My Reaction to Enabling Dreams

To be honest, I do not have much experience with students with disabilities. I have had maybe only one or two encounters, so I am not very familiar with what it’s like to have them in a classroom, but I can imagine it’s not easy for them to integrate with other students in a normal classroom. And, it might be a bit difficult for the teacher to be able to cater to their specific needs as well. However, the video Enabling Dreams made me aware of the aid available to help improve the experience for these students to the point where they are on somewhat level ground with a normal student. And, like so many people, I was completely unaware that such aid was available. I have not seen nor heard of such aid being utilized in the Guam schooling system, but that could possibly be attributed to my limited experience and exposure to students in such situations. However, if these assistive technologies were being utilized, I’m sure that students that normally would have been segregated and neglected because of their disability would have the opportunity to actively participate in class in a way they were unable to before. In the following, I will attempt to explain how assistive technology should be applied to a classroom, what to consider for my lessons when taking a student with disability into consideration, and my experiences with assistive technology in general. 

Although I am not aware of many disabilities, I believe that typically, students with disabilities have difficulty with communicating in a way that’s coherent to other people. So, I think that one of the best ways to incorporate a student with disabilities in a classroom is to plan lesson plans that call for a lot of activities that call for feedback from the students.  With the help of assistive technology, it will enable such students to communicate with not only the teacher, but with their peers as well. This communication is very important because it lets the teacher know where they are in a lesson, and what they may need help with. Also, this allows the disabled student to become more sociable with their peers. In the video, this was demonstrated in some of the clips where the teacher would personally talk to the disabled student. 

If I were to adjust one of my lesson plans to include a student with disabilities, I would have to first evaluate what exactly the student’s capabilities are, and plan around that. With their abilities in mind, I would try to appeal to whatever they were most capable of, or something that they are capable of but still somewhat struggling with perfecting. And, to assess whether or not an activity is appropriate, I would ask myself questions like, “Is the student capable of doing the task? Is the student being challenged? Is it too challenging, or not challenging enough? Are the goals expected from this activity realistic considering the student’s capabilities? Will the student enjoy the activity? Will the student learn and retain information?”, and try to use the assistive technology in such a way that caters to their needs (“NETS”, 2000, III. B). However, I know that usually if you have a disabled student in your class, you are typically given a report on the details of their disability and a “Letter of Accommodation” on how you should accommodate them, so this is also something that I would also take into consideration (“Responsibilities of Instructor” para. 1). 

Like I stated above, I do not have much personal experience in terms of dealing with a disabled person, let alone dealing with one in an educational situation requiring assistive technology. So, I can’t really say that from first-hand experience that I know for sure that using assistive technology will improve their educational experience, but I do know that does not matter. Anything that can help anyone is always better to have. And, I think that it goes without saying that many people do need assistive technology in order to do what is difficult for them, but second nature to others. I do have some experience with assistive technology in general, just not in terms of education. I once spent a winter break with a friend of mine in Seattle, and his dad was disabled. He was partially blind and had a foot condition that prevented him from walking easily. He utilized a power chair to move around, and it was a huge help for him.  It enabled him to be a bit more independent; he was able to do things for himself, like cook food and clean. This was very important to him because he was a very independent man that always wanted to do things for himself. Even though he was in a position where he had to rely on his son to certain extent, such as helping him with his machines and dialysis treatments, he was able to still do things for himself. In this instance, assistive technology improved his quality of life. And, I’m sure the same applies to assistive technology in terms of education. It enables those students that many may have previously believed unable to do anything for themselves, and allows them the ability to prove what they are truly capable of. 

In this reflection, I know that I was rather vague, but this is due to the fact that I really do not have much experience with this particular situation/ topic. However, I do have a good idea of what I should do when I find that I am a teacher with a student that has disability. However, although I may struggle a bit adjusting to the student and trying to find a good pace for them without trying to be too lenient on them, I will know how to provide aid to the student to improve their experience in my class. I haven’t had much experience of this yet, but I’m sure that in the future I will encounter it and hopefully, at that time, I will be able to help those students. 

International Society for Technology in Education. (2000). ISTE National
      Educational Technology Standards (NETS) and Performance Indicators For
     Teachers.Retrieved October 6, 2011 from:
     http://www.iste.org/Libraries/PDFs/NETS_for_Teachers_2000.sflb.ashx  

Summer, Caroline. (2011, September).  Responsibilities of the Instructor. Retrieved
     October 5, 2011, from Disabled Students' Program:

     http://dsp.berkeley.edu/TeachStudentsWithDisab.html