Techno-literacy, Assistive Technology and Critical Thinking
Assistive Technology Specialists are typically tasked with assessing, designing, educating and implementing assistive technology solutions for students with visual disabilities. The numerous assistive technologies available mean that students and the Assistive Technology Specialist have a multitude of options to help students succeed. Before the student can take full advantage of the benefits of assistive technology, there are several prerequisite skills that must be successfully developed first. These prerequisite skills do not differ too much from those necessary for students without disabilities.
One problem that requires the focus to be on building these skills as a part of the expanded core curriculum is that the student without disabilities is exposed to many clues in the environment; that helps construct meaning from symbols which creates relationships among objects interacted with visually in the environment. This same exposure is minimized or completely absent for the student with a visual disability. Students need to develop an understanding of their environment and how objects in that environment interact. They also need to understand that the student has the ability to cause changes in that environment (inputs) and receive feedback (output) from something in that environment. A good example of this is playing a computer game designed for the completely blind student with audio cues and interacting with the game by pressing a few common keys on the keyboard. The less profound the student's visual disability, the more the feedback from the environment is sufficient and mirrors the environment of the student without the visual disability; although the student with some vision may require support as the perceptions from the environment may not always be clear.
These early skills are similar to the skill development for preliteracy but they are essential in order for the student to possess for the development of techno-literacy. In today's fast-paced technology centric culture, all students who have the capability are required to have access to a curriculum that emphasizes the development of technology proficiency by its inclusion in the classroom. There is a well-established relationship between literacy and success both in higher education and eventual employment. Because of the pervasive nature of technology in our society, mastery of reading and writing is no longer sufficient. A student must also be literate in the use of technology to read, write and communicate ideas.
The student with a visual disability must not only be techno-literate in using technology, rather, to be most successful, should be encouraged to develop critical thinking skills related to their assistive technology needs. In Meryl Alper's article "Promoting emerging new media literacies among young children with blindness and visual impairments" (2012), The argument is made that students with visual disabilities have more options for assistive technologies to enhance their access to digital information, reading, writing and communicating. In order for the student to develop these critical thinking skills, the student must have access and be exposed to a multimodal approach to assistive technologies.
A student without a disability might use high-tech items such as a touch-based tablet, a computer with mouse and keyboard and/or low-tech items such as a sticky pad or pen and paper to achieve tasks. The challenge for the student with a visual disability is to learn how to make rational choices about which assistive technologies will enable them to be most efficient in achieving tasks. The role of the Assistive Technology Specialist is to aid the student in learning to develop critical thinking skills that provide the student the context to ask and answer questions. Which assistive technologies can accomplish the intended task most efficiently? Which features of each specific assistive technology can help me complete this task? Which assistive technology do I prefer for this task and why? How does the assistive technology function? The student needs to recognize through critical thinking when a computer with refreshable Braille display, Braille Notetaker, touch-based tablet with refreshable Braille display, DAISY Digital talking book player, desktop video magnifier, handheld video magnifier, screen reader/screen enlargement or low-tech assistive technologies should be used to complete the task. The student should be encouraged to communicate clearly their need and preferences related to assistive technology, which can only happen after the student has thought critically through their assistive technology options. The student has a more favorable employment outcome if they can clearly explain their need for accommodations and their assistive technology requirements to potential employers. Assistive technologies continue to change and evolve, but a solid foundation of critical thinking skills related to the rational selection of assistive technologies will only continue to be a source of strength and empowerment for the student with a visual disability.
