I have been involved with special education in some capacity for my entire life; I grew up with a cousin born with Down syndrome. I have seen my Uncle and Aunt move school districts for better access to special education programs, as well as have been an observer in his special education classroom at one of the premiere high schools in the nation: Westlake High School located in Westlake, Texas.
Visiting his special education classroom in 2010 enlightened me to the challenges that special education educators face on a daily basis. There is usually one teacher surrounded by a multitude of students each with a different disability, whether physical or mental. Realistically, one teacher cannot sufficiently address the demands of several students at once. One solution to this problem is the use of technology in the special education classroom to not only address the unique needs of each student, but also eliminate the segregated nature of the classrooms between special and general education.
Although I am behind the times and prefer print materials to digital materials, it became evident that technology is the tool to aid students with disabilities after hearing several special education educators’ talk about the influence of technology in aiding student’s success. All the panelists, who each worked in a different content area and with different student demographics, discussed the importance of individualized instruction for students with disabilities; technology is the key to personalized instruction for students with physical or mental disabilities. Because these students think and act differently, each student will not and can not thrive under the same model of education; therefore providing the classrooms, educators, and students with technological tools that aid success, special education students are receiving a top notch education amongst their general education peers.
Although I never followed through on my visit to my cousin’s school, my personal interactions with my cousin show the heightened use of technology in his education. He was given an iPad through his school, which he uses for both academic and personal use. This iPad has helped him with digital, print, and auditory literacy in that he can read books, watch educational videos, and speak to animals on his iPad. These apps give him the tools to better his speech and language capability, which aids his ability to communicate effectively with others who are not attuned to his individual disabilities. My cousin’s interaction with technology in his classroom attributes truth to the anecdotes and ideas posed and discussed by the panelists today; utilizing technology for special education students provides them with the resources to succeed at the same level as their general education peers. Although the tools and resources might differ between the two groups, it cannot be detested that each group is succeeding at the same level in the classroom.
Elizabeth Kennard, CER Intern