ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY - Research Paper Example

?Running head: ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY Assistive Technology This paper provides a proposal for research into the advantages and disadvantages of assistive technology in the community, with emphasis on the education sector. Over time, technology has promoted the use of assistive devices in almost every sector of a person’s life, creating more opportunities for the participation of individuals with a disability. The proposed research will examine the use of assistive technology in elementary schools, seeking to establish the merits and demerits of such use. Through the research, policymakers, individuals, and the community as a whole will be empowered to make informed decisions on whether to use assistive technology. The expected findings are that the advantages of using assistive technology are more than the disadvantages, and the paper recommends the review of education policies and curriculum to enable more children with disabilities to use assistive devices in learning institutions. Introduction Assistive technology is any product, equipment, or technology that is adapted or specially designed to improve the function of an individual with disability. The use of such technology in the education sector has been on the increase in the recent past, particularly due to the regular advancements in technology experienced in the 21st century. Learners with disabilities are enabled to access curriculum material using the help of assistive technology in reading, hearing, and walking, and as such, their participation in learning is greatly enhanced. However, several barriers to the use of assistive technology in classroom settings have been identified over time, as well as challenges hampering the effectiveness of the technology in learning. These barriers include inadequate funding, lack of knowledge and skills to promote the use of assistive technology, and negative attitudes among learners with disabilities and caregivers towards the use of assistive equipment. Although challenges and limitations to widespread use of assistive technology among learners with disabilities abound, assistive technology has many benefits, both to individual users and to the community as a whole. It is therefore necessary to sensitize people on the advantages surrounding the use of assistive technology, and to make them aware of the disadvantages associated with such use, both in the short term and in the long term. Increasing community awareness on the advantages and disadvantages of assistive technology would enable policymakers, individuals, and the larger community to make informed decisions related to assistive technology. Statement of the problem Over time, there has been increasing use of assistive technology to enhance learning among people with disabilities. Studies related to this use have largely focused on the barriers, challenges, and limitations of the practice in the community, with very few examining the advantages and disadvantages of assistive technology. As such, there is need for research to be undertaken with the aim of establishing the merits and demerits of using assistive technology. This paper seeks to propose a study of the advantages and disadvantages of assistive technology, aimed at providing information to individuals, policymakers, and interested individuals in the community on the use of the technology. The study will enable people to make decisions on the use of assistive technology with accurate and reliable information on the advantages and disadvantages of such usage, and will provide both short term and long-term effects of assistive technology. In addition, the study will consider the impacts of assistive technology on the individual user, the caregivers, and the community in which this technology is used, thus providing exhaustive information on the advantages and disadvantages of the technology to all affected parties in the community. Literature review Stumbo, Martin, and Hedrick (2009) observe that assistive technology may be used to enhance the employment, education, and independence of individuals with disabilities. They use statistics from the 1993’s National Council on Disability report that indicates how assistive technology changed the lives of users in schools, places of work, and in personal lives. For instance, more than 76% of physically challenged children who received assistive devices and services were able to remain in school, while about 45% of them reduced their reliance on third parties (Watson, 2007). Similarly, more than 62% of the employed individuals were able to reduce their on family members following the use of assistive technology, while about 80% of the aged persons reduced their dependence on others, and avoided receiving care in nursing homes (Stumbo, Martin, & Hedrick, 2009). In addition, employed persons with a disability who use assistive technology report that it enables them to work better, faster, and more efficiently, while over 65% claim that the use of assistive technology enabled them to secure employment (World Health Organization, 2011). Accordingly, the most common assistive devices used by individuals with a disability include canes, wheelchairs, walkers, leg braces, artificial limbs, hearing aid, Braille, and spectacles. Although assistive technology is not a solution to disability, it provides disabled individuals with opportunities to participate in life more than they would do without the help of such devices (Stumbo, Martin, & Hedrick, 2009). Assistive technology may be used by anyone with cognitive, mobility, or vision deficits, and has been modeled to fit into different areas of human development, including in the medical field and education sector. Ramseur (2010) asserts that assistive technology gives individuals a chance to get maximal quality of life, and enables people with a disability to direct their own care. In the education sector, assistive technology gives individuals with a disability an opportunity to access education materials like other people living without a disability (Ramseur, 2010). Using assistive technology increases one’s independence, and gives individuals with a disability more options in life, rather than restricting them to the assistance of third parties and caregivers. He adds that the benefits of assistive technology are more than the costs of investing in such equipment, and whether applied in nursing or in school settings, assistive technology improves the functioning of the individual with a disability. Marchland and Parkyn (2010) report on a study aimed at establishing the effects of using assistive technology on learning for children with physical disabilities, and according to them, assistive technology has widespread benefits to the students and their communities. They establish that assistive technology enables children with disabilities to save time, keep up with schoolwork, and reduce the physical writing load in school (Murchland & Parkyn, 2010). Such assistive devices are also essential for student participation in class-related activities, and they facilitate learning among the students with a disability. However, the researchers note that use of assistive technology in class promotes alienation of the students with disability, since the devices set the students apart from their peers. The devices also limit student positioning in classrooms, which may further promote acts of alienation and discrimination. In addition, there are frustrations associated with the use of assistive technology by students with a disability, including usability of the devices, efficiency associated with them, and availability of assistive services. Assistive technology is used to overcome restrictive barriers caused by physical or motor impairments, for instance visual impairments, motor impairments of the hands, and problems with hearing. Kelly (2011) examines the use of assistive technology among high school students with visual impairments, focusing on those who are blind or have low vision. Her findings indicate that less than half the population of visually impaired students in high schools in the United States uses high-tech assistive devices, with less than half of the impaired students using the correct devices that they should be using. According to her study, Kelly (2010) concludes that the community has not fully embraced the use of assistive devices in learning institutions, especially among individuals with visual impairments. Although the study was limited to figures contained in a federal database, the findings are valid and reliable, and they portray an underlying issue causing the low use of assistive devices in both primary and secondary grade schools (Kelly, 2011). Students with motor impairment of the hands benefit from assistive technology to access educational opportunities, and as noted by Belcastro (2005), the assistive devices are essential in overcoming restrictive barriers faced by such students in learning institutions. Using assistive technology makes caregiving easier and more rewarding, and enriches the lives of the people using the technology. Foster (2008) asserts that assistive technology makes the lives of the individuals living with a disability much easier and self-dependent, since devices and assistive services can be applied to various daily activities in the lives of the users. Special assistive devices are designed to help individuals with a disability when bathing, walking, cooking, dressing, and using the toilet. In the education sector, the assistive devices would be used to assist students to read, write, and access academic materials more easily (Foster, 2008). These views are also supported by Mechling (2007) who advances that assistive technology increases job completion and accuracy rates among users in their diverse sectors of application. The effectiveness of assistive technology devices and services is dependent on the knowledge of the users and their caregivers in the use of such devices. Zhou, Parker, Smith, and Girffin-Shirley (2011) report the findings of their study on teachers of students with visual impairments, and note that among the 165 teachers surveyed, majority had little or no knowledge of how to use most of the assistive devices. The incompetence of the teachers in teaching assistive technology to students was observed to reduce their overall teaching confidence, leading to poor performance among the students (Zhou et al., 2011). The researchers conclude that lack of sufficient knowledge into the use of assistive devices by teachers of students with disabilities affects the effectiveness of the practice, and poses a challenge to the widespread use of assistive devices and services. Methodology What to study The proposed research will examine the use of assistive technology in the education sector, seeking to establish the advantages and disadvantages of such use. The study will evaluate the benefits derived by the users of assistive technology devices and services in learning institutions, and the benefits derived by the society as a whole following the use of assistive technology in schools. The study will also examine the disadvantages resulting from the use of such devices and services in learning institutions, thus providing valuable information to enable people to make informed decisions. In examining the advantages and disadvantages of using assistive technology in the education sector, the study will seek to gather the feelings and perceptions of people in the society in which such technology is used, thus determining whether such have an effect on the outcome of the usage (Babbie, 2010). The study will emphasize on examining the impacts of using assistive technology, and will group them into positive and negative impacts. Given that these impacts will indicate the merits and demerits of using assistive technology, the study will be essential in providing the advantages and disadvantages of the technology in the education sector and the society as a whole. Researchers will seek to identify the use of assistive devices, for instance hearing aids, walking aids, reading aids, and other assistive equipment among the Study sample The research will explore the use of assistive technology among in elementary school children in three learning institutions. The proposed sample is that of children aged between the ages of 8 and 10 years, and researchers will seek to identify the use of assistive devices in the target institutions among this group. Given that majority of children at this age are attending third and fourth grade at elementary schools, researchers will gather information regarding the use of assistive technology by focusing on third and fourth graders in the target institutions. The research will not be focused on any one assistive device, but will be aimed at identifying the benefits of using different types of assistive devices among the children in learning institutions. Studying the use of assistive technology in different institutions will provide researchers with different reasons justifying the use of such devices, and will also provide diverse information on the ineffectiveness of the practice among the children (Babbie, 2010). The diversity of such information will enable the researchers to identify the advantages and disadvantages associated with assistive technology, and will be beneficial in exposing different impacts pertaining to such usage. Additionally, using a sample of children from three elementary schools will increase the reliability of the findings by providing results from a wider population, since the advantages and disadvantages reported by this large sample will be more representative of the general population. Data collection methods The collection of data for this study will be through observation, interviews, and evaluation of administration records that indicate the number of children with disabilities that would require use of assistive technology. The researchers will visit the target elementary schools for two hours, and observe the use of assistive devices and services among the third and fourth graders. The observation will establish whether children are using assistive technology to enhance their performance in class, while eating, while walking, while playing, and during the course of acquiring knowledge at the institutions (Goddard & Melville, 2004). The interviews will be conducted on administration personnel in the target institutions, and on the parents and caregivers of children with disabilities in the schools. The interviews on administration personnel will aim to establish whether the schools have policies encouraging or discouraging the use of assistive devices, and whether such use is practiced in the institutions. In addition, interviews will be conducted on identified parents and caregivers of disabled children attending school in the target institutions, seeking to establish whether the use of assistive technology is beneficial in the children’s learning. The researchers will conduct the survey within the school premises, and as such, they will have to obtain permission from relevant authorities both within the schools and in the region. Data analysis and presentation Following the collection of data through observation, interviews, and from secondary sources, the researchers will analyze the data to establish the advantages and disadvantages of using assistive technology within learning institutions. Given that the data will be in form of figures, personal views and opinions, and recorded statistics, it will be necessary for the researchers to classify and analyze it for ease of interpretation (Goddard & Melville, 2004). The reasons that portray positive effects of using assistive technology will be considered as advantages, while those indicating negative results from the use of assistive technology will be categorized as disadvantages. The results will then be presented in form of charts to represent the overall portion of advantages and disadvantages of using assistive technology. The portion with the larger percentage will indicate the larger impacts of using assistive technology, and will enable people to make informed decisions regarding such use. Additionally, the advantages and disadvantages of using assistive technology will be outlined for people to read, following the analysis of the findings. The study will be beneficial to policymakers, especially in the education sector, while formulating policies that relate to the use of assistive devices and services in learning environments. Conclusions and recommendations Assistive technology enables learners with disabilities to access education opportunities more efficiently, and it should be encouraged in learning institutions. The use of walking aids, hearing aids, and other devices that enhance the participation of children with disabilities in learning activities should be incorporated in schools to provide equal learning opportunities for all children, regardless of physical or cognitive differences. The use of assistive devices eases the burden of a disability on a child, and makes it possible for children with disabilities to engage in activities that other children are doing, thus improving interpersonal relations among the children. Such relations may lead to the development of desirable traits in the children, and prevent negative feelings of rejection and unworthiness that may develop in disabled children if they are not involved with other children. Children with disabilities are able to keep up with schoolwork through their use of assistive devices, and this enables them to be at a similar level with their age mates who have no disabilities. As such, the use of assistive devices ensures that opportunities in the life of the child with a disability are not limited by the condition, and such children can pursue education and careers like the others without a disability. Teachers using assistive devices and services to help children with disabilities strive to provide favorable environments for the children in schools, enabling the children to feel involved and cared for. This is essential in the proper development of the children and in the achievement of their academic dreams, similar to those without disabilities. Using assistive devices, however, creates distinctions between the children with disabilities and those without, and this could lead to alienation, victimization, and discrimination. Assistive devices like Braille, walking aids, hearing aids, spectacles, and other visible devices may make the children using them to stand out, turning them into subjects of scorn and mistreatment by the rest of the children. As such, the use of assistive equipment could have negative effects on the growth of children with disabilities especially in communities lacking supportive environments. The use of assistive technology, however, has more advantages than disadvantages among the communities in which it is used. Individual users, caregivers, and the society of the children with disabilities benefit from the efficiency and increased activity resulting from the use of assistive devices in learning institutions, and the burden of care for the children with disabilities is reduced both on the direct caregivers and the society as a whole. To be more effective, the following recommendations are proposed for implementation in the education sector. 1. Teachers should be equipped with the knowledge and skills of teaching children with assistive devices, for instance Braille and hearing aids, in order to increase the effectiveness of assistive technology in the education sector. As such, curriculum for teacher training should be reviewed to create room for assistive technology education. 2. School governance policies should be reformulated to compel schools to have favorable infrastructure for children using assistive technologies. Such could include construction of ramps for children using walkers and wheel chairs, and review of the curriculum to encourage integration of children with disabilities and those without during enrolment. 3. School administrators should encourage the school community to embrace children with disabilities, and to assist such children during their stay at the schools. For instance, the administration could introduce awards for those helping children with disabilities, and punitive measures for those mistreating or victimizing such children. This is because it is expected that the study will establish the advantages of using assistive technology to be more than the disadvantages, thus requiring its encouragement in learning institutions. References Babbie, E. (2010). The Practice of Social Research. Florence: Cengage Learning. Foster, S. (2008). Assistive technology programs can benefit all students. Disability Compliance for Higher Education , 2-3. Goddard, w., & Melville, S. (2004). Research Methodology: An Introduction. Lansdowne: Juta and Company Ltd. Kelly, S. (2011). The Use of Assistive Technology by High School Students with Visual Impairments: A Second Look at the Current Problem. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness , 235-239. Mechling, L. (2007). Assistive Technology as a Self-Management Tool for Prompting Students with Intellectual Disabilities to Initiate and Complete Daily Tasks: A Literature Review. Education and Training in Developmental Disabilities , 42 (3), 252-269. Murchland, S., & Parkyn, H. (2010). Using assistive technology for schoolwork: the experience of children with physical disabilities. Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology , 5 (6), 438-447. Ramseur, H. (2010). Assistive technology can benefit clients. Hospital Home Health , July (2010), 77-79. Stumbo, N., Martin, J., & Hedrick, B. (2009). Assistive technology: Impact on education, employment, and independence of individuals with physical disabilities. Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation , 30 (2009), 99-110. Watson, A. (2007). The effect of assistive technology devices and services in a public school setting. Ann Arbor: ProQuest. World Health Organization. (2011). Assistive devices/technologies. Retrieved December 8, 2011, from http://www.who.int/disabilities/technology/en/ Zhou, L., Parker, A., Smith, D., & Griffin-Shirley, N. (2011). Assistive Technology for Students with Visual Impairments: Challenges and Needs in Teachers' Preparation Programs and Practice. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness , 197-210. Read More