1. Expertise With over 25 years in the field of special education Dr. Friedlander brings a unique perspective to the field of assistive technology. Through the lens of a Licensed and Certified School Psychologist, Dr. Friedlander has worked with many children who present with learning differences who have benefited from the use of assistive technology. Dr. Friedlander is presently an Associate Professor of Education at the College of St. Elizabeth where he teaches graduate level courses in assistive technology and coordinates the Graduate Programs in Special Education. Dr. Friedlander has authored numerous books, videos and informational material pertaining to the use of assistive technology in the classroom. Dr. Friedlander is a frequent presenter at state and national conferences on the topic of assistive technology and eLearning. 1.1. School Psychology Certified School Psychologist in NY, NJ, & PA 1.2. Special Education Associate Professor of Education and Coordinator of Graduate Programs in Special Education 1.3. Professional Development Dr. Friedlander consults to a range of private and public schools in the area of assistive technology and provides professional development on the latest software applications in the field of assistive technology. Dr. Friedlander provides onsite training as well as training over the web. 1.4. Assistive Technology Dr. Friedlander is well known for the work he does in the area of assistive technology and maintains a rich resource of information on educational as well as assistive technology on his AssistiveTek Blog. 1.4.1. Assistive Technology Evaluations Dr. Friedlander under contract from the public schools performs Assistive Technology Evaluations. Additionally, Dr. Friedlander ... ... middle of paper ... ... this Agreement, RFB&D will pay Dr. Friedlander at the rate of per hour for time spent on Consulting Services. Dr. Friedlander shall submit written, signed reports of the time spent performing Consulting Services, itemizing in reasonable detail the dates on which services were performed, the number of hours spent on such dates and a brief description of the services rendered. This contract should be reviewed in 90 days so as to see if consultation agreement should be repositioned. This would enable Dr. Friedlander to provide RFB&D a wide range of services that would help promote the organization's products and services and position it in a market with other assistive technologies. Considering our economic climate it is extremely important for RFB&D to seek out grants and provide innovative products to meet the demands of an ever changing educational environment.
In this paper I will discuss two different case studies. The first case study involves a 35-month old girl named Kim who struggles with meal time, potty training, and play time with others. I will discuss four assistive technology devices, that would work for Kim. These devices will assist Kim with balance, mobility and undressing. The second case study involves a school age child name Billy, who struggles with benchmark objectives. Billy is in the fourth grade and use Assistive technology devices reading and math. I will discuss different AT devices that can be used to assist Billy with reading and math.
Creek (2009) states that a healthy person is able to perform their daily occupations effectively and is capable of responding accordingly to any changes in their activities. For adults with a learning disability it can be incredibly challenging to carry out their ADLs effectively or ev...
Choosing an assistive technology can be prove to be an expensive and time consuming task for all parties, therefore it is important that the technology will be provided to those students that will require them and to those that will actually use them. (Hemmingsson, Lidstrom & Nygard, 2009). Therefore teachers must be provided with support for factors such as evaluations, selecting and purchasing and designing and customising the technology. (Sharpe, 2010). Schools can fund the assistive technologies but they must consider funding the human factor by providing ongoing training and technical assistance to the teacher, staff, student and their families. (Lahm, Bausch, Sarpe & Hasselbring as cited in Sharpe 2010). According to Sharpe (2010), deciding on an assistive technology should be based on data collection of students abilities, breakdown of learning activities, learning style, the environment in which the assistive technology will be used, Individualised Education Plan (IEP) goals and objectives and the level of technology acceptance. This involves having the support and consultation with not only the school, staff and parents but also outside agencies like occupational therapists, who need to co-operate with schools to ensure that the choice of assistive technology is integrated into the classroom to increase
There are many “tools” that could be considered for a student who has trouble listening and understanding instructions. Sometimes, just an adjustment of where the child sits fixes the problem or eliminates the barrier. Other times, assistive technology is needed. Today, the options for assistive technology are endless. In Samanthas case there were many options of assistive technology I could provide her with to help her be successful in the classroom.
54 million Americans have a disability. Said more clearly, one in five Americans have a disability. Extended globally there are more than 610 million people in the world with some sort of disability or special needs (Manning-Schaffel, 2007). Upon reviewing most available market analysis it is apparent that this group is not being directly market to on a large scale. Likewise there is both a great need and many new opportunities as technology quickly advances. From a financial perspective this group is spending $8.8 billion USD worldwide on assistive devices primarily being pushed through medical representatives. This market is projected to reach $11 billion USD by 2015 and to continue at a 5%+ growth rate thereafter ("Assistive devices for," 2011). So there exists a subsection of the population whose spending is exploding worldwide, who is generally not being marketed to outside of core medical applications, who is beginning to become increasingly dependent on mobile technology such as phones and tablets.
Assistive technology devices that either augment or provide an alternative means of communication, can positively impact the lives of nonspeaking individuals who have severe communication disorders. So, why not use it? Assistive Technology Device is defined as “any piece of equipment, or product system, whether acquired commercially off the shelf, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain or improve the functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities.” (IDEA, 1997)
Wilcox, J., (1999) Assistive technology and early childhood education. Journal of Special Education Technology, 28(3), 63-78
Riviere, A. Assistive Technology: Meeting the Needs of Adults with Learning Disabilities. Washington, DC: NALLD, 1996. (ED 401 686)
...ck, E. C., Shurr, J. C., Tom, K., Jasper, A. D., Bassette, L., Miller, B., & Flanagan, S. M. (2012). Fix it with TAPE: Repurposing technology to be assistive technology for students with high-incidence disabilities. Preventing School Failure, 56(2), 121-128. doi:10.1080/1045988X.2011.603396
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services. “Thirty-five Years of Progress in Educating Children With Disabilities Through IDEA”. Washington, D.C., 2010.
Wendt,O.,Quist,R.W. and Lloyd,L.2011. Assistive Technology: principles and applications for Communication Disorders and Special Education. Boston: Brill.
I believe that if each company selling this assistive equipment was to do these forms, they could advertize and provide a lower price to consumers who are not able to pay for it. Also, since many of these assistive technologies are very expensive, we will provide a discounted monthly fee that will attempt to provide access to all
Assistive technology is often used by individuals with a learning disability. A learning disability “describes a neurobiological disorder in which a person’s brain works or is structured differently” (Lee1). A person’s abilities can be severely affected from a learning disability. They may listen differently, talk differently, write, spell, organize, and work with school subjects in a different way. Learning disabilities also affect people’s individual and personal lives to a great extent. According to the National Institutes of Health, one in seven children has a learning disability. The disability manifests itself when the child shows difficulty in reading, writing, spelling, and conversing with others. The added time they need to process information may make them seem less intelligent then others around them, but this is not the case. Individuals with learning disabilities are just as smart as anyone else; they just need to learn in a different way. The earlier a learning disability is noticed and detected, the earlier a child may be able to learn how to deal with or compensate for it (Lee 1). This is where assistive technology comes into play.
Assistive Technology or “AT” is a term used in this context to describe an item or technique used to make the navigation of a home, school or play environment more accessible for a child with special needs (Lowenthal & Egan, 2003). This paper is written to explore some of the assistive technology (AT) options available to serve two children with special needs in separate circumstances. Low, mid and high tech options will be addressed with regards to the specific needs and intentions of the parents and teachers in each child’s life. Attached is a table offering options for assistive technology in the classroom to support the educational goals of each child.The first case study addressed in this paper is Savannah, a three-year old student who is wheelchair bound. She has a seizure disorder and has been diagnosed with spastic cerebral palsy. She has limited vision but seems to be able to recognize items presented to her such as shapes and colors. Savannah participates in “social” language. She loves music and cause/effect activities. She knows all of her colors and shapes, is able to recite the alphabet by rote. In written word, Savannah recognizes both her name and those of her classmates. Savannah’s parents have expressed a desire to have her placed in a more restrictive classroom, and her teacher is interested in working more to support Savannah in the areas of writing and organizational skills. Some assistive technology suggestions for use in supporting Savannah are discussed below. Because Savannah’s teacher is working on encouraging Savannah in the area of writing, assistive technology options to support this area of development will be discussed herein. A low-tech ...
... CLD info sheets: assistive technology. Council for Learning Disabilities. Retrieved on April 24, 2005, from http://www.cldinternational.org/c/@CS_yKIo7l8ozY/Pages/assistive.html