Assistive Technology: A World Made Accessible by Michelle McKusker https://padlet.com/mmusker277/assistivetechnology Showing how the ever-changing laws for assistive technology are beneficial for so many en-us 2020-06-07 16:51:15 UTC 2025-12-03 16:05:25 UTC hello@padlet.com The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 mmusker277 https://padlet.com/mmusker277/assistivetechnology/wish/615458731  This Act helps set the stage for children/people with a disability to have their first voice in what happens in  their future.  The law helped set the stage in public education for assistive technology.  Section 504 of the Rehabilitation states that  "No individual with a disability in the United States (shall) be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of,or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance" solely by reason of her or his handicap The law is on their side to help them live a more independent life if possible.
                                                      Congress finds that-

(1) millions of Americans have one or more physical or mental disabilities and the number of Americans with such disabilities is increasing;

(2) individuals with disabilities constitute one of the most disadvantaged groups in society;

(3) disability is a natural part of the human experience and in no way diminishes the right of individuals to-

(A) live independently;

(B) enjoy self-determination;

(C) make choices;

(D) contribute to society;

(E) pursue meaningful careers; and

(F) enjoy full inclusion and integration in the economic, political, social, cultural, and educational mainstream of American society;


(4) increased employment of individuals with disabilities can be achieved through implementation of statewide workforce development systems defined in section 3102 of this title that provide meaningful and effective participation for individuals with disabilities in workforce investment activities and activities carried out under the vocational rehabilitation program established under sub-chapter I, and through the provision of independent living services, support services, and meaningful opportunities for employment in integrated work settings through the provision of reasonable accommodations;

(5) individuals with disabilities continually encounter various forms of discrimination in such critical areas as employment, housing, public accommodations, education, transportation, communication, recreation, institutionalization, health services, voting, and public services;

(6) the goals of the Nation properly include the goal of providing individuals with disabilities with the tools necessary to-

(A) make informed choices and decisions; and

(B) achieve equality of opportunity, full inclusion and integration in society, employment, independent living, and economic and social self-sufficiency, for such individuals; and


(7)(A) a high proportion of students with disabilities is leaving secondary education without being employed in competitive integrated employment, or being enrolled in post-secondary education; and

(B) there is a substantial need to support such students as they transition from school to post-secondary life.

Source:


Dell,A.,Newton,D., Petroff, J. (2017). Assistive Technology in the classroom
                                         
(title:29%20section:701%20edition:prelim) m: enhancing the school experience of students with disabilities (3rd ed.). Pearson
[USC02] 29 USC 701: Findings; purpose; policy. (n.d.). Retrieved June 15, 2020, from https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=(title:29%20section:701%20edition:prelim)
]]> 2020-06-07 17:34:23 UTC https://padlet.com/mmusker277/assistivetechnology/wish/615458731 The enactment of "The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 helped open the door for people like Sady, and so many others. It help give them a voice to know that there was more to them than what meets the eye. We as a civilization were holding them back with all of the barriers we put up knowing or not. This legislation was the beginning of a change for people with disabilities. mmusker277 https://padlet.com/mmusker277/assistivetechnology/wish/615469415 2020-06-07 17:42:40 UTC https://padlet.com/mmusker277/assistivetechnology/wish/615469415 Education For All Handicapped Children Act of 1975 mmusker277 https://padlet.com/mmusker277/assistivetechnology/wish/615472415 The Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975 was the tip of the iceberg in how we should and would be helping those with disabilities. This act enacted FAPE, LRE, and IEP's all of which are crucial in educating persons with disabilities properly and equally.     

 The Education for All Handicapped Children Act (Public Law 94-142) was signed into law on November 29, 1975 by President Gerald Ford. This legislation is considered the “Bill of Rights” for children with disabilities and their families. The legislation incorporated six major components or guarantees that have forever changed the landscape of education across the United States These components include:

  1. A free appropriate public education (FAPE). All children, regardless of the severity of the disability, must be provided an education appropriate to their unique needs at no cost to the parent(s)/guardian(s). Included in this principle is the concept of related services, which requires that children receive other services as determined educationally necessary to benefit from special education. These related services may include occupational therapy, physical therapy, orientation and mobility instruction, and a host of other support services for the student.
  2. The least restrictive environment (LRE). Children with disabilities are to be educated, to the maximum extent appropriate, with students without disabilities. Placements must be consistent with the pupil’s education needs. Each state is required to provide a full continuum of alternate placements.
  3. An individualized education program (IEP). This document, developed with the parent(s)/guardian(s), is an individually tailored statement describing an educational plan for each learner with exceptionalities. The IEP is required to address: (1) the present level of academic functioning; (2) annual goals and accompanying instructional objectives; (3) educational services to be provided; (4) the degree to which the pupil will be able to participate in general education programs; (5) plans for initiating services and the length of service delivery; and (6) an annual evaluation procedure specifying objective criteria to determine if instructional objectives are being met.
  4. Procedural due process. The Act affords parents or guardians several safeguards pertaining to the child’s education. Briefly, parents or guardians have the right to confidentiality of records; to examine all records; to obtain an independent evaluation; to receive written notification (in the parents’ native language) of proposed changes to the child’s educational classification or placement; and the right to an impartial hearing whenever disagreements arise regarding educational plans for the child. Furthermore, the student’s parents or guardians have the right to representation by legal counsel.
  5. Nondiscriminatory assessment. Prior to placement, a child must be evaluated by a multidisciplinary team in all areas of suspected disability by tests that are not racially, culturally, or linguistically biased. Students are to receive several types of assessments, administered by trained personnel. A single evaluation procedure is not permitted for either planning or placement purposes.
  6. Parental participation. P.L. 94-142 mandates meaningful parent involvement. This legislation requires that parents participate fully in the decision-making process that affects the child’s education.

Source:
Special Education Public Policy. (2013). Retrieved June 15, 2020, from http://www.projectidealonline.org/v/special-education-public-policy/



]]> 2020-06-07 17:45:01 UTC https://padlet.com/mmusker277/assistivetechnology/wish/615472415 mmusker277 https://padlet.com/mmusker277/assistivetechnology/wish/615515645 The "Education For All Handicapped Children Act of 1975" made it so children with disabilities could get a free and appropriate education that included thinks like the FAPE, LRE, and IEP's.  It gives students with disabilities more equity verses equality. Edcuation, should not be a one size fits all approach but rather a UDL "Universal Design Lesson" approach. This Act definitely helps the cause along. ]]> 2020-06-07 18:19:41 UTC https://padlet.com/mmusker277/assistivetechnology/wish/615515645 Technology Related Assistance For Individuals with Disabilities Act of 1988 mmusker277 https://padlet.com/mmusker277/assistivetechnology/wish/615524618 Here is where education for the disabled really got interesting.  With the use of technology and it being funded by the government the availability of assistive technology became more readily available.  It was more attainable. 


Technology-Related Assistance for Individuals With Disabilities Act of 1988 - Title I: Grants to States - Directs the Secretary of Education to make grants to States for consumer-responsive comprehensive statewide programs of technology-related assistance for individuals of all ages with disabilities. Lists functions and activities which may be included in the programs.
Directs the Secretary to award to States three-year grants for statewide programs of technology-related assistance for individuals with disabilities. Provides for the number and amounts of the grants (Harkin,&Tom, 1988). Gives States receiving grants in one fiscal year priority in the availability of amounts appropriated in the next fiscal year. Directs the Secretary to award grants in a manner that is geographically equitable and that distributes them among States that have differing levels of development of programs of technology-related assistance. Sets forth information and assurances which must accompany an application.
Authorizes the Secretary to award a two-year extension grant to any State that demonstrates significant progress of a statewide program of technology-related assistance under a grant provided for in this Act. Provides for the amounts of the extension grants and for priority for previously-participating States. Specifies elements which must be included in an extension grant application.

Source:
Harkin, & Tom. (1988, August 19). S.2561 - 100th Congress (1987-1988): Technology-Related Assistance for Individuals With Disabilities Act of 1988. Retrieved June 15, 2020, from https://www.congress.gov/bill/100th-congress/senate-bill/2561

]]> 2020-06-07 18:27:19 UTC https://padlet.com/mmusker277/assistivetechnology/wish/615524618 mmusker277 https://padlet.com/mmusker277/assistivetechnology/wish/615559447 Technology Related Assistance For Individuals with Disabilities Act of 1988 provides for training in the assistive technology devices.  Allows for someone to assist in the learning of each device.  The law also allows for existing devices to be adapted and upgraded to meet the needs of the children with disabilities.  Like Sady and her clicking device on her wheel chair that connected to her computer for editing.  Each law allows a little more freedom to each individual with a disability.]]> 2020-06-07 18:56:16 UTC https://padlet.com/mmusker277/assistivetechnology/wish/615559447 Americans with Disabilities Act mmusker277 https://padlet.com/mmusker277/assistivetechnology/wish/615564919  The ADA help set up the guidelines for disabled in public areas, or school and or work place.  It might provide interpreters for the deaf or adapt facilities accessibility. Might even utilize or adapt technology for an individuals needs.                                                                                             The Americans with Disabilities Act, also known as ADA, is nothing new. First implemented in 1990, it was the United States government’s first step toward addressing the needs of citizens living with disabilities. Yet as technology and our culture evolved, so did the challenges faced by disabled Americans. Accessibility became a hurdle not only in the physical world but also the vast digital realm of the World Wide Web. Below we explore not only what this law does for the disabled community, but also what it is doing to change with the times and make everyday life easier for individuals with unique needs.
Title I tackles discrimination in the workplace. It requires employers to make reasonable accommodations for applicants or employees with disabilities, should they be qualified to perform the job expectations with them. This can include:
  • Providing an interpreter for the deaf
  • Adapting a facility’s accessibility
  • Adapting work schedules or reassigning to a better-suited position should the disability impede upon one’s performance
  • Utilizing or adapting the right technology, materials, resources, or policies to accommodate the individual’s needs.

Source:
*, N. (2019, January 05). What is the Americans with Disabilities Act? Retrieved June 15, 2020, from https://dreamscapefoundation.org/what-is-the-americans-with-disabilities-act/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIn8XR-bHw6QIVzsDACh20YwCYEAAYAyAAEgLDifD_BwE
]]> 2020-06-07 19:00:46 UTC https://padlet.com/mmusker277/assistivetechnology/wish/615564919 mmusker277 https://padlet.com/mmusker277/assistivetechnology/wish/615577336 The ADA is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life, including jobs, schools, transportation, and all public and private places that are open to the general public. This law allows for equity not just equality.  It's this law and many like them that allows for people with disabilities to live a more fulfilling and possibly a more independent life.  It opens up doors to new possibilities.  Like Sady, this might allow the next person with a severe disability to become the next T.V. producer or the next micro-biologist. ]]> 2020-06-07 19:10:42 UTC https://padlet.com/mmusker277/assistivetechnology/wish/615577336 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1990 (IDEA of 1990) mmusker277 https://padlet.com/mmusker277/assistivetechnology/wish/615618921 The IDEA of 1990 was first a name changer literally from Education For All Handicapped Children Act to Individuals with Disabilities Act.  This act also addressed the child from 0-2 years of age born to drug abuser for mothers. It helped give the child an even earlier leg up on life from their disabilities by stepping in and helping earlier.                                                                                       The new law also includes many significant improvements, such as programs to promote research and technology and transition programs to help students succeed after high school."
The legislation cited new initiatives in the law to address the needs of "crack babies" born to drug-abusing mothers, and to reach ethnically and culturally diverse children. He noted that an estimated 4.6 million children received special education services during the 1989-90 school year.

Source:
Texas Assistive Technology Network (2004).  Providing assistive technology: A legal perspective. Guide to Assistive Technology in Texas Schools Series
https://www.slideshare.net/Aprilmoe82/history-of-special-education-april-wellswk1

EHA IS OUT, IDEA IS IN
Future reflections (1991).

https://www.nfb.org/images/nfb/publications/fr/fr10/issue1/f100112.html
]]> 2020-06-07 19:42:54 UTC https://padlet.com/mmusker277/assistivetechnology/wish/615618921 mmusker277 https://padlet.com/mmusker277/assistivetechnology/wish/615922424 The Individuals with Disabilities Ac of 1990 is an amendment to the Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975 as are the 1997 and 2004 amendments to this law.
The changes in this law included the change in terminology  Now defining Autism as a developmental disability. Alos, Traumatic Brain Injury as an aquired injury that is caused by external physical forces that results in psychological impairment or partial functioning  disability that affects the educational performance of children. This change also included the (LRE) Least Restrictive Environment. It helped place students in mainstream classrooms. Lastly, it brought about changes in the IEP. It was now so that a general education instructor was involved in the IEP process and parents could now also file suit if they felt their child's needs were not being met. Every change to these laws help better the services and technology for the students with disabilities.  I like how this amendment focused on helping the needs of crack babies born to drug using mothers.  Helps give them a fighting chance at life on the uphill battle they were born into. I had a friend who adopted a girl with cerebral palsy, her birth mom was addicted to crack . She was a crack baby.  She never uttered a word, she was completely silent, and was confined to a wheel chair all of her life, but through the abilities of assistive technology she went on to complete K-12 grade and graduated from college with a BS in Business.  She was really brilliant.  She could not have made it as far as she did without these laws and without the help of assistive technology.  One final note this law prohibits any discrimination that is base don an individual's disability in both public and private sectors.]]> 2020-06-08 01:42:16 UTC https://padlet.com/mmusker277/assistivetechnology/wish/615922424 IDEA of 1997 mmusker277 https://padlet.com/mmusker277/assistivetechnology/wish/615938375 The major change in the IDEA of 1997 was to ensure that each state have in place policies and procedures to make sure every child with a disability had a free appropriate public education (FAPE).  By now this certainly included assistive technology if so required after an assessment was done. 
                                                 This Amendment lays out the educational guidelines for school children 3-21 years of age. By law, states are required to educate students with disabilities.
 To receive funding, school districts must comply with six main principles set out by IDEA:
  • Every child is entitled to a free and appropriate public education (FAPE).
  • When a school professional believes that a student between the ages of 3 and 21 may have a disability that has substantial impact on the student's learning or behavior, the student is entitled to an evaluation in all areas related to the suspected disability.
  • Creation of an Individualized Education Plan (IEP). The purpose of the IEP is to lay out a series of specific actions and steps through which educational providers, parents and the student themselves may reach the child's stated goals.
  • That the education and services for children with disabilities must be provided in the least restrictive environment, and if possible, those children be placed in a "typical" education setting with non-disabled students.
  • Input of the child and their parents must be taken into account in the education process.
  • When a parent feels that an IEP is inappropriate for their child, or that their child is not receiving needed services, they have the right under IDEA to challenge their child's treatment (due process). 
Recognizes the need for identifying and reaching very young children with disabilities. This portion of IDEA provides guidelines concerning the funding and services to be provides to children from birth through 2 years of age. Families are entitled to several services

  • Every family is entitled to appropriate, timely, and multidisciplinary identification and intervention services for their very young child. These services must be made available to all families with infants and toddlers.
  • Families are required to receive an Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP). This plan lays out the priorities, resources and concerns of the family. In addition it describes the goals of the child, the services to be provided to the child, and steps for eventual transitioning of the child into formal education.
  • Families have a right to participate in the creation of the IFSP, and must give consent prior to the initiation of intervention services.
  • Lastly, parents are entitled to timely resolution of all conflicts or complaints regarding the evaluation or services provided to their child.
describes national activities to be undertaken to improve the education of children with disabilities. These activities include grants to improve the education and transitional services provided to students with disabilities. In addition this section provides resources to support programs, projects and activities which contribute positive results for children with disabilities (IDEA, 1997).

Source:
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). (n.d.). Retrieved June 15, 2020, from 
https://www.apa.org/advocacy/education/idea/

]]> 2020-06-08 02:01:47 UTC https://padlet.com/mmusker277/assistivetechnology/wish/615938375 mmusker277 https://padlet.com/mmusker277/assistivetechnology/wish/615958810  IDEA of 1997 made is so Assistive Technology was just no longer available for those with severe disabilities but rather for all the children with varying forms of disabilities.  This law did however exclude medical devices that were implanted like for instance hearing aids. This amendment stated that by law all children with disabilities ages 3-21 are required to be given an education.  IDEA stipulated that for schools to get the financial aid they needed to help these students they had to follow six main principals mentioned above in the link I provided. This law made it so IEP's had to now include if Assistive Technology was needed or not for each student with a disability.  For people like Sady  having an IEP's are so important. It continues to allow for the possibilities of Assisted Technology devices and service that help open doors for students who would otherwise be stuck in silence and frustration.

]]> 2020-06-08 02:25:40 UTC https://padlet.com/mmusker277/assistivetechnology/wish/615958810 IDEA of 2004 mmusker277 https://padlet.com/mmusker277/assistivetechnology/wish/615958920 The purpose behind the amendments for 2004 first was to make sure students with disabilities have available to them a free appropriate public education (FAPE).  This should focus on special education, assistive technology and services. This amendment helps ensure people like Sady have the opportunity for employment and possibly an independent lifestyle.   The amendment also authorizes formula grants to states to support their efforts in special education, assistive technology, services, and early intervention.

Sources: 
About IDEA. (n.d.). Retrieved June 15, 2020, from https://sites.ed.gov/idea/about-idea/

IDEA 2004 – Beginnings. (n.d.). Retrieved June 15, 2020, from https://ncbegin.org/idea-2004/


]]> 2020-06-08 02:25:49 UTC https://padlet.com/mmusker277/assistivetechnology/wish/615958920 mmusker277 https://padlet.com/mmusker277/assistivetechnology/wish/625319953 These laws have a huge impact on the daily lives of people like Sady. IDEA forges along ensuring that Sady and those like her always have a voice in their futures for education purposes and life in general.  Honestly we all would be in a different world right now without assistive technology.]]> 2020-06-13 20:35:32 UTC https://padlet.com/mmusker277/assistivetechnology/wish/625319953 Teaching in Education: The Individuals with Disabilities Act mmusker277 https://padlet.com/mmusker277/assistivetechnology/wish/625327875 This video by Frank Arella sums up what IDEA is all about I hope you enjoy!

Source:
Teaching in Education
The individuals with Disabilities Act (Aug. 27, 2016)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66g6TbJbs2g

]]> 2020-06-13 20:52:49 UTC https://padlet.com/mmusker277/assistivetechnology/wish/625327875 mmusker277 https://padlet.com/mmusker277/assistivetechnology/wish/625332358 2020-06-13 21:02:10 UTC https://padlet.com/mmusker277/assistivetechnology/wish/625332358