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=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 your three students, Joshua, CeCe, and Beth. And the final task is to reflect on assistive technology as it relates to yourself by making and publishing a podcast.

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**.