Assistive Tech: assistive technology is a personalized approach to education, which can help individuals overcome barriers in the environment & those that they encounter along their journey of education. The author states continuously that it is to be used for students with disabilities, which I will speak to furthermore shortly.
Universal Design for Learning: UDL has a more broad goal in mind; to attack the education system from a curricular level, in order to make it accessible for all. This way, it wouldn't have to be adapted to each individual student that has a disability. It would anticipate the potential needs ahead of time. It brings to mind a cartoon that was discussed in our Introduction to Disability Studies class (below). In it, it shows a gentleman shoveling steps to get into a school, rather than shoveling the ramp, which would make it accessible to all. We should approach education in a manner that makes it accessible for all students equally, right from the start, rather than reacting to the circumstances as we encounter them.
The authors perspectives on AT make it seem as though it is only needed for those diagnosed with either a physical or learning disability. However, if we are to look at a classroom from a truly UDL perspective, I believe we should be anticipating that all students, diagnosed disability or not, may at some point require AT to further their learning process.Overall, this was a very helpful article in defining what AT and UDL are, and how they can work together in schools to provide the best learning experiences for all students.
Hi Chris, the comic you have included in your blog today is such a great representation of UDL! A specific adaptation made for a student with a diagnosed disability in class may also be a great strategy to use for the rest of the class. Sometimes adaptions are really just good teaching practices.
ReplyDeleteYour comic also reminded me of the classic comic titled "Climb That Tree", where for a fair selection every animal (a bird, a chimpanzee, a penguin, an elephant, a fish, a seal and a dog) is given the same exam...climbing a tree.
(link of comic- http://scholasticadministrator.typepad.com/thisweekineducation/2012/08/cartoons-climb-that-tree.html#.V1HaKSurHMo)
As we discussed before, being fair does not always mean treating everyone the same. Just like in the UDL model, if design our curriculum for a broad range of learners rather just everyone getting the same thing, they will be more successful at "climbing that tree or "getting into the school more quickly after shoveling the ramp as oppose to the steps".