Introduction

=Assistive Technology: Learning for Everyone=



Welcome!
Over the course of this webquest, you will meet people with a variety of disabilities and impairments, and you will see how many of them use assistive technologies to perform a variety of communication functions.

Things that many of us take for granted--such as //talking//, //walking//, //seeing//, and //hearing//--are not feasible for some people. But with the right assistive technologies, many people with disabilities and various impairments are able to lead more independent and communicative lives.

You will have the opportunity to explore assistive technology tools as well as experience simulations of what it's like to have a disability and attempt to perform various things such as read a computer monitor when you have a visual disorder such as macular degeneration. You will be asked to select tools to help specific students. You will use this webquest as the springboard into a discussion with your peers on how you would adapt a given lesson for your special needs students.

=Introduction=

Teachers have an awesome responsibility to meet the needs of every student in their class. Today's classrooms are made up of diverse populations, which includes special needs students.



According to Sheryl Burgsthahler, Director of DO-IT, "Even though there's a lot of technology available for people with disabilities, it isn't implemented that much in our school systems today, and there are a lot of reasons for that. One is that people who work with students with disabilities--this could be teachers, lab managers, parents--often aren't aware of the technology that //is// available for them. And, then, technology is not always included in the planning process." = =

This is a real problem in the education system. Administrators aren't planning for assistive technology, and teachers aren't really aware of their options. What do you say start to change this?

Before we get started on the webquest, watch this video. It's a great warm-up to what follows.


 * __Video 1__: Assistive Technology: Enabling Dreams (10 min)**

media type="custom" key="3589668" Video also available at **[|Assistive Technology: Enabling Dreams]**.

When you step into your classroom, will //you// be prepared to meet the educational needs of all your students? The special needs students and their parents will depend on your expertise to ensure their educational needs are being met in your classroom. This webquest will help lay a foundation that will help you make good educational decisions for the special needs students in your classroom.

The Next Step
Now that you are warmed up, go to the next step--the **Task**.

Origin of this Webquest
This webquest is based on the model provided by Dr. Laura Carpenter and Dr. Jackie Manning of Auburn University. Permission was granted to use and modify their webquest for the needs of our class. Thank you, Drs. Carpenter and Manning!

Objectives

 * identify and evaluate assistive technology resouces needed to address students' learning needs
 * make appropriate decisions in planning and using these resources.
 * discuss the various applications of adaptive and assistive technologies,
 * identify federal legislation that supports assistive technology services in Georgia
 * identify local resources and services for special needs students

Directions
Progress through this webquest in the following order:
 * 1) Introduction
 * 2) Task
 * 3) Process (P1 through P7)
 * 4) Evaluation
 * 5) Conclusion

**How Long Will This Take?**
Estimated time for working through P1 to P7 is 3-7 hours. Estimated time for completing the podcast (P8) is 3-6 hours. OVERALL, the estimated time for this is between 6 and 13 hours.

The Plugins You Need to Be Successful
Over the course of this webquest, you will be using a variety of streaming videos and accessing webpages. You may need to have the //Real Player//, //Quicktime//, and the //Adobe Flash// plugins to function properly. Visit the **[|Downloads Page]** provided by our very own **[|DDEC]** to download and install the plugins.

The Next Step
Ready to get started? Proceed to **Introduction**.