Technology is a great tool for many students; however, some students do not have the physical abilities to utilize helpful equipment such as computers. Assistive technology helps these students to achieve independence in performing tasks such as using a computer without the constant monitoring and assistance of another person. Teachers need to be aware of students who might need assistive technology in the classroom. In order to truly “mainstream” a disabled student in a classroom, lesson plans need to be revised to include opportunities for disabled students to be successful participants. Some important features of a revised lesson plan that includes such opportunities are pairing up disabled students with other participants in the classroom to assist in activities and other assignments. In addition, teachers should incorporate the use of assistive technology in the classroom if resources allow. When preparing a lesson plan, the teacher should never have to isolate the disabled student(s) from the rest of the class. Instead, the lesson plan should benefit both the disabled student and other students. Some ways a revised lesson plan can benefit both students is by allowing more time to have assignments completed. I believe many students would appreciate the idea of more time to have assignments completed.
Revised lesson plans or activities vary from regular lesson plans in many ways. First of all, teachers should recognize the benefits of partnering up students for group work instead of individual work. With regular lesson plans it is easier for teachers to plan their lessons to accommodate individual assignments and activities. With revised lesson plans accommodating disabled students, teachers will have more opportunities for students to excel in group or partner work.
Teachers can create many different activities that include the use of assistive technology. One example would be for students to complete a learning activity on the computer in pairs or as individuals. The teacher can accommodate the disabled student by having the appropriate technology available, such as an ergonomic keyboard. In addition to physical assistance, teachers can also use age-appropriate software to accommodate disabled students. If I were to have an exceptional student in my class, I would not isolate him from activities that are meant solely for a specific age. Instead, I would have a variety of age-appropriate software available for all of my students in the class.
Lesson plans that are revised to accommodate disabled students are extremely important because not all students learn the same. Teachers should give each student the same opportunity to learn and excel, even though it means revising lesson plans. Even though a teacher may not have a disabled student in the class, the lesson plan should reflect on the different types of learning—audio, visual, spatial, hands-on, and so forth. I think lesson plans that incorporate disable students reflect on the teacher’s passion to make sure each student has the opportunity to learn in a meaningful way. It is not easy to revise a lesson plan to incorporate disabled students because many things have to be considered. However, a teacher who does so realizes the importance of each opportunity the student has to learn.
