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AT is a great way to unite the students in your classroom because it can provide a student with a disability the ability to participate equally as other students. Your classroom culture should allow students to use AT comfortably without feeling left out or different. A student may benefit from a low tech schedule on their desk if they have trouble remember their routines. This schedule could help remind them when they are changing location or assignments like the other students.

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AT allows students to feel they can accomplish tasks more effectively, which gives them confidence in the classroom, so I agree that AT is an equalizer. It gives students the sense of independence that some of their peers already have. Also AT levels the playing field of education so that all students have a chance to succeed.

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I agree that the use of technology could be an equalizer for a student with a disability. As teachers it is our responsibility to provide each of our students with an equal opportunity to learn. In order to do so we need to be aware of the students disability and help them work with it. Assistive technology helps them learn to live with their disability and flourish. AT has the power to potentially help the student to overcome social and academic anxieties.

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Technology is definitely a great equalizer. Something we take for granted such as being able to communicate with another person, others have a hard time being able to do that. So having that app on your iPad that can let the student choose the words they want to say is amazing! Whenever you have a student who is nonverbal, maybe it is because no one has found the right way to communicate with them. It is up to you to find that!

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I have been friends with a boy I met through Best Buddies for five years. An accident at birth left him brain damaged and physically disabled. He cannot move his legs and he has been in a wheelchair his whole life. Without the assistive technology device (wheelchair), I would not have met him because he would not have been able to go to school, so I agree that technology has helped equalize the playing field for people with disabilities.

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I agree with the statement that AT is a "great equalizer". In my observations, I was in a resource classroom with a student who was wheelchair bound and was nonverbal. He used a form of technology where he would look at the words he wanted to say, and they would appear on the screen in a sentence. This allowed him to participate in group discussions and allowed him to be called on during games. It really helped him be on the same level as the other students.

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Assistive technology is most definitely "the great equalizer." I observed an inclusion classroom where majority of the disabilities were learning disabilities. The students were preparing for the STAAR and they were all required to take the test on the computer. The program provided spoken directions with a simple click of the mouse, which helped students who have trouble reading, students with attention problems, and students who cannot read at all or very well. This was the first year that students used this program to take the test. I went back and asked the teacher how the students did and she said that majority of them scored a higher percentage than the year before. Therefore, I believe assistive technology allows students to learn and achieve greater overall levels of independence.

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AT is most certainly a "great equalizer." I worked with a few students with cerebral palsy this past semester and their previous teacher had not attempted any academic work with them at all. The new teacher used AT to help these students play learning games and read electronic books. In this case, I feel assistive technology really proved that we should never put limitations on what we think students can or cannot do. Instead, we should look for ways to empower them and give them the opportunity to participate and learn.

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I believe AT is "the great equalizer". Just from personal experience in public education. I was in special education from EC-12th grade. One of my ATs was that I have a peach overlay to help me keep my word straight when reading (I didn't know that was considered "technology" until this class). If I didn't have a overlay I wouldn't have been able to read better which means I probably would have failed TAKS, which also means I probably would not have made it to college. The overlay gave me a equal chance to succeed just like everyone else.

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I totally agree that through the use of AT, individuals can gain a sense of independence which is truly an empowering thing. Having the technology to communicate or complete a vital task is a great way to give these students no limits. Assistive Technology is something that can help individuals be more involved in their communities and can be the gateway to a more rich and full life.

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I think it is important that everybody feels empowered in their life, and assistive technology helps individuals with disabilities feel empowered.  It gives them the ability to do things that they could not do on their own, and this gives them the confidence to accomplish things that benefit themselves and their community.  Individuals with disabilities have a lot to offer and contribute to their community, and it is important that they are provided with the necessary tools to do so.  Assistive technology provides them with these tools

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According to our textbook, "computers provide access to activities and opportunities that people without disabilities take for granted" (Dell, Newton, & Petroff, 2011, p. 11). With that said, assistive technology really does have the ability to empower individuals in our community. It gives them the opportunity to do things like read and write, which is something individuals without disabilities may take for granted.

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I think it is important to remember that AT can offer "better opportunities to communicate, learn, participate, and achieve greater overall levels of independence," because, like I mentioned in another padlet, it is important to internalize the idea that people with disabilities can also achieve success, not just independece!

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AT is great in promoting self-advocacy and independence among students with disabilities. According to Dell, Newton, & Petroff, (2008) providing Assistive Technology devices to students is just simply not enough. Successful implementation does not end at providing the student the AT device. Students and their families must be given support from evaluation of needs, through implementation of the needed device. Once trained and knowledgeable about what will make them successful, the students are more empowered to achieve their social and academic goals.

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Assistive technology also has the capability of diminishing or eliminating any environmental barriers that can hinder the education of students with disabilities (Dell, Newton, Petroff p.12) Essentially, this makes students become more independent and become self sufficient.

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It is important that the technology is integrated into the curriculum and that it identifies the details of implementation otherwise all of the devices can become useless to a student with disabilities (Dell, Newton, & Petroff, 2012, p. 11)

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"The great equalizer" statement is true regarding assistive technology for individuals with disabilities. The Assistive Technology Act of 1998 extends funding to all 50 states because this technology is a valuable tool for people with disabilities.

Assistive Technology Training Online Project. (2005). "Assistive Technology Legislation." Retrieved from: http://atto.buffalo.edu/registered/ATBasics/Foundation/Laws/atlegislation.php#TRAID