Using Technology with Disabled Students: It Makes a Difference Essay

Using Technology With Disabled Students: It Makes A Difference
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Using Technology With Disabled Students: It Makes A Difference
Introduction
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines disability as a dynamic, complex, and multidimensional impairment that presents physical and social barriers to an individual's performance in society. It encompasses various circumstances such as blindness or deafness, congenital conditions like spina bifida or cerebral palsy, and severe rheumatoid arthritis or dementia (WHO, 2017). Some disabilities are not prominent and visible to outsiders. However, this impedes the individual from his or her daily functions. The diversity of disability results in different levels of difficulties in everyday life. In most cases, a disability affects an individual's independence.
Due to this, persons with disabilities suffer from inability or difficulty integrating themselves in the community due to impairments, the negative stigma and discrimination, and the environment's inaccessibility. Not all disabilities are permanent, and some can be temporary or situational (Al Shammari, n.d.). Savych et al. (2019) provided an example of a temporary disability such as a broken leg that needs casting for a few months to heal. They will be able to function normally after the given period. Simultaneously, for situational disability, the difficulty in performing daily activities comes from a specific event such as being a new parent or distracted driving. These two types of disability allow restoration. However, persons with a permanent disability must adapt and compensate to survive, live life, and reach their full potential.
Technology refers to any equipment or machinery that is produced using scientific knowledge. It has many definitions, but technology is generally applying science to accomplish practical tasks (Dell, Neutron & Petroff, 2012). This is related to the everyday life of human beings because it makes various daily activities easier. It aids in the aspects of life that need problem-solving skills, and it helps extend the scope of human reach, exploration, and knowledge.
Technology is beneficial to humankind, and it may not be as evident to everyone. Each one of us uses technology (Krisiunas et al., 2020). It is easily associated with machinery pieces in factories or various industries, especially manufacturing and production. It is also involved and made way for scientific explorations in space, deep seas, and earth. But for the typical human beings, examples that are more relatable would be the internet, which is used for long-distance communication, information dissemination through different social media platforms, research, entertainment, etc. Aside from this, Gowlett (2016) and Forrester (2020) assert that more prehistoric technological inventions are tools made up of wood, stones, bones, whatever is available in their environment, and fire discovery. During its time, these discoveries and technological advancements were used to survive prehistoric men, make shelters, hunt for food, and fend themselves from predators present during their time. Technology is connected with humanity because as human beings evolve, so does the technology to provide for the dictated needs and demands of the current generation (Forrester, 2020).
Persons with disabilities are those members of the community. They have varying special needs wherein there is a need to adapt and compensate for functioning as part of the community. There should be an intervention to alter the environment and decrease the performance's difficulty for them to do these. Persons with disabilities also have the fundamental right to access education, just like other society members. According to the United States of America's Department of Education report regarding the condition of schooling last 2018, students with special needs ranging from learning disabilities, physical disabilities, speech or language impairments, or other health concerns are 6.7 million in number. They have an increasing trend each passing academic year (Krau et al., 2017). This calls for a more accessible and adaptive environment for this unique population besides other strategies that would promote a positive experience for students with disabilities. These strategies include awareness, encouraging integration, general education considerations, among others. Technology will also play a major role in the lives of students with disabilities. While there are doubts about the impact of using technology on students with disabilities, I will argue that the benefits and differences in various aspects of the students' lives that technology provides outweigh them, enabling them to do more and be more full potentials.
The Case Against Technology Making A Difference on Disabled Students
In this section, the arguments opposing using technology in students' lives with disabilities will be objectively presented. These arguments mostly consist of concerns regarding cost, safety, and effects on the students' environment and lifestyle.
Safety and Electromagnetic Interference
With the different technologies available that are commonly brought to schools by students, faculty, and visitors, such as cellphones and computers that all have their radio frequencies, technological devices may be hazardous to students' wellbeing. Electromagnetic interference refers to the disturbance made by an external source to the technological device causing electromagnetic induction, electrostatic coupling, or conduction that affects the electrical circuit of the device or equipment (DataForth, n.d.). These disturbances in the circuit can cause the device to malfunction and pose a safety risk to the user and people in the surroundings. Repeated trial-and-error testing is required for the assessment of these technologies. The people around the student with disabilities should also be monitored or ensured to know the technology's different regulations and safety measures. Collaborative efforts of the student's household and the institution are required because technology imposes the need to alter various monitoring and modifications in the environment for it to be integrated, especially with other technological devices around.
The Complexity of the Technological Equipment and Devices
Another concern is the complexity of the equipment and devices, which may hinder instead of promoting learning. Technology, to function properly, needs technical skills and proper knowledge regarding the device to ensure safety and appropriate performance (Awolusi et al., 2018). Proper usage also takes time for the adaptation and training of the student with a disability. Training and education also involve other people who will contact the student to know if certain circumstances need other people's intervention. The complexity also poses an issue with how the parent or guardian will be able to master and monitor the device or equipment that the student with a disability is using, affecting how the child will gain the technology's full potential. Inadequate efforts and training may result in various shortcomings from the assessment phase to the technology's application phase (Dell, Newton, & Petroff, 2012). Self-training and attitude are essential key factors that may present as barriers to technology use in classrooms. Suppose the student can use it in classrooms. In that case, it may cause a distraction to him or her and the other students that are part of the class, which disrupts the teacher's flow of discussion and the whole classroom's focus. These instances are common, often resulting in teachers' rejection or resistance towards the technology and student with a disability. This, in turn, affects the student's performance in the class (Copley, 2004).
Lacks of Space Efficiency
Some technology, especially those physically disabled, requires significant equipment and devices, such as a sip and puff wheelchair and specialized computers. According to the study conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics, there overcrowding in United States schools ("National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)," n.d.). This issue is present and is a problem even in students who can perform simple to complex tasks. But for students with disabilities, this presents more challenges on top of the ones they have daily. Moriña and Perera (2020) argue that the overcrowding and lack of space in the institutions affect technology use for students with disabilities. This kind of setup does not encourage the specialization or personalization that students need, especially for the students with disabilities. Even if students with disabilities are admitted to the institutions, it will not be conducive to learning due to the environment and lack of space to function normally with the adaptive devices. The overcrowding will also cause high levels of stress on the children's moderators and teachers, which will result in the difficulty or inability to attend to the needs of the student with a disability (Moriña & Perera, 2020).
This poses a problem because the student's technology also requires monitoring to ensure the top shape's safety and performance. The lack of space does not enable students with disabilities to study comfortably with assistive technology, affecting the quality of education that they can receive and the child's overall experience. This also becomes an issue for the other students who must adjust to accommodate their needs with a disability. This puts the quality of education that all the students are receiving in jeopardy, not producing any benefit for the people involved.
Lacks Universal Accessibility
The advancements in technology are very modern and have many uses, but this does not have universal accessibility for people to obtain. Not all students with disability are capable of having universal access to the technological advancements which claims to help with the daily activities of these children including education. In a long-term poverty percentage gap presented as part of the annual report of Disability Statistics and Demographics, the number of persons with disability is significantly higher from the span of years that the statistics were observed (Karus et al., 2017). This means that many people with disabilities are classified as under the middle class or experiencing poverty. The living conditions are challenging in this type of status and the disability that the individual has. Given the number of persons with special needs included in this social class, there is an effect on the technology they can access.
Many students with disabilities belong to a big chunk in that specific population, which exposes them to unequal access to technology. Due to poverty, the technology costs pose a difficulty to students with disabilities, including their families and whoever supports them financially. Acquiring technology is not the only time when families spend money because other aspects will require financial attention, such as assessment, maintenance, adjustments, and repair. The financial burden to acquire and use technology for the person with disabilities in their families cannot be handled by most resulting in having no difference due to the lack of access to different social classes and economic standing.
Overdependence on the Device or Equipment
For those students with disabilities who can access and use technology as part of their daily lives, an adverse effect of having it is developing the student's overdependence with a disability on technology. Although technology is beneficial in providing ease in everyday activities at home and at school, this results in further development and growth without technology aid. Instead of promoting growth, these technologies used by students with a disability become barriers and cages that limit their capabilities, defining it based on the things they can do with the technological equipment or device (Simoni, 2020). This is not an appropriate adaptation because it neglects the natural capabilities of an individual. Because of the lack of challenge in aspects of the student's being which was supposed to still develop and become an asset to the student which might help him or her with future situations wherein the technological device cannot be of help. In an educational sense for students with disabilities, it is just the same concept wherein the student's skills. Supposedly assets and strengths will not be developed due to the lack of challenge and practice because of the overdependence on technology. This also affects the child's confidence if they became reliant on the technology, especially at an early age, instead of resulting in the inability to do various tasks, even simple ones without the use of technology, when in fact some of the activities may be done without it. This effect affects the child's overall growth both as an individual and a student when technology is used.
* Limitations of Argument Against Technology Making A Difference on Disabled Students
An observation of the overall argument regarding the opposition in the stand that technology makes a difference in students with disabilities lacks analysis on the cost and benefit of both ideas. The arguments presented were partially true but cannot be generally applied to the whole population of the students with disabilities, which weakens the opposition's whole stand. The opposing group also focused more on the risks and challenges of using technology and integrating it into a school setting instead of seeing the bigger picture, making assumptions prone to biases. A big factor as to why the opposing group's arguments are questionable is that technology is a broad term, as defined earlier in this paper. There are many technical equipment and devices that come in different size and shapes and purpose and manner of usage, making it quite impossible, To describe it in such a general manner and judging it as not being able to make a difference in the students with disability population.
The safety concerns regarding a student with a disability and special needs using technology were raised, especially concerning electromagnetic interference, which affects the electronic circuit and overall performance of the technological device or equipment. Still, there are ways to prevent this scenario. A thorough assessment of the device before use is vital. Another way to specifically address the issue with electromagnetic interference is the use of protected signal lines using twisted wires (DataForth, n.d.). There are also other specific techniques depending on the type of equipment that is being used. Alongside the innovation with technology comes the improvement in its safety features, ensuring the protection of the users and the people and environment in the surroundings, making the benefit of using the technology higher with minimal risk.
Another issue raised by the opposition is the complexity of students' technology with disabilities and the disruptive effect on families and classrooms. Again, as said earlier, the technological advancements used in a school setting vary n operation, size, function, purpose, etc. This means the complexity of these technological devices and equipment differs. There are small and easy technologies, which will help students with disabilities in a classroom setting, such as electronic worksheets and talking calculators (Copley & Ziviani, 2004). This issue can easily be solved with proper training for the student to master using the equipment or device. It is also important to make sure that the student's technology with a disability is appropriate to the needs, condition, and level of cognition to minimize any possible risk and help the student maximize the technology's use to accomplish the activities and carious tasks at school. Aside from the training for the student who will be the technology user, it is also important to have training for the parents or guardians, especially when the student's age is still too young. This is also a good technique to facilitate the cross-checking of knowledge, resulting in more accurate retention and understanding. The institution's involvement where the child belongs is also...