The Gift of Assistive Technology: Importance of Inclusion

The video clip on assistive technology entitled Enabling Dreams opened my eyes to a whole different world; a world where children with disabilities are given voices, ways of mobility, and the opportunities to do just as much as non-disabled children. I have heard about assistive technology in the past, but this was the first time I have ever seen them being used by actual children.

After watching this clip, I realized that I may have one or more students who will be using these types of technology. What will I do? What can I do to help them? I started to ask myself many questions and began to come up with answers. First of all, I need to familiarize myself with different types of disabilities and the kinds of assistive technology that could be used to help them.

Second, I would need to make accommodations for these students and help them to feel that they can be just as independent as their classmates. Just as lesson plans are revised to accommodate all different types of learners, e.g. audio, kinesthetic, visual, they should also be revised to include disabled students. I want to be able to have all my students participate in group activities so that they learn about diversity and that everyone is special in their own way. Inclusion is also very important so that students learn to care and help others.