Assistive Technology
Casely-Hayward and Lynch (2003 p7) point out that Assistive Technology (AT) “has
been with us for hundreds of years, as in the use of a strong branch as a walking aid or a
magnifying glass to read with”.
Definition of Assistive Technology
AT is used to describe both the products and the services for people with special needs.
The most commonly quoted definition is derived from American Legislation (1998):
Products: The Assistive Technology Act (1998) and the IDEA (Amended 1997)
define an AT device as any item, piece of equipment, or product system
(whether acquired off the shelf, modified, or customized) that is used to increase,
maintain or improve the functional capability of an individual with disability.
AT devices may be categorized as no technology, low technology, or high
technology.
Services: AT services include training assistance for students who use AT, as
well as others substantially involved in the major life functions of the child (e.g.
family members, teachers, other educational personnel).
These definitions are flexible and open many possibilities for what the products and
services of assistive technology can be. They do not imply that assistive technology
must include computers, or that it must be expensive, or that it can only be prescribed.1
Assistive technology is essentially a very broad field and may range from the very
simple to the very complex. For the sake of description, it may be divided into the
following low, medium and high -tech categories:
'Low-tech' refers to unsophisticated and largely non-electronic devices, such as
widened pencil grips, Velcro fasteners or book holders.
'Medium-tech' devices are more complicated but are used by those with some
degree of independent functioning. Adaptive computer peripherals, such as
alternative mice or keyboards, will usually come within this category.
'High-tech' devices include sophisticated communication and environmental
control systems. At this end of the AT range, considerable specialist training and
support will be necessary, and those with little independent functioning or
communication ability will be the main users.2
1
Roberts, 2007
2
Descriptions taken from Enableteach, 2007
Page 1
While AT can help overcome some of the functional barriers created by disability, it can
also create new barriers if not matched carefully with individual needs. The effective
integration of AT devices to enable learning would require an assessment process with
two objectives: (1) to assess the needs of the learner and (2) to access resources in order
to meet those needs.3 AT use should never become a separate entity but should form an
integral part of teaching and learning. This involves a complex process that integrates
AT with learning objectives and proven learning theories.4
Technology for All
Enabletech (2007) considers that we should reexamine our understanding of disability in
order to clarify the context for the role of technology in enabling access to educational
or social settings. Within the concept of the 'medical model' of disability, the emphasis
was on 'treating', 'curing' or 'rehabilitating' people associated with the condition. Within
the concept of the emerging 'social model', disability is seen as a specific attribute and
does not define the person as a whole. In this view the loss of function resulting from
disability is more often caused, or exacerbated by, the constructed environment and
attitudinal barriers. For example, if buildings, transport and services were modified (by
way of AT) so that people with disabilities could have access to them, those particular
handicapping situations would no longer exist.
However Enabletech (ibid) does caution against the perception of assistive technology
as a 'fix' for the 'problem' of disability or impairment. The pupil's impairment should be
accepted as normal to that person and the technology should be seen as an attempt to
provide an alternative or compensatory approach that works around the impairment. In
this regard, assistive technology is sometimes referred to as 'work-around' technology.
The advent of the „social model‟ has also been an influencing factor in the emergence of
the concept of 'Universal Design'. In the case of Assistive Computer Technology (ACT)
the concept suggests that new developments in this technology should be „accessible to
all‟ from the beginning. In this respect Morrison (2007) considers that:
ACT is a flexible adjustable tool that supports the concept of a universally
designed curriculum.5 If ACT is planned for universal design from the outset
and is useful to many students, it will not be viewed as extra programming, but
as a natural part of classroom activities.
ACT solutions for students with learning disabilities can be just as
3
Winter, Fletcher-Campbell, Connolly and Lynch, 2006: quoted in NCSE, 2006
4
Okojie & Olinzock, 2006; quoted in Morrison, 2007
5
A universally designed curriculum is an approach that does not classify programmes as being either
mainstream or special education. Rather it views learning as being on a continuum. Planning and
development is focused on methods and materials that are flexible and adjustable (Morrrison, 2007)
Page 2
advantageous to many other students. For example software for organization
will support writing for all students, not just those with learning problems.
Because of a lack of universal design, the development of technology, in a perverse
way, can increase the handicapping condition, as many of the technical advances that
are normally taken for granted are not accessible to people with disabilities.6 Henrietta
Ipeleng Bogopane-Zulu, a Member of South Africa's Parliament, cited in UNESCO
(2006), agrees that a “digital divide still exists between people with disabilities and
those who are non-disabled”, and adds that “beyond access to the Web, the problem for
many developing countries is also affordability, support systems and training.”
6
Enableteach, 2007
Page 3
References
Casely-Hayward, L. and Lynch, P. 2003. A Review of Good Practice in ICT and Special
Educational Needs for Africa. London: Imfundo/DFID
Enabling Technology. (Homepage). [Online]. Available from:
http://www.enabletech.ie/index.html [Accessed 21 October 2007]
Hopkins, J. 2006. Assistive Technology: 10 Things to Know. Library Media
Connection. 25 (1), pp12 - 14
Morrison, K. 2007. Implementation of assistive computer technology: A model for
school systems. International Journal of Special Education. 22 (1), pp83-95
National Council for Special Education 2006. Implementation Report: Plan for the
Phased Implementation of the EPSEN Act 2004. Dublin: NCSE
Roberts, L. 2007. What is Assistive Technology? [Online]. Available from:
http://www.nsnet.org/atc/tools/atech.html [Accessed 20 October 2007]
UNESCO 2006. Press Conference on Inclusive Technologies for Persons with
Disabilities [Online]. Available from UNESCO
[Accessed 20 October
2007]
US Congress 1998. Assistive Technology Act of 1998 [Online]. Available from:
http://www.section508.gov/docs/AT1998.html [Accessed 21 October 2007
Page 4