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Use technology as an empowering tool.

Chapter NiNe

Being technologically competent can provide an avenue to academic and career success. Computer technology is one of the most powerful tools available to individuals with disabilities. Technology, including computers, adaptive technology and the Internet, can help maximize independence, productivity, and participation. It can lead to the highest levels of success—personal, social, academic, and professional. As reported by successful individuals with disabilities:

•Thecomputerhelpsmeorganizemythoughts.Icanreadandmakeimprovementswithease.IcancheckallofmypapersforspellingerrorsbeforeIsendthem.IamareallyBADspeller.(highschoolstudentwithalearningdisability)

•Iuseacombinationofapalmtopnotetakercomputerandadesktopcomputertowrite.WithoutthemI’dbelost.(collegestudentwithmobility/healthimpairments)

•WithoutcomputersortheNetIwouldnotbedoingmanythingsthatI’mdoingtoday.Forinstance,IaminvolvedinawritingforumontheNetthatletswriterstalkaboutwritingandsharetheirpiecesofliteraturewitheachother.SinceIwanttobeawriterthishasbeenVERYhelpful.(highschoolstudentwithDyslexiaandAttentionDeficitDisorder)

•Oneofmytwoorthreebestfriends—maybebestnexttomywife—andImetontheInternet,andwearenotonlyfriendsbutcloseworkingcolleagues.(professorwhoisblind)

And new products are developed every year. As pointed out by a college student who is blind:

•FormeIlookforwardtothefuturewithoptimismbecauseIlongfortheadvancementsthathumanitywillmakeinthefieldsoftechnology.Everyyearmoreandmoretechnologyisdevelopedandmarketedthatcanhelpmakelifeeasierforpeoplewithvisualimpairments.

Do what you can with what you have, where you are.— Theodore Roosevelt —

164

e-Mentoring

In the following online activities, young people learn about the roles technology has played in the success of people with disabilities and about how they can use technology to achieve their own success. By the end of this chapter, they will learn how computer technology can help them:

n pursue recreational activities.n make and maintain friendships.n communicate with mentors.n learn and enhance academic

performance.n achieve high levels of independence and

productivity.n develop skills that will lead to success in

employment.n pursue careers in fields that might

otherwise be inaccessible.

The e-mentoring administrator can select appropriate messages from the following examples and send the Mentor Tip messages to the mentors only and the E-Community Activity messages to the entire online mentoring community. Use these examples to stimulate other ideas for online discussions. It is desirable that, ultimately, most discussion topics come from the mentors and protégés.

165

e-Community activity: Surveying accessible technology

Send this message to the e-community of protégés and mentors.

Subject:Surveyingaccessibletechnology

Therearemanytypesofassistivetechnologythatallowpeoplewithdisabilitiestousecomputers.Forasummaryofapproaches,consultAccesstoTechnology:AnOnlineTutorialat

http://www.washington.edu/doit/Brochures/Technology/aeit.html

Whatassistivetechnologydoyouuseand/orwouldyouliketouse?

166

Mentor tip: promoting technology

Send this message to the mentors only.

Subject:Mentoringtipsonpromotingtechnology

Thefollowingstatementsaretrue.

•Computerscanhelpstudentsinschool.

•Computerskillscanleadtogoodjobs.

•Computerscanbeusedtosupportpersonalinterestsandsociallife.

•Computerscanhelpyoungpeoplecommunicatewithmentors.

•Increasingnumbersofjobsrequirecomputerskills.

Belowisspecificadvicefromsuccessfulteensandadultswithdisabilitiesaboutencouragingyoungpeoplewithdisabilitiestousecomputers.

•TheInternetisavaluabletool.ParentsandteachersshoulddoeverythingtheycantoprovideaccesstotheInternettotheirstudents/childrenandthenencouragethemtouseit.(collegestudentwhoisblind)

•Iwouldadviseaparentorteachertotellkidsthatcomputersarethefutureandiftheydon’tknowhowtouseonethentheywillgetlostinthedust.(highschoolstudentwithalearningdisability)

•Beingabletouseacomputerisagreatskilltohavetoday.Don’tbeafraidofcomputers!Theywon’tbite.Kidswithdisabilitiesbenefitextremelyfromaccessintheireverydayacademiclives.Itisatoolthat“levelstheplayingfield.”ComputersandtheInternetalsopromotesocialinteractions.(highschoolstudentwithamobilityimpairment)

•Ifyouwanttoencourageakidtouseacomputer,itisveryimportantnottoforcethemtodoit.Everyonelearnsbetterwhentheyarepursuingapersonalinterest.(highschoolstudentwithamobilityimpairment)

•Iwouldencouragestudentstojoindiscussionliststhatcovertopicstheyareinterestedin.(youngpersonwithamobilityimpairment)

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167

Mentor tip: promoting technology (continued)

•(1).Giveyourkidsanearlystartatlearningtechnology.Theyshouldatleastunderstandwordprocessing,email,WorldWideWeb,andevensomespreadsheetsanddatabases.(2).Teachthemawidevarietyofprogramstoincreasetheirchancesofgettingjobs.(3).Givethemtheopportunitiestodointernshipstopracticeusingtechnologyonthejob.(collegestudentwhoisblind)

•Experience,enjoy,andapplytheconceptsgainedineverydaysituations.(physicsprofessorwithamobilityimpairment)

•Parentsandteachersshouldmakesurethatdisabledstudentshaveeasyandfrequentaccesstocomputersandthatstudentsknowhowtousetheirtechnologycomfortablywithoutmuchassistance.DO-ITisgreatforlearninghowtoeffectivelyuseemailandtheInternet—todayI’mstillusingalotofthingsthatIlearnedattheSummerStudies.(collegestudentwhoisdeaf)

•Letthemworkattheirownpace.Iftheyaretotallyforitthefirsttimeyouaskthem,great!However,ifittakesafewtimesofurgingthemtousecomputersatschool,justbepatientwiththem.Theywillcatchonsoonerthanyouexpect.(highschoolstudentwithamobilityimpairment)

•Beforeyouinvestinacomputerforastudent,givehimanopportunitytotryoutdifferenttypesoftechnology.Lethimpickoutthehardwareandsoftwarethatworksbestforhim.Don’tmakefalseassumptions!Justbecauseadeviceworkswellforsomedoesn’tmeanitwillworkforall.Getacompleteideaofwhatthestudentneeds,andusealltheresourcesyouhavetolearnwhatisavailable.Lethimgetrecommendationsfromothersandtryoutdifferentpiecesofequipment.Fromthatpoint,youandthestudentcandecidewhatkindoftechnologyworksbest.(collegestudentwhoisblind)

•EmailrequiresdeafindividualstoreallyfocusondevelopingEnglishskills.Encouragestudentstoalwaysproofreadtheirmessagesbeforesendingthem.Onceyouhitthesendbutton,it’stoolatetogobackandchangesomething.(employeewhoisdeaf)

•Myadvicetostudentswithdisabilitiesandtheirparentsandteachersisthattechnologyisnotanicety;itisanecessity.Getit,learnit,anduseit.(collegestudentwhoisblind)

168

Mentor tip: technology accessSend this message to the mentors only.

Subject:Mentoringtipsontechnologyaccess

Inschool,technologycanhelpleveltheplayingfieldbygivingstudentswithdisabilitiesopportunitiestoperformtasksindependentlyandmaximizeefficiency.Below,peoplewithdisabilitiessharehowcomputertechnologyhashelpedthemachievesuccessinschool.Herearesomeexamplesofhowindividualswithdisabilitiesaccesstechnology.

•Iusewordprocessingprogramstocomposemyassignments,andthespellcheckfeaturetomakemywritingasprofessionalaspossible.I’materriblespeller.(collegestudentwithabraininjury)

•IuseacomputereverydaytocompleteEnglishandhistoryassignments.Iinputthemintoawordprocessorviadictationsoftware.Thisisbecausemyspokengrammarisbetterthanmywrittengrammar.Iamabletofocusmoreonthelearningandideas,insteadofthemethodsandmechanics.(highschoolstudentwithDyslexiaandAttentionDeficitDisorder)

•Iuseacomputerwithaspeechsynthesizer,screenreadersoftware,ascannerandopticalcharacterrecognitionsoftware,aBrailleprinter,Brailletranslatorsoftware,andInternetservices.Thetechnologyhasreallyhelpedmewithmyschooling.Icandomyhomeworkusingawordprocessor;communicatewithmyfamily,teachers,andfriendsusingemail;scanprinteddocumentsusingmyscannerandopticalcharacterrecognitionsoftware;anddoonlineresearchusingtheInternet.(collegestudentwhoisblind)

•ThecomputertechnologyIusehasalargemonitorthatmakesiteasierformetoreadandeditmyworkwhileitisonthescreenandavoidvisualfatigue.Thecomputerhelpsmewriteandeditmypapersforschoolquickly.IcangetinformationfromtheInternetforresearchpapers.(collegestudentwhoisvisuallyimpaired)

•IuseaBraille‘nSpeak™(anelectronicnotetakerwithaBraillekeyboardandspeechoutput),withthediskdriveaccessory.Ialsouseacomputerwithscreenreadersoftware,andaspeechsynthesizer.IusetheBraille‘nSpeak™fortakingnotes,keepingtrackofappointmentsandthingstodo,ascientificcalculator,andanotepadforsmallwritingprojects.Iusethecomputerforwritingreports,readingemail,surfingtheInternet,andputtingthefinishingtouchesontheabovesmallwritingprojects.(collegestudentwhoisblind)

169

Mentor tip: technology and Success in School

Send this message to the mentors only.

Subject:Mentoringtipsontechnologyandsuccessinschool

Studentswithdisabilitiescanusetechnologytohelpthemindependentlyandefficientlycompleteavarietyoftasks.Below,peoplewithdisabilitiessharehowcomputertechnologyhashelpedthemachievesuccessinschool.

•Withcomputertechnology,Iamabletotypemostofmyassignmentsinsteadoftryingtowritethem.I’mleft-handedandmylefthandisconsiderablyweakerthanmyright,makingitdifficultformetowrite.(highschoolstudentwithamobilityimpairment)

•IusetheInternettolookupinformationonvarioussubjects.(highschoolstudentwithapsychologicalimpairment)

•IcantypefasterthanIcanwritepapersforschool.Onthecomputeritisalsoeasiertocorrectanymistakes.(highschoolstudentwithamobilityimpairment)

•IuseacomputereverydaytocompleteEnglishandhistoryassignments.Iinputthemintoawordprocessorviadictationsoftware.Thisisbecausemyspokengrammarisbetterthanmywrittengrammar.Iamabletofocusmoreonthelearningandideas,insteadofthemethodsandmechanics.(highschoolstudentwithDyslexiaandAttentionDeficitDisorder)

•Emailhelpstremendouslywhendoinggroupworkandcommunicatingwithprofessors.(graduatestudentwithahearingimpairment)

•SinceIhaveahearingimpairmentandcannotusearegulartelephone,Idon’tknowwhatIwoulddowithoutemail!EmailishowIcontactprofessorsandtheDisabledStudentServicesofficeatmycollege.Someofmyprofessorshavewebpages,andIusethosealottohelpmewithclasses.Somewebpageshavelectureoutlines/notesforupcominglectures,examdates,samplequestionsfrompreviousyears’exams,andothervaluabletoolstohelpyousucceedinclass.(collegestudentwhoisdeaf)

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Mentor tip: technology and Success in School (continued)

•ElectronicmailallowsmetokeepincontactwithinstructorsifIamabsentfromclass.(highschoolstudentwithalearningdisability)

•Thecomputerisaninvaluabletoolwhenitcomestoresearch.IfIneedtolooksomethingupforatermpaper,Inolongerneedtogotothelibrary;rather,IcanobtaintheinformationviatheInternet.(highschoolstudentwithDyslexiaandAttentionDeficitDisorder)

•TheInternethasbeenveryusefulinmycollegesearch.IthashelpedmefindspecificschoolsthathavetheprogramsI’minterestedin.TheInternethasalsoallowedmetostayincontactwiththedisabilityservicescoordinatorattheschoolI’mplanningtoattend,whichisoutofstate.(highschoolstudentwithalearningdisability)

Asyouinteractwithprotégés,encouragethemtousetechnologyinschoolandsharewiththemtheaddressesofinterestingwebsitesyoufindontheInternet.

171

e-Community activity: Becoming Digital-age Literate

Send this message to the e-community of protégés and mentors. The content is from enGauge 21st Century Skills: Literacy in the Digital Age, a report published in 2003 by North Central Regional Educational Laboratory and the Metiri Group.

Subject:Becomingdigital-ageliterate

AreporttitledenGauge21stCenturySkills:LiteracyintheDigitalAgelistsfoursetsofskillsallpeopleneedtobesuccessfulinthe21stcentury.

•digital-ageliteracy,

•inventivethinking,

•effectivecommunication,and

•highproductivity.

Whatdoyouthinkismeantby“digital-ageliteracy?”Howwillyoumakesureyouhaveit?

172

e-Community activity: Using technology with Young Children

Send this message to the e-community of protégés and mentors.

Subject:Usingtechnologywithyoungchildren

Howwouldyouadviseparents,teachers,orfriendsofachildwithadisabilityaboutthevalueofusingtechnologyandaboutwhatagechildrenwithdisabilitiesshouldbegintousetechnologytomaximizetheircapabilities?

173

e-Community activity: Using technology for Success in School

Send this message to the e-community of protégés and mentors.

Subject:Usingtechnologyforsuccessinschool

Technology—computers,adaptivetechnology,theInternet—canhelpindividualswithdisabilitiesmaximizetheirindependence,productivity,andparticipation.

Describewhatcomputertechnologyyouuseinschoolandwhatyouuseitfor.Whatothertechnology,ifavailable,wouldhelpyouinschool?

174

e-Community activity: Using technology to Complete homework

Send this message to the e-community of protégés and mentors.

Subject:Usingtechnologytocompletehomework

Anexampleofhowahighschoolstudentwasresourcefulinusingtechnologytohelphimcompleteaschoolassignmentoccurredinanelectroniccommunity.Hepostedthefollowingmessagetoalargegroupofpeers:“Hieveryone.ForanassignmentinaclassIamtaking,Ineedtointerviewpeopleontheirdefinitionsoflove.Iwouldappreciateanydefinitionsfromyouformypaper.Thankyou.”Herearesomeoftheresponseshereceived.

•Loveisunconditionalacceptanceofaperson,inspiteofanyphysical,emotional,orspiritualconditionstheymayhave.

•Loveiscaringdeeplyandwithapassion.

•Loveistheonethingthateveryone,insomemanner,wishestogiveandtohavegiventothem.Itisprobablythetopicwhichhasreceived,acrosscultures,themostthoughtandefforttounderstand.Howironicthenthatitisprobablythemostelusiveanddifficultgoalwewillevertrytoattain.

•Loveisthequalityofgivingofone’slifesothatothers’livesmaybebettered—inotherwords,it’sthewaythatweliveasitrelatestohowwegive(peoplejustLOVEthatrhymingstuff).

•Ithasalottodowithgivingandworkingwith,asopposedtoagainst,someone.

•Idon’tthinkthatapersonwhohaslostthecapacitytoloveishumananymore.

•Tokeepyourownthoughtsandideasoutofthewaywhenyouarelisteningtoanotherhumanbeingistheultimateactoflove.Whenyoulove,youfeelfreeandunguardedwiththeotherperson.Butbeforeyoucanlove,youmustfirstrisk.Makeslifekindoftough,doesn’tit?

Describeacreativewayyouhaveusedorcouldusetechnologytohelpyouinschool.

175

e-Community activity: Using technology in Science and engineering

Send this message to the e-community of protégés and mentors.

Subject:Usingtechnologyinscienceandengineering

Technologymakesitpossibleforpeoplewithdisabilitiestoengageinstudiesandcareersthatwereatonetimenotaccessibletothem.Shareexamplesofhowmoderntechnologyhasmadeitpossibleforpeoplewithdisabilitiestopursuethesefields.

176

E-Community Activity: Surfing the Web to Prepare for College

Send this message to the e-community of protégés and mentors.

Subject:Surfingthewebtoprepareforcollege

TheInternetprovidesarichcollectionofresourcestoprepareforcollege.TheAccessCollegewebsitelinkstomanyofthemandprovidesasearchableknowledgebaseoffrequentlyaskedquestions,casestudies,andpromisingpractices.

AccesstheDO-ITwebsiteat

http://www.washington.edu/doit

Select“AccessCollege”andthen“TheStudentLounge”andexploretheresourcesyoufind.

TellthegrouponethingyoulearnedaboutpreparingforcollegeatDO-IT’sAccessCollegewebsite.

177

e-Community activity: Using technology in Your Career

Send this message to the e-community of protégés and mentors.

Subject:Usingtechnologyinyourcareer

Computertechnologyisusedinalmostallcareerfieldstoday.Howwilltechnicalskillshelpyougetandexcelinajobinafieldofinteresttoyou?Howcanyougettheskillsyouneed?

178

e-Community activity: Using technology in Careers

Send this message to the e-community of protégés and mentors.

Subject:Usingtechnologyincareers

Computertechnologycanhelpyouprepareforandsucceedincareers.Thefollowingcommentsdemonstratethevalueofcomputersintheemploymentarena.

•Ihaveacoupleofmentorswhohavehelpedmealongmycareerpath,andtheyhavesavedmefrommakingsomemistakesthattheymade.TheInternetisavaluabletoolinlocatingandcommunicatingwithmentorsinyourcareerarea.(highschoolstudentwithmobilityimpairment)

•Computertechnologyhasreallyhelpedmewithmycareerpreparation.Iuseonlinecommunicationallthetimetolearnaboutjobopportunitiesindifferentareas.Forexample,Icangototheemploymentdepartmentonlineanddownloadinformationabouttechnicalsupportpositionsinmyarea.Icandosomanythingswithonlinecommunicationthatcan’tbedoneoverthephone.IfIgetholdofinformationIwanttotakewithmesomewhere,Icanloaditintoawordprocessor,deleteunnecessarytext,andthentranslatethemessageintoBrailleforaquickreference.(collegestudentwhoisblind)

•Thetechnologyhasreallyhelpedmewithmycareergoals.Ihavehadseveralcomputer-basedinternshipswhilestillincollege.MyexperienceshelpedmedevelopandapplymycomputerskillsandmademedecidetogetadegreeincomputerapplicationssoIcanassistotherswithtechnicalissues.(collegestudentwhoisblind)

•Iuseawordprocessor,onlinecommunications,andotherprograms.TechnologyhashelpedmecompletethreesuccessfulinternshipswhereIusedmyonlineandwordprocessingskillstodomywork.Forexample,IjustcompletedasummerworkexperienceatthepubliclibraryandIdidalotofonlineresearch.Ievengottheopportunitytotrainotherstaffmembersinhowtousespecialtechnology.(collegestudentwhoisblind)

Whatadvicewouldyougivetoparentsandteachersaboutencouragingstudentswithdisabilitiestolearntousecomputersinpreparationfortheircareers?

179

E-Community Activity: Surfing the Web to Prepare for a Career

Send this message to the e-community of protégés and mentors.

Subject:Surfingthewebtoprepareforacareer

TheInternetprovidesarichcollectionofresourcestoprepareforacareer.TheAccessCAREERSwebsitelinkstomanyofthemandprovidesasearchableknowledgebaseoffrequentlyaskedquestions,casestudies,andpromisingpractices.

AccesstheDO-ITwebsiteat

http://www.washington.edu/doit

Select“AccessCAREERS.”

Select“ResourcesforStudents.”

Select“precollegestudents”or“collegestudents,”andexploretheresourcesyoufind.

Select“Searchknowledgebase.”Typeinwordsabouttopicsyouwouldliketolearnmoreaboutinthe“entersearchtext”box.Selectotheritemsifyouwouldliketofocusyoursearch,andthenselect“search.”

TellusonethingyoulearnedaboutpreparingforacareerfromyourexplorationofDO-IT’sAccessCAREERSwebsite.

180

e-Community activity: Using technology to enhance Your Social Life

Send this message to the e-community of protégés and mentors.

Subject:Usingtechnologytoenhanceyoursociallife

Asagraduatestudentwithahearingimpairmentstated,“Ithinkthemostsuccessfulpeoplewithdisabilitiesarethosewhohavedevelopedsocialskillsthatallowthemtointeracteffectivelywithpeoplewhodon’thavedisabilities.Thisincludeseducatingtheirpeersabouttheirdisabilitiesandgettingotherstounderstandthattheyarepeoplefirst.”

TheInternetcanhelpyoucultivatepositivesocialrelationships.Speakingabilityandspeedofcommunicationareunimportantwhencommunicatingviaemail.Spellcheckfeaturesimprovethequalityofwritingforthosewhosedisabilitiesimpactwritingability.

Below,peoplewithdisabilitiesdiscusshowtechnologyhashelpedthemachieveasuccessfulsociallife.Readeachstatementandseehowitappliestoyou.

•Thecomputerhasbecomearealassettomysociallife.Becauseofavoiceimpairment,itissometimesdifficultformetocommunicatewithpeopleinperson.However,withtheadventofelectronicmail,thatisnolongeranissue.Electronicmailallowsmetocommunicatewithfriendswithoutbeinghamperedbymyvoice.Electronicmailalsoallowsmetokeepincontactwithfamilymembersandfriendswholiveoutofstate.(highschoolstudentwithaspeechimpairment)

•Ihavemademany,manyfriendsovertheInternet—morethanIhavein“real”life.ThisincludespeoplewhohavethesameinterestsasmeandwhodothesameworkasIwanttogetinto.(youngpersonwithamobilityimpairment)

•TheInternetallowsmetokeepintouchwithfriendswholivefarawayfromme.Ihavereceivedhelpfrommentorsthroughthe‘Net.Itisalwaysgreattohavecontactwithpeoplewhocanhelpyououtwithaproblemorhelpyoufindwhatyouarelookingfor.(collegestudentwhoisblind)

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e-Community activity: Using technology to enhance Your Social Life (continued)

•Icancommunicatewithmymotherandfatherwithouthavingtopaylong-distancecharges.Ialsouseafinancialprogramtokeeptrackofmycheckingaccountcharges.(adultwithavisualimpairment)

•IamdeafandIcan’thearoverthephone.Ihavetouseaspecialmachineandthencalltheoperator.Ittakesalongtime.WhenIusethecomputertocommunicate,peopledon’tevenknowthatIamdeaf.Ijusttypethewords.Ilikethat.(highschoolstudentwhoisdeaf)

•Ireceivehelpfromamentorviaemailandspreadsomewisdomofmyown.(collegestudentwithamobilityimpairment)

•Ifindit’sdifficulttomakefriendsbecausepeoplejudgemebeforetheyknowme.I’mquiteshy,buttopeoplewhoactuallyknowme,I’mquitethe‘hyper-hellion.’Ithinkthishasalottodowithmydisability,becauseitjustturnsintoalabelformetowear.Youtrytoexplainyourdisability,whichispartofyou,andallyougetbackissympathy.MakingfriendsontheInternetallowsmetoescapemylabel.(highschoolstudentwithamobilityimpairment)

Howhascomputertechnologysupportedyoursociallifeandhelpedyougiveandreceivehelp?Forexample,haveyoumadefriendsontheInternet?Haveyoureceivedhelpfromafriendormentor?Haveyoubeenamentortosomeoneelse?

182

e-Community activity: Affirming Success with technology

Send this message to the e-community of protégés and mentors.

Subject:Affirmingsuccesswithtechnology

Belowaresomestatementsbysuccessfulyoungpeopleandadultswithdisabilitiesaboutusingtechnology.Readeachstatementandthinkabouthowitappliestoyou.

•Iusetechnologytohelpmewithmyschoolwork.

•Iusetechnologytohelpmeprepareforacareer.

•IusetheInternettomaintainfriendships.

•IusetheInternettocommunicatewithadultswhoprovidemewithusefulinformationand/orcareaboutmepersonally.

Howcouldyoumakebetteruseoftechnologytohelpyousucceedinschooland/orwork?