Disabled Bodies and Able Minds Demonstrated More

¶ … Disabled Bodies and Able Minds demonstrated more information to the reader about the DO-IT legislation to the reader, though it did not describe it in detail it demonstrated applications. The work also developed the idea that assistive technology has expanded in its capacities in the same manner as all other technology. Lastly the work was a great reminder of just how creative those with disabilities and their parents and other advocates have to be to develop ways for individuals to communicate and participate more fully in the experience of school, and therefore life.

The most important information in this article is associated with the fact that schools are obligated to aide disabled children in ways that would seem sometimes extreme. Especially with regard to communication, and it is likely that the expense is relatively great given the specialization required. The article also does a great job making sure the reader is aware that allowing these individuals to communicate and function as fully contributing members of their community is extremely valuable and groundbreaking. Few people are likely to be aware that children with extreme physical disabilities are as mentally and psychologically capable of communication as they actually are given that historically they have had no voice and this article illuminates that very well.

C. This article should impact teaching by demonstrating the nature of physical disabilities as demonstrative of physical rather than mental or psychological disabilities and should allow education advocates visible proof of the need to advocate fully for children with special needs, especially with regard to assistive devices. Technology awareness is essential to this proof as is the demonstration of the pedagogy associated with individualized the teaching and cooperative balance with care givers that must be in place to assist with the special communication needs of individuals.

D. This work demonstrates a great application of the TPCK model, as the educator must have technical knowledge of that which is possible and available (as well as an eye for innovation), the pedagogy necessary to demonstrate advocacy for that which is possible from these special needs individuals, and finally the teacher must also have the content knowledge associated with both the ability and the possibilities that assistive technology might demonstrate for the individual and most importantly they all must work together in a continuum of overlapping knowledge. For example the development of the assistive communication device for Adrian the seven-year-old that communicates with an assistive device controlled by his eyebrows. The teacher notes that it took three years to discover the area of his body that allowed the physical control needed to run the device (personal and individualized pedagogy) coupled with knowledge of the technology great enough to describe and advocate for trial and error application and content knowledge that drove the development of the communication tool, i.e. what was needed for Adrian to signal and cue so as to better communicate with his educators and peers. All these bits of knowledge worked together in a continuum to demonstrate an effective tool that can grow with Adrian as he needs it to.