What Should We Expect of Assistive Technology?

Technology in Action

“…Abandonment-students discontinuing their use of an assistive technology-can be related to a variety of factors, including concerns about potential stigmatization when, for example, a student stands out as different or peers are not using the tool (Parette & McMahan, 2002;Parette & Scherer, 2004); as well as insufficient training for the student, teacher, or family members (Riemer-Riess & Wacker, 2000). By rethinking technology, the need for intensive training can be decreased due to users' and their parents' and teachers' familiarity and comfort with devices-such as MP3 players, cell phones, and educational toys-that may be used outside of school.…”

Students with Special Education Needs in Canada and Their Use off Assistive Technology during the Transition to Secondary School

“…It is especially important to understand the connection between the child, the home, and the school, since the source of the success or failure that children have in school is often located in one or more of these places (Pianta & Walsh, 1998). Additionally, Parette and McMahan (2002) call for sensitivity to family goals when determining AT for the child; therefore, the child, the parents, and elementary (Kindergarten to Grade 8) and secondary school (Grades 9 to 12) staff were interviewed. These interviews allowed us multiple perspectives of AT at this crucial time of transition.…”

Benefits and Barriers: Incorporating Assistive Technology in an Inclusive Setting for Primary School Students with Learning Disabilities in Language Arts

“…Presently, there are many students with learning disabilities in schools across America, and the achievement gap remains an important issue for these students, since there is pressure on them to satisfy the demands of the general education curriculum (Parette & McMahan, 2002). Stress of performing is particularly real for those learners transitioning into secondary levels where curricular objectives are enhanced to satisfy the expectations of high stakes testing.…”

“…Learners with learning disabilities are more likely to face challenges in the area of spelling, punctuation, margin creation, and spacing. On the same point, Parette and McMahan (2002) attested that word processing provides clear and consistent text on the screen, and offer spelling review, as well as, a limited grammar review. In their study, Passey et al (2004) compared learner products, some with and some without word processing, and their results revealed that learners using word processing generated writings, which reflected limited spelling errors, in addition to, better organization.…”

“…Further, these instructors were not conversant with using devices and were not aware of the other assistive technology within the educational community. As for K-12 level teachers, Parette and McMahan (2002) in their study discovered that instructors who had 40 hours or more learning in assistive technology, 70% contended that assistive technology was a vital part of their daily routine. While 74% of the instructors with no training disagreed that, assistive technology was an integral component of their classroom routine.…”