Assistive Technology Day 10 July 16, 2010

It has been 10 days already and we have been learning intensely for the past two weeks, I am sure when we are able to take a breath and reflect on all this learning it will all fall into place and in the fall in our respective positions we should be able to recall and access good information for our students.

So the one thing I know for sure is that today we are going to be playing with a one switch activity on the keyboard to give us a better understanding of how this works, I am interested to see how we adapt, and then we will be moving into board maker and completing our final assignment that is due, not sure when? We have downloaded Board maker plus and have the tutorials, manual and other on line support to help walk us though this software, and Barb, our Assistive Tech specialist, so this will be fun.


Here is some of what can happen with Board Maker Plus, so stay tuned for tomorrows class and lets see what we do for our next assignment, it will be interesting to say the least, so far we have been very well in our groups, so I know this one will be the same

Assistive Technology Day 9 July 15, 2010

We did our social stories presentation and it was wonderful to see the range of scripts and perspective, I was pleased to be part of this in class presentation, it was relaxed, respectful and absolutely wonderful. Then we watched a film about inclusion and how that would look for a variety of students with a variety of needs. I was blown away at the amount of planning and people that it really does take for it all to come together, so I can see how that can be very challenging.


So in this picture is a selection of switches, a very small selection, minuscule is comparison to what is available in the assistive technology world that is ever changing. I was overwhelmed, a bit scared and uncertain about my confidence in this area, I can see how important it is to surround yourself with good people. My mind was unable to comprehend the tutorial it was I was taken in this information for the very first time and had no idea where to start.

I do realize that inclusive education is changing so quickly that we can hardly keep up, especially after today in both classes, this morning I watched Aimee Mullins, who has 12 sets of legs, and is bridging the cap between disabled and able body as it relates to her athleticism and she is not alone in this quest for equity. It is unprecedented the progress we have made in this field of technology and I can only imagine where we are headed.

Morning Routine- Preparation Story

We posted our social story to YOUTUBE it was a wonderful opportunity for some hands on experience, not to mention the fun we had video taping and recording our story. There are some learning challenges but overall it was a valuable experience for all of us and we now that the hands on approach is a good way to experience the learning.

Assistive Technology Day 8 July 14, 2010

It is nice that I am able to blog more effectively this course, and it is actually quite fun and also a bit addictive. I was able to finalize assignment 3 other than task B which needs to be created and presented on Monday, so at least I feel like I am on task.
We are finishing our social stories today and this is quite fun since we are filming, editing and doing voice overs to set up our social story video. We are working in groups and the members of my group are Calee, Sarah, Gail and me, Kathy, we seem to all work well together and this assignment is coming together and almost completed.

We wrote a social story about a student that has difficulty following his morning routine and usually ends up in his homeroom with his coat and without his binder and pencil case prepared for the morning. This is call a preparation story and we are hoping to be able to load it on our blogs, exciting our first movie production actually a video but does it really matter.
5173 Assignment 4 – Video Social Stories
By: Gail Josey, Kathy Kays, Sarah Miles, Calee Comstock

Student Profile
David is a grade 7 student. He has an IPP. He has cognitive delays and short term memory challenges. He benefits from frequent repeat instruction and prompting. He uses an iPod Touch for checklists and prompts and for writing with Dragon Naturally Speaking. David uses checklists to improve organizational skills and routines. David’s strengths include social interaction with adults, technology use and making connections to topics of interest (ie boating).

Social Story
School arrival routine
When I come to school in the morning I go directly to my locker and hang up my coat. I look at my checklist to see what I need for the morning. I pick up my binder, my pencil case and my water bottle. I will put my iPod Touch around my neck. I will do this quickly, lock my locker and go directly to my homeroom classroom so my teacher will know that I am here. This will make my teacher happy and make me happy too.

Video plot
1. David walks to locker.
2. Hangs up coat and checks task list.
3. Collects binder, pencil case and water bottle.
4. Puts iPod Touch around neck
5. Close locker
6. Walk to class

EDUC 5173- Assistive Technology

By: Muneera and Kathy
A – Low Tech & Adapting our World
Student Profile: (Female Age: 39)

The primary user had a career in the printing industry, was an athlete playing sports at national competitions and also she had a young son, then she was burned in a major fire on her 30 foot boat; first responders were horrified at the sight of a human candle, totally engulfed in flames. We have chosen her because this fire changed her life, leaving her with several physical limitations, not to mention that 75 percent of her body has third degree burns. As a result of the fire she lost her job, unable to work in her field, had to apply for disability (which is significantly less than what she would earn) and no longer has the full use of her hands. The digits have been rebuilt, unfortunately due to the damaged skin the digits have now begun to close, limiting her ability to pick up or hold things.

Most everything else has been repaired through many operations, other than the shrinking of the skin around her mouth, making it very difficult for her to open her mouth, affecting her speech. I guess initially we do not stop and think about what we take for granted but it can be the simplest of things that hinder her performance. She was now facing limited options for her ongoing life, not able to drive a car, play sports and enjoy the hobbies and past times of her previous life; well she has been able to find low tech solutions that enable her to live a full and meaningful life. The deformity in the hands prevent the simple things, like holding a hot cup of tea or coffee, picking up coin that she drops, lighting the BBQ, and playing golf.

Fortunately, she did not listen to her doctors and so found herself, modifying the grips on her golf clubs, is a matter of interest took up golf after the accident and has won several women's titles. She always wanted a motor cycle and now owns and drives one, she did have to have special handle bar grips made to support her disability. Fundamentally we will look at ways to adapt and modify holders for her grip which will support her when she needs to hold or pick up something.

Task A:
Description of the main low tech assistive technology: - (Magnetic extension rod)

It is an extension rod with a magnet head on the end that will help her to pick up any metal objects such as change, keys, hardware, lids from cans and clothes hangers etc., allowing her to have a grasp, that otherwise is not there, also she can interchange this magnetic tool for the pick up grabber that has grabbers on the end.

The environment (Milieu):
This extension rod and all the other items could be used in different environments to serve the same purposes. To mention some of those environments, it could be used at home, the park, in the community, as well as during recreational time. There are other low tech devices that she must use to support her day to day living other than the magnetic extension rod.
- Cup holders with handles for holding drinks
- Plastic/aluminum grabber with hand like ends to pick up shoes, food, garbage, etc
- Binders clips to help in turning pages of books
- Rubber Stamps for easier printing/writng
- Fitness ball (small) that would help for relaxation and strengthening her hand muscles
- Specialized handle grips, modifications for her golf club, specialized gloves, motor cycle
- Reading glasses, magnifying glasses

One type of Cup Holder

This is one of several types of cup holders that are available, this one is usually used for the hot beverages because the cup an immediately be placed in this holder. Hot drinks can be especially challenging because she is not always aware of how hot the drink really is, this is caused from the nerve damage and loss of feeling.

Assistive Technology Day 7 July 13, 2010

Well today is a day about social stories and reminded me of the project I did around social thinking by Marcia Garner-Winters, although the lady in the spotlight today is Carol Grey. I do believe that we looked at her social stories when doing the broader topic of social thinking. Interestingly we looked at it from four different perspectives, Learning Center/Resource, Parent/Teacher Professional Development, Severe Learning and the 3-4 classroom that I happened to be teaching this year.

The social stories quickly help a personal identify the behavior expected in certain circumstance,s and ideally we have an expectation that all children have these skills, that is not always the case. We all need explicit and clear instructions on what behavior we are looking for in what circumstance so that everyone is clear, that is something we take for granted some times. I mean if we can identify specific needs in a child based on economics, home dysfunction, anger, etc., then how is it we can expect those same children to know the specific behaviors in the school site.

We had a wonderful time today in a group with Sarah, Gail, Calee and me making a social story video, we had Calee as the student that needed to focus on one specific behavior. It is important to realize that we must practice, repeat, practice repeat, especially for children with memory issues and cognitive delays. It was exciting to watch a presentation on social stories, hear about the successes, and then get the opportunity for the hands on experience. I made an observation how both of our classes are working in conjunction with each other, we are learning about collaboration and sharing information in the morning class and then getting the opportunity to practice in the AT class, thank you Barb.