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The world isn't as big as it used to be. It's trite and I should be used to it, but I'm still just amazed that I can sit in my home and, with a local phone call communicate with people all over the world. Last issue of Tapping Technology brought an article authored and submitted via the Internet by Dr. Sheri Hunnicutt of the Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden. Now we have an article from Margaret Kleinpeter, a librarian in southern Louisiana. This story, submitted on-line, describes a successful intervention of assistive technology for an older high school student. It's well worth your time, and see if you agree with me that the real key to success was Chad and the team of people working with him.
In many schools, teachers often rely on students to help them with their computer problems. At Jeanerette Senior High, the teachers know that Chad LeBlanc is the one to call. Chad is a nineteen-year-old high school senior from Jeanerette, Louisiana. He has not yet decided whether he will go to college or to vocational school, but he knows he wants to work with computers, especially CAD (Computer-Assisted Drafting). Whichever field he chooses, he has great potential.
Chad did not always attend his home school. Because he has cerebral palsy, he was assigned to special classes for students with orthopedic disabilities. He uses a walker to get from class to class, but he has a wheelchair for traversing extended distances. His speech is difficult to understand although Chad is usually able to get his point across. Handwriting poses the greatest difficulty for him; he has problems even signing his name. Despite his significant motor disabilities, Chad was switched from a self-contained class to a specially designed, regular diploma instruction program.
Chad has always been a problem solver, whether it is figuring out the fastest way to get across a room or lining up a few fellow students to take notes for him. However, he needed a more efficient way to complete his assignments. Chad had the first augmentative communication assessment in Iberia Parish Schools to replace written communication. The augmentative communication team determined that given his skill level and academic interests, he needed a computer -- most likely an IBM compatible -- to do his school work.
A portable computer seemed to be the best choice. However, he had difficulty with the small keyboards. Additionally, as Chad had trouble getting himself and all his materials from class to class, lugging a portable computer around would have posed some logistical problems. Finally, because he was planning to go to college, the team concluded that Chad needed a full-featured word processor. WordPerfect was the original choice, but highly favorable reviews, especially ease of use, for Word for Windows 2.0 persuaded the team to go that route.
Everybody pitched in to successfully implement Chad's new computer -- his resource teacher, Mary Bert-Douglas; other special education teachers; the regular faculty and staff of Jeanerette Senior High; his family and most importantly himself. For instance, the issue of a proper pointing device became a barrier when he first received his computer. A large trackball had seemed to be a good solution, but the augmentative communication team found that it would not work because Chad tended to perseverate and overshoot his target. The issue became moot when he learned to use the mouse that came with the computer.
That problem solved, Chad's own home computer became a bottleneck in his successful computer implementation. Funds for a new computer were solicited through a holiday drive co-sponsored by a local women's club and the local newspaper. Another local group, the Foundation for Assistive Devices, actually purchased the computer. While FAD's primary mission is providing speech devices for children with several speech disorders, the group agreed to provide support for Chad's computer since it was another form of augmentative communication. The foundation continues to hold title to and provide maintenance for computers bought for several students by a variety of local fundraising sources.
Chad has become a 'power-user,' getting the most out of the special features of his computer systems. For example, an occupational therapist was to help him learn how to manipulate the disks for his CD-ROM. In the meantime, Chad developed a device that his brother-in-law fabricated to allow him to insert and receive compact disks. Chad has recently increased the memory on his home computer from 4MB RAM to 8MB and upgraded his Winword to version 6.0. Already, he has learned many of the shortcuts available to him. While Chad does have some adapted devices such as word prediction and a touch screen, the elements that really make the difference in his written communication are the computer itself, a quality mouse and a good word processing program.
Chad's experiences have also benefited many people in the community involved in assisting students with physical challenges, particularly in making adaptive technology decisions. Perhaps if we had initially worked with a student who was less motivated, less able to formulate his own solutions, we might have had more difficulty determining whether something didn't work because it was unworkable or because the solution was not the right one for that student. We have learned that many students with very significant physical challenges can use Windows and Macintosh computer systems with a minimum of special adaptations. Our biggest surprise was the mouse; currently all of our students who can access a keyboard use a mouse.
Chad's example has convinced us of the feasibility of using assistive technology with students with physical challenges. This fall, we will embark on a program to scan in students' learning materials. This will allow students who have difficulty manipulating books, notebooks, etc. to complete their assignments on their computers. We have learned a lot from Chad.
Submitted by Margaret Kleinpeter
Iberia School Board Resource Librarian
Iberia School Board Resource Library
Iberia Parish Career Center
908 Ember Drive
New Iberia, Louisiana 70560
For additional information, please call Margaret Kleinpeter at (318) 367-0875 or via the Internet at MKptr@aol.com. Requests for specific information will be directed to the appropriate persons.
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