Adaptive Technologies

Last week, in EDU580, we talked about adaptive technologies in education. I have actually had some experience with a few adaptive technologies. I used to work at a video store, and my boss was completely blind. He had had an accident about a year before opening the store, and in the accident he had lost his sight. I had the opportunity to speak to him about what it was like to lose your sight after having it your whole life. He was and still is an inspiration to anyone going through tough times. I've never met anyone like him. He still has such a positive outlook on life even though his life became very difficult after his accident.

Because of my boss, Norm, I became very experienced with the computer program JAWS. This program is a screen reader which allows the user to navigate around the screen using the keyboard. What's really great about this program was that Norm was able to use the internet, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, and our video rental program. He could use any program on the computer because JAWS would read the screen for him. It was wonderful because he could run payroll, rent out videos, pay the bills, etc. all on his computer. He did not let his disability stop him from owning his own business. Norm had JAWS installed on the two computers in the store, and the program was set up so that it would automatically start when the computer started. It was kind of funny when I would open the store, and I would the computer say, "Welcome!" It was startling sometimes! I was really lucky to work for such a great person, and I was also really lucky because he would allow me to explore JAWS and see what it could really do. He always said that the program was a life-saver because he could still use the computer even though he couldn't see it. This allowed him to run his business without having to depend on other people; a feeling that I can imagine would be very freeing.

If I had a blind student in my classroom, I would definitely have to change my teaching strategies. I think that if a blind student were in my room, I would really need to make sure that I made it very clear what was written on the board in front of the class. With other students, we take it for granted that they can see what we are doing on the board in front of the class, but with a blind student, I would have to be very vocal about what was being written. If I didn't tell the student what was being written, they would have no way of knowing. I think that it would be very important for the teacher to be aware of the fact that student cannot see the board. If I had a student who used JAWS, I would be very comfortable with helping the student with the technology. A blind student wouldn't need to use JAWS everyday in class, but if we were to ever use a computer program, JAWS would be very beneficial. I would ask the student to use headphones, however, in order to not distract the other students. I think that other students would find it frustrating to hear the computer speaking out loud. When talking about statistics, I would be very interested in having students use Microsoft Excel, and I think that JAWS (or any other screen reader) could really help blind students. It would allow them to participate just as much as the other students, and it would allow other students to be exposed to adaptive technology.

Overall, I think it's really important that we be as inclusive as we can be in our schools. Adaptive technologies, including screen readers, allow more and more students to be in general education classrooms. I think that inclusion is not only important for the students with disabilities, but it is also important for students without disabilities. It is important for students to be exposed to all kinds of different things, and adaptive technologies are no exception.