Tying perfectly into my last post about teaching every
student is my next topic of using assistive technology to enhance communication
for every student!
“Being able to communicate thoughts, feelings, and ideas is
absolutely critical to be successful in school and the workplace. Being able to
understand other people’s communication attempts is equally essential.” (p.139).
Luckily, technology offers an exciting range of options for
students who cannot hear speech or express themselves through speech!
Let’s talk about
obstacles:
First, there are many obstacles students who are
specifically hard of hearing face in a typical classroom. They face obstacles like
the difficulty of following lectures, especially if acoustics are poor in the particular
classroom for hearing aids. If a student is lip reading, whenever the teacher
moves their face away from facing the class, the student misses the lecture.
Also, the use of class videos and presentations present difficulties to
students who are hard of hearing and these are used more now than ever in
classrooms.
What if your student has
an assistive listening system?
Well first off, these devices help reduce the effects of an
room that is un-acoustically unfriendly. They minimize background noise as
well. A variety of devices are available
to meet specific needs! Next, became familiar with the device and learn about
what you can do as a teacher with that specific device. Then, it is important
to use different ways to communicate with that student. Some ideas are using email,
and discussion boards online, blogs, etc. text messaging and any other computer
based applications will help the student tremendously!
Augmentative
communication- what is it? Why is it important?
It’s a way of supplementing an individual’s method of
communication to assist comprehension. It takes a team of professionals and the
student and family to find a method that matches a student’s needs.
It is so important because it increases an individual’s independence
and allows them to experiences many new opportunities.
As educators
assisting these students it is important for us to remember:
“The right to communicate is both
a basic human right and the means by which all other rights are realized” (p.
156).
Michelle,
ReplyDeleteI love the quote you included in the end of your post. As educators it is our responsibility to enhance communication for every student in the classroom. Communication provides students with a sense of independence which is very important. Before this class, I was unsure how to enhance communication for special needs students especially those who cannot hear speech and those who cannot express themselves through speech. Thanks to the textbook, I now have a wonderful resource so that I can enhance the school experience for my students with disabilities through assistive technologies.
I like how you specifically stated that one needs to become familiar with AT devices and how they can best suit your needs. With enough warning, teachers should be able to know what they're going to need for their class and have chance to practice, practice, practice both using the device themselves and having a colleague or loved one play the part of the student so you can tailor different aspects of your teaching style to complement that device.
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