Reading Reflection
Assistive Technology Background
Hao Zeng (September 18, 2022)
We can’t live without technology. From ancient society to the modern world,
human strives to understand the physical and natural world around us and apply the
learned knowledge to make this world we live in more convenient and enjoyable. To
some extent, technology is the driving force of human civilization. With its advancement,
it permeates into every aspect of our lives, including the field of education. From iPads
to Chromebooks to laptops, from elementary schools to middle/high schools to colleges,
from zoom/ google meets to schoology / google classrooms, we see the booming of
technology, and its widespread usage, in our daily lives. From reading the chapter 1 of
Bouck (2017), it further clarifies for me that most ATs can be actually beneficial and
helpful to general public. From no-tech (e.g. mnemonics, graphic organizer), low-tech
(such as pencil grips, highlighter tape), to mid-tech (calculators/ audio books) and hightech devices (digital textbooks, smartphone/tablets with apps), the assistive
technologies provide all students, and teachers, invaluable options to learn, to teach,
and to succeed.
Moreover, the importance of assistive technology for individuals with learning
disabilities could not be overstressed. Just like assisted living provides personalized
care and services to people in need to help them get over difficulties for living a quality
life, assistive technology would improve the overall capabilities of persons with
disabilities so that they might overcome learning barriers to achieve good academic
outcomes and life accomplishment. Though multifaceted by nature, it is apparent to me
the service of AT has to be individualized, which is the key to success. From the
selection of the right tools, to monitoring of the implementation and assessment, we
must make sure the approach is tailored toward the individual’s specific needs. With the
participation and support of all stakeholders, such as medical professionals, school
counselors, technologists, AT therefore is closely tied to, and becomes part of, the
individual education plan (IEP) for each student facing challenges of learning
disabilities.