Graphic Design Industry and Allowance People with Fine Motor Skills Disability into the Discipline - Dissertation Example

ID# 00043535 Chapter 2: This Study Explores the Graphic Design Industry and the Willingness to Allow People with Fine Motor Skills Disability into the Discipline Ed.D. Educational Leadership Argosy University_Phoenix December 2014 CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW Introduction Before 1975, when the initiative of Education for All Handicapped Children Act was established, United States public education institutes delivered their services to a fifth of children with disabilities. Until that time, several states had laws that unequivocally disqualified children with particular kinds of disabilities from joining public school. However, despite this IDEA laws, schools for instance those based in teaching design and art classes are still geared for able-bodied as suggested in the article by Sharon (2010) ‘Schools Struggle to Educate the Severely Disabled’ published in The New York Times on 19th June, 2010. A phenomenon that suggests that such schools are still behind in attending to some scholars with disability requirement creates a critical issue in education that already includes the acceptance and support of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The introduction of IDEA showed a significant need to integrate the need for understanding design precepts not tied directly to hands on procedures, thus equalizing the opportunities requiring more technology and training for both faculty and students at the classroom level. However, certain disabilities for instance Dyslexia and Dyspraxia disorders that are characterized by strain in muscle control cause snags with movement and coordination, language, and speech. They have also hindered child development in some schools. The challenge for traditional institutions will be to determine how to use the emerging knowledge about how people learn in combination with the opportunities afforded by information technology and the wealth of open educational resources (OER). If universities can work that out, they will be able to serve more students, serve a greater variety of students, and reduce the cost of instruction--while improving quality (Demski, 2012). This premise and supportive research studies will be a part of this chapters literature review. The chapter will begin by discussing the features that are associated with students particularly with fine motor disabilities such as Dyslexia and Dyspraxia being given an opportunity to join art school. These features are progressive in nature and are Traditional Graphic Design Community, Current Graphic Design Community, Design Education, Technological intervention, and Future Design Community. Traditional Graphic Design Community Early education curriculums in the graphic design communities have been characterized similarly to those in the general educational field where they are fashioned for able-bodied students. Art and design have from the past been thought to be courses that required a lot of body movement and function, this limiting the number of scholars with various disabilities. However, with increased interest in the field where all individuals despite their differences are considered equal have brought about changes in such early philosophies. Chapin (2006) through his article provides suggestions and insight on how educationalists can go about to help students in developing their own voices. His assertions are based on the premise that in the field of fine arts, the most important idea and voice is that of the individual artist. However, this becomes complicated when the artist does not understand the tools of communication to pass an artistic idea to the public. He advises that when teaching a technical or a design conceptual course, educationalists have the opportunity to challenge students to recognize social change and if courses that teach design and process were divided and recognized as different curriculums, the country would have classes for critical thinking and conceptualization, and other classes for aesthetics and technique. As earlier mentioned, art schools were initially placed to serve a certain portion of students with special needs however, at that particular time the term disability was not well understood. The definition of ‘disability’ is broad, and includes physical, social, mental, and behavioral wants. Additionally, work by Cobb and Sharkey (2007) provides a particular emphasis on disabilities among individuals. The article proclaim that being that ‘simulated reality’ has, since its early development, focused mainly on the presentation of a high reliability visual experience, it is perhaps surprising that the largest sole group of users stated in the International Conference Series on Disability, Virtual Reality and Associated Technologies (VRAT) proceedings are those with visual deficiency. The studies in the literature chiefly pinpoint researches on technology more often computer-aided technology to tackle the disabilities, disorders, and deficiencies. The past few decades have seen a change in the philosophies and traits that have hindered education of disabled individuals. Current Graphic Design Community These changes in ideologies have generated a new kind of disability aware communities, both teacher, students and other education stake holders have come together to play a part in the development of education to individuals with different disabilities. Anna Craft (2006) through his article writes about creativity gaining attention in the education systems without an existing visible framework. Craft also suggest that globalized capitalist marketplace is supporting and driving the new focus on creativity. Issues are examined that students and teachers face from the classroom’s point of view while connecting creativity with wisdom. Additionally, a paper by Ketterlin-Geller and Tindal (2007) presents the technological solutions obtainable for enhancing the accessibility of learning materials for individuals with disabilities. The research importantly highlights the design features that computer-based assessments have that can help disabled children. However, there still seems to be a slow acceptance to the new ways of study in relation to other fields of education. Steven Heller (2005) discusses the phenomenon that was several students with disabilities graduate with majors in the United States yet they were not included in the results of the 2004 National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD) survey. It is later understood in this paper that the survey did not represent all schools and since it ignore schools that have 2-year degree programs. It seems unfair to segregate a particular section of students due to issues that they have little to do in terms of change. On the other hand, due to changing times it should be viable for NASAD to embrace change mostly through technological advancements. Technological intervention The year 1984 is synonymous when integrating education and technology. At that time while PCs for instance, the Macintosh began to reform everyday life at home and at work, school reorganization in similar fashion became a hot topic countrywide with exceptional emphasis on educating all students to high standards. Anne and Elizabeth (2001) discuss how the states handle the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA 97) that required that all states through the K-12 system to include students with disabilities in their measures of accountability. Such measures may be part of the statewide and district wide general education assessment programs through appropriate accommodations or through alternate assessments for those who cannot complete the general education assessment Inclusion in State-wide Assess. The requirement of accountability on providing education can be observed and mimicked from a previous study at Falmouth University for Arts that caters for Dyspraxia students making it the top rated art school in the UK. The school uses IntelliKeys keyboard as an alternative computer input device for the production of the alternate education delivery to students with such severe cognitive disabilities. As shown in the figure 1, the alternate portfolio of the student Range of motion and reach has to be measured for the placement of buttons. Items that will be needed more frequently should be easily within reach to avoid fatigue and hindrance as this are the major hindrances. However, technology cannot be the only feature that changes the view of education for the disabled, a change in design in education is just as vita. Design Education The old education system did very little to the education of disable scholars, however, a change in how this students are taught makes a great change in the educational land scape. Blatter (2005) provides the dissertation on interior design, 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional imagined design, and motion pictures of use for artists with motor skills debility the research elucidates how semiotic modalities such as gesture, speech, and drawing can assist in mediating motion and spatial representations, as well as inferences from storyboards. Furthermore, Candi (2006) discusses in her article how design is gaining momentum in businesses and improving company performance. The model developed is based on a 3-dimensional segmentation of design studying services and manufacturing within newer technology-based firms. This model was simple and straightforward providing an accurate and clear representation of the companies. These results are essential to research on tools and knowledge needed to infer motion and space from visual displays, and have implications for artists with disabilities and can be used to brighten the future of the current US education system. Future Design Community It is evident that the education of disabled individuals is far from being at the same level as those who are able bodied. As an aspect of enhancing education, information on the Hybrid Designer of 2015 that supports a theory that critical thinking and innovation as key to design education, success in the future should be well covered to see a goal in education achieved. For instance, James Poon Teng Fatt (2000) discusses how teachers need to keep up with the changing economic growth within our country by learning and acquiring new teaching skills. Such changes in a knowledge-based, information technology population have made society aware of creativity and it will help educators keep up with this new trend of teaching. References Anne, D. and Elizabeth, L. (2001). Using technology to construct alternate portfolios of students with moderate and severe disabilities. Teaching Exceptional Children, 33(5), 2001, 8-10. Blatter, J. (2005). Drawing Inferences: Drawing, Discourse, and Spatio-Motor Representation in an Animation Storyboarding Activity. McGill University (Candi Marina 2006 Design as an element of innovation: Evaluating design emphasis in technology-based firms)Candi, Marina (2006). Design as an element of innovation: Evaluating design emphasis in technology-based firms. International Journal of Innovation Management, 10 (4), 351-374. Chapin, C. (2006, April 24). Vision & voice: design education as agent for change. Retrieved 1/12/08, from http://www.aiga.org/ content.cfm/vision--voice-idesign-education-as-agent-for-change Cobb, S. and Sharkey, P. (2007). A Decade of Research and Development in Disability, Virtual Reality and Associated Technologies: Review of ICDVRAT 1996-2006. The International Journal of Virtual Reality, 6(2), 2007, 51-68. (Craft A 2006 Fostering creativity with wisdom)Craft, A. (2006). Fostering creativity with wisdom. Cambridge Journal of Education, 36(3), 337-350. Demski J. (2012, April 02). DIY.edu. Brooklyn, NY.Hall, G. E., & Hord, S. M. (2006). Implementing change: patterns, principles, and potholes (2nd ed.). Boston: Allyn and Bacon.  Heller, S. (2005, September 8). Too many grads or too few competencies? The design school dilemma. Retrieved 1/12/08, from http://www.aiga.org/content.cfm/too-many-grads-or-too-few-competencies-the-design-school-dilemma Ketterlin-Geller, L., & Tindal, G. (2007). Embedded Technology: Current and Future Practices for Increasing Accessibility for All Students. ProQuest, (May). (Poon Teng Fatt J 2000 Fostering Creativity in Education)Poon Teng Fatt, J. (2000). Fostering Creativity in Education. Education, 120(4), 744-757. Sharon Otterman, (2010). "Schools Struggle to Educate the Severely Disabled". The New York Times press. Appendix Figure 1: IntelliKeys keyboard used as part of the new technological intervention. Read More