Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Last Reflection
I am thankful for the opportunities to learn about and try out the variety of A.T. we covered in this class. It was exciting to learn about new things in a hands on kind of way (though frustrating at times). The video clips and video social stories were inspiring. The AT devices , low to high tech, seem endless. The level of creativity was amazing. I feel engerized to use some of these devices with my students. (I say some only because not all devices would apply for my students.) I have truly enjoyed the passion, knowledge and talents each member contributed to the class. With all of that being said the picture below best shows how I feel to be finished though. Enjoy the rest of your summer everyone!
Deaf or Hard of Hearing Impairment
Today our task was to find a you tube clip that pertained to a hairing impairment or deafness. I found several that I think are interesting. The first two are about children that were born deaf. The assitive technology device being featured are cochlear implants. A cochlear implant (CI) is a surgically implanted electronic device that provides a sense of sound to a person who is profoundly deaf or severely hard of hearing. The cochlear implant is often referred to as a bionic ear.
The clips are showing the children on the day they are having their implants activated. I found it interesting how the two reacted differently. The 8 month old seemed very excited to hear his mom's voice for the first time. The older girl seems upset or scared by hearing her first sounds though she looks up by the end. I also shows the excitement of their parents too. Imagine witnessing your child hearing for the first time.
I found another neat device. An alarm clock for children. It states it is for all children not only for hard of hearing children; a good design feature!
While searching today I learned about some neat AT devices though did not find video clips featuring the devices. There are various speakers to improve hearing (i.e.x mini or imaingo 2).There is a device called icommunicator that " The iCommunicator translates in real-time:
• Speech to Text
• Speech/Text to Video Sign-Language
• Speech/Text to Computer Generated Voice"
The cochlear implant is an amazing device. I wonder if / when someone will create a similar device that will be able to output the thoughts of autistic children in speech, allowing their voice to be heard orally.
The clips are showing the children on the day they are having their implants activated. I found it interesting how the two reacted differently. The 8 month old seemed very excited to hear his mom's voice for the first time. The older girl seems upset or scared by hearing her first sounds though she looks up by the end. I also shows the excitement of their parents too. Imagine witnessing your child hearing for the first time.
I found another neat device. An alarm clock for children. It states it is for all children not only for hard of hearing children; a good design feature!
While searching today I learned about some neat AT devices though did not find video clips featuring the devices. There are various speakers to improve hearing (i.e.x mini or imaingo 2).There is a device called icommunicator that " The iCommunicator translates in real-time:
• Speech to Text
• Speech/Text to Video Sign-Language
• Speech/Text to Computer Generated Voice"
The cochlear implant is an amazing device. I wonder if / when someone will create a similar device that will be able to output the thoughts of autistic children in speech, allowing their voice to be heard orally.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Switches
The information from the CD, Boardmaker Plus activity and reading Carolyn's Blog got me thinking about the importance of a switch or switches for a person's life to become more independent. Questions from class:
What is a switch? " A switch is a mechanical device that closes an electrical circuit to turn object on and off."
Who uses switches and why? Anyone that is not able to complete the specific task independently could use a switch.
Criteria for selecting a successful switch.
- Position of the user to access switch
- Movement Pattern- Is there a voluntary part of the body that can move or not helps determine type pf switch
Control site - what part of the body (i.e arm, knee) or action (i.e breath, blink, motion or infrared rays) will make the switch work
Types of switches - Simple or speciality.
I wonder how many people in the world should have switches and either don't know about them or don't have access to them? How tells those that need them, they are available?
What is a switch? " A switch is a mechanical device that closes an electrical circuit to turn object on and off."
Who uses switches and why? Anyone that is not able to complete the specific task independently could use a switch.
Criteria for selecting a successful switch.
- Position of the user to access switch
- Movement Pattern- Is there a voluntary part of the body that can move or not helps determine type pf switch
Control site - what part of the body (i.e arm, knee) or action (i.e breath, blink, motion or infrared rays) will make the switch work
Types of switches - Simple or speciality.
I wonder how many people in the world should have switches and either don't know about them or don't have access to them? How tells those that need them, they are available?
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