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AT in the General Classroom

Public Laws
Scavenger Hunt


No Child Left Behind (NCLB)

SETT Framework
Case Study:
Joshua


Communication Board

Low Vision
Case Studies:
Adam
George

AT Device Abandonment

Computer Access Barriers
Case Study: Marty

Without Hearing
Case Study: Susan


Universal Design


Funding
Case Study: Karen


Group Work:
IEP/IST Exercise


Empowering ESL Students with Universal Design

Experience Reflection and Course Evaluation

Case Study: Adam

Task:

Read the article Adam's Story at the NCIP Library.

Discuss the technology Adam uses and problems you think he has encountered (his experiences as a person with a visual impairment).

Technologies Adam has used:

  • Textbooks on audio tapes (through Recordings for the Blind--RFB)
  • Noisy and disturbing six-key brailler to take notes and complete writing assignments
  • A microbrailler which never worked properly
  • MS-DOS laptop with speech output
  • Laptop computer with speech feedback

Problems Adam has encountered:

  • In the fourth grade, the catholic school he had been attending had no services for the blind and so he had to transfer to a public school in Boston.
  • In fifth and sixth grade, he was pulled out of the classroom for a good part of each day to receive specialized instruction in braille and mobility. I understand that he missed class during the specialized instruction.
  • The private schools in the Boston area were not very interested in Adam since he had a visual impairment.
  • Using the brailler in the classroom was problematic because it was noisy and some teachers were greatly disturbed by the noise.
  • The promising microbrailler never worked correctly: the development bugs had not been worked out by the manufacturer so the device was abandoned.
  • Adam is afraid that acquiring a job in the private sector will be challenging for a student with a disability.

Copyright © 2003 Yesim Yilmazel-Sahin. All rights reserved.
Please contact Yesim Yilmazel-Sahin at ysahin@umd.edu for questions and comments.

Last Modified October, 2003.