Assistive technology: Helping people with disabilities achieve their goals

Assistive technology: Helping people with disabilities achieve their goals
The video “Enabling Dreams” shows the different ways assistive technology can help people with disabilities learn, move, play music and do other things that able-bodied individuals can do.
As I was watching, it left me feeling amazed and enlightened.
With the availability of many assistive technology products, as shown in the video, I’ve come to realize that young kids who have physical, mental or other impairments do not have to feel left behind.
Students with disabilities can now participate in classroom learning almost like normal kids with the help of such technological aids as touch-screen computers, voice-activated computers and even computers that help severely handicapped kids use computers that respond to commands using the movement of eyebrows.
With assistive technology, the U.S. No Child Left Behind law, to me, has more meaning because even the students with disabilities will have similar opportunities to learn and participate in class.
Assistive technology was first defined in the Technology-Related Assistance under the Individuals with Disabilities Act of 1988, according to the Website www./psb.org.speced/Assistive%20technology /Intro%20page.htm.
The video also showed that even outside the classrooms, students with disabilities also can interact and do things normal people do with the help of advances in assistive technology equipment, gadgets and other products.
For example, a man who couldn’t fully move his arms and hands still was able to participate in a band.
Playing a musical horn is difficult enough for some people who have no disabilities, but the handicapped man in the video was able to follow his musical dreams because assistive technology allows him to do what his physical limitations would normally not make it possible.


The only thing that made me concerned after I watched the video was this: Using assistive technology in Guam classrooms will really help, but at the same time, many in Guam know that public schools don’t have the money for these things, and many parents cannot afford assistive technology equipment if they have to buy it on their own.
So without local money available, the hope for Guam kids is for federal money to be given to public schools for assistive technology.
Even when assistive technology has made many new equipment for people with disabilities, if funding will not be enough, then the dreams of kids with disabilities to interact and learn better in the classrooms will continue to be out of reach.

Lessons Learned About Technology

Lesson Learned About Technology

Preparing a lesson using the ASSURE model was really a big challenge for me. When
Dr. Cyrus told the class that we were going to create a lesson plan, I told myself at first: “Oh,
that’s easy.” But when she mentioned that we would use the ASSURE model, and include a
digital spreadsheet that incorporate numbers and charts, I become nervous and confused.
After our class ended, I found myself rushing to go home. I went straight to my computer
and started doing my research. I stayed up late, but still couldn’t find information to get me
started. I fell asleep.
Early the next morning, my daughter, who just started kindergarten, woke me up.
“Mommy, it’s time to go to school,” my daughter Gwindaleen said. I suddenly picked up an idea
for my lesson plan. I grabbed my laptop and found myself doing a lesson plan.
I learned that doing work without fully understanding the task, not believing in myself
and hesitating are key ingredients for failure. I also learned that asking questions before and after
the discussion will help me do my work better.
Dr. Cyrus experience about not asking a question when she had one, made me realize
not to hesitate to ask if there’s something that I don’t understand.
My kindergarten daughter helped me to realize that, to encourage students to be
interested in a lesson, a teacher should use technology that will make learning fun.


As part of my lesson plan, I will introduce a double decker school bus computer game
that motivates kindergarten students to learn to count.
The use of instructional media1 “provides teachers with the tools to engaged students
powerfully in the learning process,” according to the book Instructional Media and Technologies
for Learning. I am new to computer technology. But as I use my laptop more often, I know it will
be easier in the long run.
Making the worksheet for my lesson plan using excel was the most difficult part. But at
least I tried.
To be honest, before I started this class, I was not familiar with using the web. Now I
found myself using all the time to help me with this class.
In conclusion, I’ve learned that following the steps in the ASSURE lesson plan model
makes the lesson effective. Using the ASSURE model and technology to make learning more
interesting are two main things I’ve learned in preparing my lesson plan. I learned and gained
a lot from this assignment. And I am not scared to face the next challenged in this class. I just
need to ask questions if there are things I don’t understand. I also need to practice computer
skills more often.


1Heinich, R., Molenda, M., Russell, J.D., Smaldino,S.E.(1999). A Model to Help Assure
Learning: Instructional Media And Technologies For Learning: Sixth Edition. Columbus,
Ohio: Merrill Prentice Hall.