Messenger - Vol. 1, No. 3, Page 11 Spring 1992 Technology revolutionizes special education The age of technology is empowering those with disabilities. Machines now can read books aloud, and textured or vocal computer keyboards are available for individuals who are visually impaired. Portable devices can prompt the memory of persons who are severally mentally retarded. Wheel chairs can be steered by whatever part of the body is able to move, including the tongue. And computer keyboards can be directed by laser-like lights attached to the ear, by an eyebrow switch or by blowing through a straw. New inventions, which are constantly being refined, are increasing the independence and employability of people with physical handicaps, mental retardation, autism, learning disabilities or speech and language impairments, according to Al Cavalier, associate professor of educational studies and director of the Center for Assistive and Instructional Technology. The center is jointly supported by the College of Education and the University's Instructional Technology Center. However, along with the new technology and the trend to include all students with disabilities in the regular classroom, has come a heightened need to train teachers and other professionals, many of whom received their degrees before this technology was available, Cavalier says. The College of Education is answering this need. With a three-year, $195,000 grant from the U.S Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs, the college offers 10 stipends a year to teachers who work toward a master's degree in special education technology. The teachers learn how to assess a student's needs, how to match and use new technology with students with disabilities and how to teach and integrate exceptional children into the regular classroom. Before completing their degrees, they also obtain practical experience in the schools. Placing children with special needs into regular classrooms was not an option in the past. Teachers were ill-equipped to interact with students with disabilities, so the problem was "solved" by exclusion, rather than inclusion. In 1975, landmark federal legislation was passed, mandating that all children receive a "free and appropriate public education." At first, the legislation was interpreted to mean segregated facilities for children with special needs, but a contemporary interpretation includes these children in regular classrooms whenever possible. Technological advances have made this a viable option for many students, Cavalier says. Technology has changed education overall, not only for children with disabilities but for everyone, Cavalier says. For example, interactive videodiscs add new dimensions to classroom teaching. An extensive reference collection is housed in the college's center, including journal articles, reports, books in an on-line catalog, educational software and videodiscs. Available for use by undergraduate and graduate students, faculty and staff, these resources also aid research on educational technology issues. "Everyone in the classroom profits from appropriate use of the new technology, but for students with disabilities, computers have provided cognitive, physical and social access that would otherwise not be possible. With technology and skilled professionals, productive lives for people with disabilities begin in the classroom and continue in the workplace and beyond," Cavalier says. -Sue Swyers Moncure