Elimination of Academic Challenges Special-Need Students Face

SOURCE: http://atfored.com/

When you heard that the new iPhone 7 was coming out, you were jumping with joy, anxious to know what kind of new features were going to be included or even what it was going to look like. In today’s day and age, our lives are centralized around technology. Hearing about the new virtual reality devices or new gadgets available is something that the majority of people look forward to. But what about the kids who cannot use the virtual reality devices because they are blind? Or the children who cannot use the newest iPhone because they are physically incapable? Well, those people have other technologies that they look forward to in order to make their everyday lives easier.  

As Heather B Hayes analyzes the environment for these students in the article called How Technology is Helping Students with Special Needs Excel, she concludes after the implementation of technology that "the students in the back who wouldn't participate, who would have been considered either the shy introvert or the behavioral problem because they weren't able to effectively engage” are now the ones engaging the most in class due to the adamant effort technology companies have. Integration is so key for these students with special needs. It is too bad that they have been living such a secluded life in the shadows of all the “normal kids.”Thankfully as technology has been advancing day by day, integration is become more and more prevalent. This is solely because “what's available has expanded and improved by quantum leaps over the past five years as traditional assistive technologies have converged with consumer technologies.”

Knowing that the deaf students now have computers in front of them translating what the teacher is saying into words, or that the “students with motor and mobility ­disabilities also can use speech recognition tools to turn speech into sharable text, e-books to eliminate page turning and ­portable eye-gaze devices that are powered by blinks” is almost unfathomable. And even better, “many technologies designed for mainstream use can be successfully repurposed to teach students with disabilities.” This ultimately allows these students to live a normal life when they walk through the doors of their schools.

           In short due to technological advancements, students with special needs are able to “achieve greater levels of independence” by having a device literally at their fingertips to assist them in their academic endeavors. It allows the students to”gain confidence” because now they are able to participate in class and displaying how they are “more willingly reach out to their teachers and peers to ask questions and collaborate” while about five years ago, this probably would not be the case.

Future Research Questions:
1.) What exactly are technology companies doing to improve the integration of students with special needs?
2.) How can companies guarantee success to each of the students with special needs?