Article 9 - Special Needs

Wahl, Lisa. Assistive Technology: Enhanced Learning for All. Retrieved 7/26/08 from http://www.edutopia.org/assistive-technology-enhances-learning-all

Summary: Lisa Wahl explains a few different types of assistive technologies (AT) that can be incorporated into the classroom to help students with certain disabilities in her article. While she does not cover all the ways in which AT could help students (something that would be nearly impossible, as its such a broad topic), she does list a few different items that educators can use to help students who have problems with reading, math, and writing. Some of these ATs involve computers, while others are much more simple, such as the use of a secondary chalkboard for students with poor vision. Wahl does mention a number of more technological advanced tools, such as computers that speak for students, and rearranged keyboards (via software) that allow students with motor skill problems to type/take notes where they couldn’t before.

Response: I found this article very interesting and informative, having never heard of some of the tools Wahl mentioned. I also found it interesting that in an article on assistive technologies Wahl mentioned things like carbonless copy paper, student volunteers, and secondary chalkboards as helping people, which only does to show that educators can often overlook techniques that may be much easier and cheaper to implement in classrooms that can help students learn. I was disappointed by the short length of the article, and wished Wahl could have spent more time writing on more assistive technologies that educators have found useful in certain situations.