Last week in class we discussed
the characteristics and abilities of students with physical impairments. What
surprised me the most about these students was the fact that the majority of
them did not have any mental disabilities and remained at their normal grade
level throughout their schooling. Assistive technology plays a huge role in
these students’ lives because most of them have difficulty walking or using
their hands and arms to complete daily activities. Although some of these
students may be born with a physical disability such as spina bifida or
cerebral palsy, some of these students might have developed their disability later
in life due to a traumatic brain injury from some sort of accident. I found a
video of a man who had been in a car accident from black ice that demonstrates the
assistive technology that he uses to be successful in life. This man became
paralyzed from his shoulders down and became wheelchair bound for the rest of
his life. In the video he talks about how he would probably be stuck in a
nursing home if it wasn’t for this assistive technology. I liked this video because
it shows how a perfectly capable human being can have a life changing accident
but still be successful in society. I also like the AT that he uses. The first
one is a software program called Dragon Naturally Speaks. This tool is a voice
command program for navigating and using a computer. This would be great in my
computer classes but would also work for any other class. The student can use
this program to take notes, to navigate programs on the computer, and can even
take exams if the teacher saves it to their computer or emails it to the
student. If you watch the video, you will see that the program allows you to do
anything that a mouse can do.
The
other device that this man uses is a mouth stick. Since he is paralyzed from
his shoulders down, he cannot use his hands to press anything. He uses this
mouth stick in order to type certain things on a keyboard and to even complete
daily tasks around his house. I find it amazing to see how 2 small devices can
change an entire person’s life. With this type of student, even though they
have lost the ability to move their arms or legs, you can almost reteach them
how to use other parts of their body in order to help them cope with daily
activities. Check out the video and let me know what you think!
Technology Access Center. (2015, August
3). Floyd demonstrates Dragon Naturally
Speaking and ways to use a moth stick [video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQW1GRaAsIQ.
I really liked the video that you posted. It is a great real life example of AT. I always like to see the AT in action because it helps me understand better how it works. I was surprised at the mouth stick. He says that he uses it for calling on the phone and for other daily tasks. I was also surprised at how these simple AT devices really changed this mans life. I think it is great for people to see how he is able to cope and to see that he is a very independent person. It might be good motivation for someone that is struggling.
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