Assistive technology refers to the devices and services that are used to increase, maintain, or improve the capabilities of individuals with a disability (Dell, Newton, & Petroff, 2012). A disability is a condition that makes it more difficult for a person to engage in certain activities and interact with the world around them. Some examples of disabilities mentioned by Kateryna in her presentation were; dyscalculia, dyslexia, and dysgraphia. However, the disability that I would like to make personal reference to is; nearsightedness.
Nearsightedness is a vision condition where close-up objects are visible, but, at a distance, they appear blurry. I have had this condition for as long as I can remember but refused to wear glasses as a child because I felt different. I had no knowledge of Assistive Technology, nor was it integrated into any of my classes. This affected my self-esteem, and my performance in school, and gradually my sight got worse. If only I knew then, what I know now. Presently, with the aid of assistive technology I am able to tailor my accessibility settings on all my devices to cater to my visual needs. Inverting colors, magnifiers, text-to-speech and speech-to-text, has been life savers, as they enable to me to use my devices with less strains on my eyes, thus having less migraines.
Limitations and Challenges
Voice control (speech-to-text): this can be really frustrating as your accent, pronunciation, tone and pitch impacts what is written in text.
Lack of competency among teachers: teachers are trained given the basic knowledge of using AT, but, they are not extensively on how to integrate it within the classroom. If the students are not competent in using the tool, it will not be used effectively.
Excessive Use: Users may rely too much on the technology and not try to address their disabilities independently. For example, word prediction has made me so lazy and I can honestly say my spelling skill has certainly decreased.
Costly: Some AT tools are costly and therefore in accessible to some that might need it most. Tools such as braille displays, interactive keyboards, wheelchairs, infrared system and many more.
Hi Latoya, it is unfortunate that you experience near-sightedness. However, it is also good that there are assistive technologies that can help you with your condition, so that you won’t have much difficulties with regard to your vision.
I agree with the limitations of AT that you wrote about, most especially it being costly. Until the prices/costs of these can be brought down to affordable levels for the common persons, this will continue to be a challenge for most affected people.
Hi, Latoya! Thanks for sharing your personal connection to assistive technology that adds so much depth to your reflections. It’s inspiring to see how tools like magnifiers, text-to-speech, and speech-to-text have positively impacted your daily life and reduced strain on your eyes. I appreciate your honesty in pointing out the challenges, such as speech-to-text accuracy and the tendency to become overly reliant on AT. Your insights on the lack of teacher training and the high costs of AT tools highlight critical areas that need attention to make these technologies more effective and accessible.
Hi Latoya! Thank you for sharing your personal experience. I’m glad to hear you have found assistive technologies that work for you. I appreciate you sharing your ideas about limitations. I hadn’t really thought about how speech to text technologies may be almost discriminatory against people who do not have a standard North American accent in which many of these technologies had been based.
Hi Latoya,
Thanks for sharing your unique observation about the lack of trainings for the teachers which is very crucial part of the profession. If there is lack of confidence and the knowledge then how teachers will integrate the assistive technologies in the classroom and because of this students will not get any benefit from these tools. Also, incredibly you have shared crucial points about the challenges and the limitations of assistive technology. I really like your blog and got a chance to know about the various aspects of the assistive technology.
Hi Latoya, thanks for sharing your personal experience with us. It is extremely important to raise awareness about eyesight issues, such as nearsightedness, because they are extremely common. I am glad that such tools as color inversion, magnifiers, text-to-speech, and speech-to-text conversion are helping you in learning and in everyday life. Great article!
Hi Latoya
Thanks for sharing your experience. I also find myself in this class of nearsightedness as a child. Though I refused wearing glasses back then. I think it finally caught up with me now as an adult, and I have been wearing glasses since the past 3 to 5 years. To some extent, the glasses has been helpful, but thanks to other available assistive technologies like audio and text to speech. I concur with the limitations on excessive use because that really speaks to me, but it really helps me to have a quick understanding of what I want to read before straining my eyes through the glasses. You are actually correct with regards to teachers’ lack of competency in assisting students with these basic AT in classrooms. However, these problems might be the same in every classroom, so how can teachers be trained based on their classroom or teaching context?