The Use of an iPad2 as a Leisure Activity for a Student with Multiple Disabilities

Participation in preferred leisure activities is intrinsically motivating and satisfying. Many individuals with and without disabilities enjoy informal leisure activities, such as watching movies, listening to music, shopping, and going out to eat (Dattilo, Estrella, Light, McNaughton, & Seabury, 2008). Sometimes leisure activities are provided to individuals with multiple disabilities without consideration for their preferences. This situation is problematic because preferences are essential to the ability to make choices and include a person's understanding that options exist, a person has certain likes and dislikes, and a person needs to have input about the options (Guess, Benson, & Siegel-Causey, 2008). Agran, Storey, and Krupp (2010) concluded that staff members did not teach the skills needed to make choices because they believed that individuals with multiple disabilities were incapable of doing so. One's quality of life is diminished when control of the environment is taken away (Jessup, Cornell, & Bundy, 2010). Therefore, leisure activities assist in establishing a meaningful quality of life if individuals are in control of their choices and are allowed to express their personal autonomy. Technology has been at the forefront of recent research in the field of multiple disabilities. Individuals with and without disabilities use computers and portable media devices to watch movies, play games, take pictures and videos, socialize with others, and much more. Portable media devices with built-in accessibility features can provide independence to all individuals, but especially those with disabilities, that they may not have experienced previously (Shah, 2011). If an individual has more than one disability, adaptations may be needed (Clark & McDonnell, 2008). In some situations, multiple adaptations may be necessary to make an activity accessible. Kagohara (2011) conducted a study on the use of the iPod Touch to watch videos by students with developmental disabilities that incorporated the use of a task analysis. The components of watching a video included turning on the iPod Touch, unlocking the screen, launching the video application, selecting a video, watching a video, leaving the video application, and turning off the iPod Touch (Kagohara, 2011). Students with developmental disabilities in that study learned the skills necessary to complete the seven steps and were then able to participate actively and independently in the leisure activity of watching videos. Kagohara, Sigafoos, Achmadi, Van der Meer, O'Reilly, and Lancioni (2011) concluded that individuals with disabilities could share a common interest with others by using the iPod Touch to listen to music. They believed that a common interest with others would promote inclusion and ultimately a sense of relatedness and belonging to the community. This is something that most individuals desire; thus, the use of technology can contribute to an improved quality of life (McIntyne, Kraemer, Blacher, & Simmerman, 2004). THE STUDY Purpose The primary purposes of the case study presented here were to determine preferred activities available on an iPad2 for a young woman, Ariel, who had multiple disabilities, teach her the necessary skills to make choices on the iPad2, make modifications if necessary, and then teach Ariel the skills that are necessary for her to participate in the desired activities as independently as possible. Participant and setting Ariel was a 17-year-old 11th-grade Caucasian girl with multiple disabilities. She was diagnosed with Joubert syndrome and retinitis pigmentosa. Ariel was legally blind and an emergent reader of 14-point large print. She was nonverbal and had limitations in her motor skills coupled with a moderate intellectual disability. She was taught how to use the iPad2 in her home by the first author, who is a certified teacher of students with visual impairments, as part of a university practicum course. …