From: lburns@ucsce.UCSC.EDU (Len Burns)
Newsgroups: misc.handicap
Subject: Adaptive Computer Equipment in the Public Schools
Date: 20 Jan 93 17:04:09 GMT
Reply-To: lburns@ucsce.UCSC.EDU (Len Burns)
Organization: University of California; Santa Cruz
X-Fidonet: Blink Talk Conference
Originator: wtm@sheldev.shel.isc-br.com

Index Number: 27473

     I am a family therapist specializing in problems of youth
between the ages of about 12 and 18 or 20.  Being blind myself
resulting from cancer at a young age, I have made a specialty of
assisting youth with disabilities and there families.  A large
portion of this is usually working with the young person, the
school system and the involved family to support self-
responsibility and independence.  More bluntly, my goal is to
help families to empower rather than handicap their child with a
disability.  I am also a strong supporter of adaptive technology.
Computer access has dramatically impacted my life at work and at
home for a number of years now.  On the side I do a little
consulting for a low fee to assist others in determining and
obtaining the equipment best suited to their needs.  I say all
this to give context to my main reason for posting this.
     I have noticed a pattern regarding the use of adaptive
technology in the public schools particularly regarding students
who are visually impaired locally and I am wondering how wide
spread this is.  The schools have purchased over the last 10
years a quantity of adaptive equipment ranging from Versabrailles
to lap tops to Vista.  I was involved in such a decision with a
local district about a year ago.  I wrote a set of
recommendations for some equipment and emphasized that along with
the equipment it was essential that the person or persons who
would be using it with students be well trained.  I had seen to
many instances of teachers who were in the process of learning to
use say a Versabraille out of the instruction manual while
simultaneously teaching it.  They were all sighted and had little
idea either what a competent user of the equipment could do with
it or the compensatory strategies one learns when using something
day to day.  The result is often a lot of frustration on the part
of the student and teacher alike.  My recommendations went
unheeded and the district now has two Toshiba lap tops being
minimally used.  A tremendous waist of resources and potential.
     Another caveat to this occurs when the student is not
successful with the equipment.  I am currently aware of a
situation in which a young person has been trained on the
Versabraille for about the past 3 years.  To print he attaches it
to an Apple 2E which runs a conversion program and then sends the
output to the printer.  He has been pressured to depend upon this
system to produce school work.  That might not be unreasonable if
the equipment was reliable.  It is not.  A good portion of the
time the system does not print.  It usually takes anywhere from
several days to a couple of weeks to figure out why.  The student
then must rewrite his papers on a Perkins to be overwritten or
typed by some one else.  He is usually blamed for whatever the
problem is with the Versabraille.  He is certainly capable of
manipulation and mischief, but as an experienced user I would not
want to depend on what he is asked to depend upon on a daily
basis.  It seems that the schools have invested a lot of money
and are bound determined to prove that it was worth it.  Would
these teachers dependent upon something this unreliable in their
own professional lives?  I seriously doubt it.  Your thoughts
would be appreciated.  I am currently taking steps toward
addressing this situation within this particular district.  To be
continued.

Len Burns, ADA Advisory Committee member at large for UC Santa Cruz
Internet: lburns@ucsce.ucsc.edu
lburns@clovis.felton.ca.us