...including me

One of my B. Ed Primary education students, Catherine O'Connor, is going to present a paper at the Plymouth e-Learning Conference after Easter. Catherine has been doing research into how technology is used to support children with special educational needs. Her paper focuses on an evaluation of assistive technologies in primary education. The paper, Promoting inclusion in the Primary Classroom through the use of Assistive Technologies, does exactly what the title says. It's a discussion around the benefits and limitations of specially adapted technologies to support those who have special educational needs. Some SEN children do particularly well and have their learning experiences enhanced or extended through assistive technologies. Some unfortunately are stigmatised, singled out and made to feel vulnerable and 'different' as a result. Several questions need to be addressed: What is the balance - can such technologies exclude as well as include? How can we best use such technologies to support those who have specific difficulties? I think a lot of teachers and parents would like to know the answers to these questions.... including me.

Here's the abstract:

Schools are increasingly focused on the need to include all learners. The UK Government’s Every Child Matters agenda (see Barker, 2009). ensures that all schools meet the individual needs of children, including special educational needs and disabilities. As Radabaugh (1988) has argued, “For most people technology makes things easier. For people with disabilities, however, technology makes
things POSSIBLE.”

It is vital then that teachers become proficient at using a number of learning technologies, to enable them to meet the educational needs of children of all abilities. Assistive technologies are generally those that have been adapted or designed specifically to support disabled children.

In this paper we investigate how primary school children with various disabilities (e.g. dyslexia, autistic spectrum disorder) might be successfully supported in their learning through the use of assistive technologies. Using a semi-structured interview method, we talked to two primary school children about their experiences in using assistive technologies, discovering what the technologies actually enabled them to achieve. We also asked them about their feelings toward the technology and gained insights into some of the less positive aspects of using these tools.

We will discuss the tensions between enabling learners to achieve to their fullest potential through assistive technologies, and the potentially stigmatising effects such technologies may impose. We also discuss some of the digital divide issues that emerge whenever new technologies are introduced into traditional contexts. We hope that through this study, teachers will gain a clearer insight into the affordances and constraints of assistive technologies in primary contexts.

References
Barker, R. (2009, Ed.) Making Sense of Every Child Matters: Multi-professional practice guidance. London: Polity Press
Radabaugh, M. (1988) Cited in National Council on Disability: Study on the Financing of Assistive Technology Devices and Services for individuals with disabilities (1993). Available at: www.teacher.net.gov.uk/_doc/3165/Final%20%Report%205%20December%20CK3Dec2.doc (Retrieved 12 January, 2010)

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