the same program. As noted last week the program has a great deal of potential, if the limitations of the program are also well known and activities are designed with both limitations and potential in mind.

Week 4- Choose It

I really enjoyed using the program presented in class this week. Choose It Maker has a very simplistic interface and wonderful graphics. The program is designer and user friendly. The variety of options available to make the program accessible to a wide range of users is also a great feature. I think the program could be incorporated into a variety of subject and IPP goals. Although the program does not record responses the program does enable a form of assessment as long as someone is recording responses, which after all is how assistive technology is suppose to be used (under supervision).

http://www.ednet.ns.ca/pdfdocs/studentsvcs/inclusion.pdf

Week 3-Integration

Inclusion is defined by the Nova Scotia Department of Education as "an attitude and value system that promotes the basic right of all students to receive appropriate and quality of educational programming and services in the company of their peers". The definition seems very clear however implementing inclusive practices requires a commitment by a variety of educators and support staff to make the process a success.
In the film presented in class the process of integration takes time and looks very different at different stages of life. I believe the early elementary years are an easier time for integration to occur. For example in the film, Micheal (a kindergarten student with Down Syndrome) is included in circle and his physical and occupational therapy goals are integrated into the class routines. My experiences with integration at this level are also very positive. Young students who are exposed to positive attitudes towards integration are readily able to accept differences. During the early years of school the curriculum is also easily adaptable since the majority of the outcomes are related to discovery over performance. Socially, all students are interested in play and friendships are based on common play patterns rather than complex social experiences and networks.
With the transition to upper elementary the integration process becomes more complicated as differences are more apparent and social interests begin to change with peers. The shift within the classroom for the majority of students becomes more focused on performance and abstract processes, which often are not parallel with the Individual Program Plan for a student with high needs. Innovation however can continue to make the process of integration successful. Todd, a student in grade four/five featured in the film, and his experience highlights the importance of flexibility and creativity to blend his outcomes with his class in a meaningful way. At this level however I believe social relationships begin to strain between typically developing students and students with high needs. Interests, play development and peer pressures are all factors which lead to the strain. While it is possible to create a meaningful and successful environment, it requires more awareness on the part of the adults to ensure everyone is welcome.
Inclusion at the junior high level is the most difficult. Unlike elementary school, coordination between educators, adolescent social pressures and curriculum characteristics makes the process of integration and inclusion challenging. The importance of educators and staff modeling personal and meaningful interactions with all students especially those with special needs is extremely important. As noted by Justin's mother in the film middle school can be very socially isolating since typically developing peers are too cool and relationships fade. The experiences of Joy a junior high student with special needs in the film also highlight the importance of seeking a variety of social connections including situations of being the leader. I think that providing opportunities for being the role model and having leadership experiences are important especially for students that at the junior high level are often isolated and not provided a chance to take the lead.
I have also believed that a school needs to reflect the community it serves. For a true reflection is important that all students have equal and important roles within the school, if this is made possible throughout the school experience the community will be prepared and readily accepting of all members as adults.

Using Boardmaker Plus

After completing the at-home assignment for Boardmaker Plus, I now realized the many different ways the program can be used. I believe the versatility of the program is often over looked because PST's rarely have the time to explore the programs and often when given the opportunity the process seems very overwhelming. I have used the program before to create visual schedules and picture communication systems but have never thought of making the program available to students. The e-book was easy to create and would be a great way for non-writers/readers to be included in Language Arts activities.

Week 1- Including Samuel

The presentation tonight of the documentary “Including Samuel” has made me reflect upon the whole process of inclusion and what success in inclusion means. On paper inclusion seems simplistic enough, all students with all ability levels and challenges in a classroom, school and community together. Unfortunately inclusion is often presented in educational texts as a simple process which spontaneously happens and is immediately successful. As educators know however inclusion requires a great deal more than having a place where all students are together, it requires planning, troubleshooting and a full team approach from all persons involved.

Throughout the documentary the family shared their experiences, successes and stressors which were very meaningful, powerful and inspiring. As a family they have redefined their version of what is ‘normal’ and furthermore have enlisted and expanded their community in redefining ‘inclusion and normalcy’. I believe every family who experiences a diagnosis of a challenge with one of their children go through a similar process of grieving for what they had originally dreamed and a struggle to redefine their expectations. Samuel’s family however in their redefinition has not placed limitations on their son but instead have accepted his challenges and embraced and fostered his growth and abilities through everything they do and allow him to experience.

The other families and people with challenges featured in the film also emphasize the importance of families not limiting their children when given a challenging diagnosis (mental or physical) but rather the importance of seeking ways to ensure that they can discover their strengths and accommodate their challenges in the majority of environments. Keith Jones notes how important education was and how his parents ensure he was truly educated in a time when people with challenges where given their own classroom with lowered expectations. Through his interviews it is easy to understand his struggles with a physical disability at a young age when it was considered a life sentence in the education system and his community. The contrasts of Keith Jone's experiences at early elementary with Samuel’s would be very interesting. Throughout the film Samuel’s inclusion within a variety of activities is included including Scouts, t-ball and the riding an adaptive bicycle.

A current contrast to Samuel’s experience at the elementary level is Alana Malfy’s high school experience in which inclusion is the label given to having her present in the room and the frustration of the experience expressed by her and her teacher. The film highlights the need for a standard in inclusive practices across schools, boards and the country.

Inclusion is not simplistic and becomes more complicated as a child grows, however social connections for all people change and become more complex with age. Knowing how to foster an environment which accepts diversity becomes more and more important. I appreciate in the film that the family is not just focused on the education of their son but on the social experiences and connections he has and will have. Social isolation I believe is the most difficult part for students with challenges and is often innocently overlooked by educators so focused on providing academics and life skill training.

As part of my undergraduate degree in Child and Youth Studies I complete a practicum as an aide for a high school student with Downs Syndrome in a private school. Throughout my practicum I wondered if this was the right environment for her, she was in classrooms but often at the back, during noon hour she found a particular bench at a central location in the school and would perk up for a hello from passersby’s, I soon realized she ate alone everyday and furthermore, she did not really have shared experiences with any of the other students. After that practicum I started to question what the purpose of inclusion was, I wanted to know her perspectives and feelings on her own experiences in an ‘inclusive’ environment; I wanted to know her parent’s feelings, hopes and fears for her.

That next fall I began work on my Honours thesis, I knew immediately what I was going to cover I felt I had to. I spent the entire academic year with her in school and in her community. I spoke with teachers, other students and family members. Reading previous research on social inclusion was alarming (mostly because there is a very limited database to draw from and often from the early 1980’s when the notion of inclusive environments first developed). It struck a cord in me that all these professionals were so proud of the ‘environment and community’ that they had created for her and that they had neglected to ask her about her experiences in it. My study concluded that she was lonely and wanted to be truly included. She expressed an interest in finding friends with mutual interests but felt that in this school she could not. She also noted that she was always the only one that was different in her community and that this frustrated her. Her fears for the future echoed her parents; she expressed resentment at her peers for planning their next phase of life and in the process leaving her behind.

The project took place several years ago now…I wonder if she still feels the same way or if she has made transitions and found true friendships. I wonder if her parents have accepted her transition to early adulthood and if they have assisted in finding true inclusive places for her to be.