Assistive technology has a significant impact in transforming my teaching methodology. When I was working with the Pravah Organisation in New Delhi, India, and the National Trust for the Welfare of People with Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Mental Retardation, and Multiple Disabilities, I was deeply involved in creating awareness among people about the importance of inclusive education and integrating it with the assistive technology. I was pretty sure that this would definitely change the lives of the individuals with disabilities and would lead to a more equitable community. While moving forward in my journey, I faced a few challenges and experiences which I would like to address.
When I was working with Pravah Organisation on various community engagement projects, I realized that a significant barrier in adopting assistive technology is people have lack of awareness. Many families were not aware about the tools that are available to enhance mobility, communication, or learning for individuals with disabilities. Additionally, people face societal stigma in using these technologies very openly. While working our motto was to make everyone aware by demonstrating the value of AT in fostering independence. Secondly, there are many assistive tools which are economically not affordable which is a major disadvantage for lower income communities. I encountered various families who want to use special communication devices for their autistic child but they cannot because of its high cost. This encompasses the need for affordable devices which are available for everyone. Even I met those parents who anyhow purchased the Assistive device like an adaptable wheelchair for their children but struggled with its maintenance and its operation.
In my opinion, Assistive devices should be customized according to the needs of the individuals as we know that disabilities are unique so we cannot follow one size fits all strategy here. Moreover, many assistive technologies run on electricity or internet connectivity but the rural areas lack these. I think the government should initiate projects or schemes which design unique AI that functions in a low resource environment. Lastly, the major challenge while dealing with the assistive technology was cultural and social attitudes towards disabled people using these digital devices. In our society, people feel hesitated to adopt useful assistive technology in their day to day life due to the fear of judgment. In my perspective, the open communication and organizing campaigns and workshops would change the mindset of the community.