Associated Press
WAYNE, N.J. — Advances in electronics and computers are making it easier for special education students to be taught in regular classes. But devices for such students do more than help them learn, prospective teachers say.
"It fosters independence, which is what you want," said a special education teacher in training, Raymond Witte. "The more they can do on their own, the better they feel about themselves."
Mr. Witte, 50, of Byram, a captain in the Newark fire department who is about to start a new career, is among five students at William Paterson University enrolled in a course designed to familiarize future teachers with "assistive technology."
Such devices range from computer screens that display words in large letters for visually impaired children, to software that lets the computer give clues on spelling to children with learning disabilities. Several of the programs can reinforce lessons by pronouncing words and reading entire paragraphs back to pupils after they have written them.
These devices have become increasingly common since the enactment of a federal law in 1997 that put more emphasis on the use of assistive technology, said Bill East, executive director of the National Association of State Directors of Special Education.
Since 1975, disabled students have been required to be taught in the "least restrictive environment," an effort that has been known as "mainstreaming" and is now also called "inclusion."
But the 1997 law stressed that the mainstreamed pupil have access to the standard curriculum, Mr. East said.
"You can be in the regular class, but you can still be quite isolated," he said, adding that assistive technology helps the disabled participate.
In New Jersey, about 91 per cent of the 220,241 public school pupils with disabilities are in regular education classes for at least part of the school day, said Barbara Gantwerk, director of the state Office of Special Education Programs. The total public enrollment is nearly 1.39-million students.
Her office does not collect figures on how many disabled pupils are using assistive technology.
Use varies widely from district to district, said course instructor Christine Besko, director of the assistive technology lab at William Paterson.
One reason is cost: talking word processors range in price from $89 to $1,000 (U.S.). However, the devices can reduce or eliminate the need for an aide to work with the disabled pupil. The devices are not required, but must be considered for any student with an individualized education plan, Ms. Besko said.
"Regular education teachers and special education teachers should be aware of what technology is available for the classroom to help these students achieve their academic goals," Ms. Besko said, as her students practiced on some of the machines.
Some 413 undergraduates and 373 graduate students have taken the course since it started in 1999.
The devices at the William Paterson lab include keyboards with large keys in alphabetical order — for students new to computers. Other keyboards let pupils who have trouble using a mouse control the cursor with arrows.
"I've dealt with kids who have trouble with fine motor skills, and this could really help them," said Mr. Witte, a senior.
Disabled pupils who have difficulty with keyboards can still write on a computer by using a "jellybean switch," an oversized mouse that scrolls through the alphabet until it is struck. The switch can be customized to match the student's abilities.
"I feel it will help them because they will be able to interact more," said another special education major at the lab, Kristen Wyker, 21, a junior from Independence Township.
Another junior, Erin Lewis, sampled a literacy program aimed at children who have trouble spelling.
"It has word prediction, so I could type the first two or three letters of a word and it gives me a drop-down list with suggestions," said Ms. Lewis, 25, of Garfield.
To prevent pupils from using the machine as a crutch, the teacher can limit the number of suggestions the machine offers, she said.
Recent Comments