21st Century Technology for Students with Special Needs

• 21st Century Technology for Students With Special Needs
• Ask-the-Experts
• Special Needs Web Sites
• Our Sponsor: WE MEDIA.COM

21st Century Technology for Students with Special Needs

In this new revolution, digital age technologies are transforming all of our lives by providing revolutionary ways to learn, communicate and work. But for individuals with special needs, the digital age can provide something even more valuable--freedom.

"The Internet is an empowering tool for students with disabilities," says John Williams, the Assistive Technologies columnist for BusinessWeek.com’s online magazine. "The Internet gives them immediate access to information that historically has been unavailable to them. Online education is a major boon for students with disabilities, especially for students who have a difficult time traveling. As the Internet becomes more and more accessible to all people, I believe you will see more students with disabilities take advantage of this educational tool."

According to Carol Hughes, Parent Advocate for Georgia Tech’s Center for Rehabilitation Technology, "When you’re on the Internet, in a chat room or taking an online class, your disability is invisible and irrelevant. You’re on equal footing. Telecommuting, which is becoming more and more popular, is also a great benefit to people with disabilities because there are no transportation issues or architectural access limitations."

Speech recognition software is another tool that has tremendous potential for special needs students. Several software companies are already using this technology in their reading and foreign language programs. Speech recognition technology is helpful to students who are vision-impaired or paralyzed because they can talk to the computer and it will type what they say. Deaf students also benefit from this technology because they can type what they want to say into their portable computer and the computer speaks for them! Technology can be a great equalizer in the traditional classroom. Low vision students can carry a laptop computer with them to class to enlarge their work. Deaf students can use speech recognition technology to "talk" to their friends.

Technological advances in wheelchairs are also allowing individuals with paralysis or muscular disorders to live meaningful, purposeful lives. We are all aware of the "puff and sip" wheelchair technology that has given Christopher Reeve back his freedom. There are also wheelchairs that are controlled by head movement--and coming soon--there will even be wheelchairs that can climb stairs! Special cars allow an individual to drive by using hand levers, instead of gas and brake pedals. You can also drive a car using a "joystick."

And as we enter the 21st century, technology will continue at break-neck speed to improve the quality of life for individuals with special needs.

"The biggest benefit will be the merging of technologies in the telecommunications area," said Mr. Williams. "We will see more smart houses being built where many things are done automatically, via computers. We are seeing improvements in voice recognition programs and in telecommunication shopping. We will see first-time movies run on our computers on the same day they reach the big screen. We will see audio descriptive services for blind and visually impaired persons used more on television and in the movies. We will also see bio medical procedures that will eradicate spinal cord injuries, muscular dystrophy diseases, Parkinson’s and other neuromuscular diseases. We will see blindness eradicated and low vision or poor vision will become obsolete. The same situation will occur with hearing loss and deafness. I see a time when the biggest barrier challenging disabled people will be attitudinal barriers—and hopefully those too will soon disappear."

Ask-the-Experts

If you would like help finding Special Needs technology for yourself or someone in your family, the following experts are available for personalized information and resources.

John Williams
BusinessWeek.com’s Assistive Technology columnist.
John has been writing about assistive technology and its benefits to children with disabilities for 22 years. He also works with the manufacturers of assistive technology products. Mr. Williams can be reached at: JMMAW@aol.com

Iris Fishman
Kornreich Technology Center for Disability Services
(516-465-1632)
Iris helps individuals discover products and techniques that can help them perform tasks that they might otherwise not be able to accomplish. Contact Iris Fishman (ifishman@NCDS.org) with your specific questions.

Carol Hughes
Center for Rehabilitation Technology at the Georgia Institute of Technology
(404-894-4283)
She can answer your questions about resources for speech and physical disabilities. Contact Carol Hughes at: candjhughes@mindspring.com

Jay Levanthal
American Federation for the Blind
(1-800-232-5463)
Mr. Levanthal can answer technology-related questions for people who are blind or visually impaired. They also have a bimonthly publication called "Access World" which is available in Braille, large print, cassette and online. Contact Jay Levanthal at: techctr@afb.net

Heather Boes
Information Specialist
Center for Rehabilitation at Georgia Institute of Technology
(1-800-726-9119)
Heather can answer questions about Assistive Technology and how to utilize this technology in the classroom. Contact her at heather.boes@arch.gatech.edu

Disability and Business Technical Assistance Centers
(1-800-949-4232 voice or TTY)
This is a great source for information and training on the Americans with Disabilities Act. There are ten centers across the country, each serving a regional collection of states.

Internet Sites for Students with Special Needs

WeMedia.com
We Media is an online community where people with disabilities, their families and friends, health and recreation professionals, sports program directors, advocates, equipment designers, manufacturers, vendors and service providers can meet and interact with one another using cutting edge Internet technology. We Media empowers men, women, and children, regardless of disability, to reach up and participate in the vast array of life's amazing possibilities.
(http://www.wemedia.com)

SERI-Special Education Resources on the Internet
SERI-Special Education Resources on the Internet is a collection of on-line Special Education resources for hearing, vision, behavior, gifted, autism, ADD and 15 other special needs categories. This site would make a good starting point for parents and teachers looking for good Special Education links.
(http://www.hood.edu/seri/)

Education by Design
Education by Design features interesting and unique articles relating to special needs. Right now they have articles on "Art Ideas for Special Artists," assistive technology and software, special learning activities, aroma therapy and massage therapy techniques, and a Special Needs Newsletter.
(http://www.edbydesign.com/specneedsres/index.html)

Internet Special Education Resources
Internet Special Education Resources is a state-by-state listing of local special education professionals that help with learning disabilities and attention deficit disorder assessment, therapy, advocacy and other special needs.
(http://www.iser.com)

Our Sponsor: WE MEDIA.COM
We Media was chosen to sponsor this issue because they are the leading online community for people with special needs. We Media is a comprehensive multimedia company designed specifically for the disability community. Their Web site provides members with unparalleled access to community news and information, as well as goods and services. One important channel on We Media's web site is We School. We School delivers quality educational programs wherever they are needed: the home, community center, hospital, clinic, or corporate environment. Courses are delivered to individuals or small groups of students in one of three formats that offer choice and flexibility for different learning environments. (http://www.weschool.com).