What a wonderful way to begin the weekend! Seriously folks, after arriving a bit early for class Katy and I felt warm and fuzzy welcoming feelings right off the bat. Hot coffee and spot saves from the teacher, who could ask for more? (For anyone who might be confused about that I am refering to our placecards on our computers.) Our professor is a wise man who knows that humans are inherent creatures of habit. Placing our names on top of the computers we sat at during our first class was a nice way of acknowledging and meeting our needs.
Tonight's class was also very exciting because we got to go on wonderful field trip to the bathroom! I learned more about the universally designed signs that are posted outside of restrooms than I ever could have imagined. Now I know that not just the blind, the illiterate, children, and bleary eyed adults benefited from those signs. Those signs can also save lives during fires and blackouts and save all of us from terrible embarrassment by allowing us to quickly discern if we are about to enter the correct venue. In all seriousness though, I really appreciated the quick and innovative way Rick demonstrated Universal Design to the class through the simple signs we all often take for granted in today's day and age.
I also enjoyed the hands-on, practical activity of trying out some software to determine its feasibility for Universal Design. Katy and I found that there were definately some positve attributes about the program we chose. The software hailed itself as a program to fill in the gaps for reading--quite literally having the user fill in the gaps. While it had text-to-speech capability that was nice, as well as a highlighter for those words being read, it was difficult to navigate. Our conclusion was the students who would be able to nagivate the program best would like not require such reading support.
I am looking forward to next week and learning more about technology and its use in the special education setting. So far. . . so good. . .and very interesting.
Tracy
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2 comments:
Actually the signs on the computers were only intended to help us learn each others' names ... they were not intended to indicate assigned seating. :-)
Tracy,
I too wonder where we will be five/ten years from now. It's amazing the how the computer has increased accessibility for all students. I made comment in my blog about helping two students of mine who have vision troubles. I increased the resolution and helped them to see text much better; and this is just built into the PC I use. What other kind of devices and programs are out there that provide individuals with vital tools to their participation?
As you said times certainly have changed. I don't remember many students with disabilties in my high school. As a matter of fact I only recall one student in school. I look around now at the high school I teach at and I see so many different students with disabilties accessing public school. Technology sure has leveled the playing field, and provided great opportunities for all.
Kudos to all who continue to find new ways in which to involve everyone.
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