I took a day to reflect on 5173 because I wanted to think back on its entirety, not simply the experience with the I Movie assignment.
I had the great fortune of taking Assistive Technology at the same time that I was doing course work for Introduction to Inclusion. The two courses had nothing in common, one was practical and the other theoretical however the opportunity to view Assistive Technology through the lens of the Social Model of Disability was eye opening. I had "gone off" a bit about switches and scanners in an earlier post, they do represent a wonder on their own but I believe their greatest gift is in preparing and teaching us and the user about communication and the opportunities that assistive technology affords society.
There have been non responsive disabled young adults who have been removed from life support because they were considered non communicative, in one case a teen was removed after the effects of a degenerative condition were deemed irreversible. Can you imagine the thoughts going through that young man's mind as the situation was discussed? He had not had the benefit of assistive technology so while he was in school, there was very little effort to include him or teach him methods of communication. Had he had the opportunity afforded by assistive technology, especially AAC ( not ACC!) he may have been able to express himself through Prologue2go or eye gaze technology.
I have been out of the class for 10 years so am out of touch. The simple opportunity to understand what is available and the potential that technology represents is amazing. I will admit to being frequently intimidated by the technology but that did not mean I did not learn about it or learn to appreciate it. The entire field of Inclusive Education is being redefined by Universal Design for Learning and the understanding that individuals are not disabled, the environment that they have been forced to live in is and it is our job to remove the obstacles. It is also our job to see to it that individuals that arrive disabled are given the opportunity to learn. When I was beginning my career I was supportive of Inclusion and tried to make students happy and feel accepted but I viewed them for the disabilities they presented. I did not dare imagine the possibilities that existed for them. Unfortunately I was not alone, lessons or preparation in advance of an ASD student often centered around keeping them safe, stimming and limiting "disruptions" in the class. The concept of receptive language was rarely considered, they were autistic. IN my Language demonstrates the potential that assistive technology provides. For years our only information about ASD was from researchers, there was no first person narrative, the DS 5 still included cognitive function in the definition and not because they can test for it but because the subjects of the test do not respond to the tests, "assumed in competence". Assistive technology and AAC can change that paradigm for entire populations and instead of talking about individuals we get to talk to them.
My other take away was equally positive, if more painful. From my point of view there was a definite schism in class. About four students, including myself lacked the professional or academic experience that the majority of the class had. We had neither worked with the technology or been involved in classes that taught them. In my situation there is simply very few options for students that have completed previous Graduate Studies and choose to do as much of the program as possible "on site".
The response of the majority of the students was unfortunately predictable. I felt as if I were a participant of some sort of social study. As happens in all classes the "haves" grouped into comfortable groups and left the "have nots" to work on their own. I would like to point that on three occasions there were blatant requests for support "peer support", a common strategy in mainstreamed classrooms. On one occasion, early in the class I was first to get an I pad and announced to the class, "does anyone want a partner with an Ipad?"... crickets. On the second Barbara asked to have groups switched up, she actually tried made a comparison to the school situation when she asked, " Do any of you have BFF's that you do not need to work with?" this time there were actual protests to the suggestion that groups could change to be more supportive of learning. Finally there was a conversation, during the class in which Barbara said, " You see John, you underestimate yourself." to which I replied, " I am apparently not the only one Barbara." Now the final was admittedly more passive so I can understand that there was no response however there had been two very clear requests preceding it.
Let's be clear, there had been some help offered in minor functions during class and the I movie assignment saw a change in groups.
I am not complaining, I learned from the course and the partners I did have worked out well I simply wanted to point out what I observed.
As teachers in classrooms and resource situations you will all be frustrated by your student's less than enthusiastic responses in the face of grouping assignments that they may not like. Please remember this the next time you want to throttle a kid for resisting your efforts to "mix up the groups", they generally occur because of social or academic "paradigms". Remember that no one likes to have their comfortable groups challenged however it is important to do, it is an inclusive society.
It was a great learning experience, probably one I needed.
John
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