Technology for All Students

The sound of a screeching yet mournful electric guitar raced out of the radio at me. A few more notes and I was sure--Neil Young. I thought I had tuned into "Fresh Air" on National Public Radio, and as I checked the setting for the station, I heard the uniquely nasal tones of Young being traded with the soft and smooth tones of the radio show's host, Terry Gross. The topic was Young's movie Greendale. However, the conversation soon turned to the work Neil and his wife, Pegi, do with The Bridge School (www.bridgeschool.org), which specializes in kids with severe speech and physical impairments. The Bridge School uses augmentative and alternative means of communication and assistive technology applications to help these kids communicate. The Youngs' connection was that their two boys attended the school, and they saw it as a tremendous help to them. As is often the case with the parents of children with disabilities, Neil and Pegi became highly involved with the school. For example, Pegi serves on the board, while Neil organizes and participates in fundraisers for the school. What better illustration of this month's theme: "Technology for All Students." I hasten to add that all students--those with disabilities and those living in disadvantaged situations--need high-quality, well-paid teachers along with the technology. But teachers are typically not the problem for these students. My former assistant superintendent used to say that teachers of students with special needs tend to do a better job thinking about individual students and how to help them succeed. This is partially due to the student-teacher ratio, partially due to training, and partially due to state--and especially federal--requirements. The White House recently released a report, "New Freedom Initiative: The 2004 Progress Report" (online at www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/newfreedom/toc2004.html), which speaks of the progress that the administration says it has made in removing barriers to assistive technologies and giving people with disabilities full access to all aspects of American life. Few, if any, of these efforts have made it to the schools yet, but the report is important because it comes just months before Congress is set to begin work on reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in the fall. Nearly 7 million children are touched by federal special education services. In addition, some of the most innovative and effective approaches in education have come from special education, including gifted education. The Individualized Education Plan (IEP) is often touted as a model that should be used for all students, especially as technology becomes more available to help teachers track each plan. IDEA requires every student with a disability to receive an assistive technology assessment. Therefore, it may be time to look more carefully at the exact needs of students and what they will be doing with technology in specific classes rather than throwing a laptop at everyone. The needs of children with disabilities especially affect technologies and the companies producing them. For example, states that adopt textbooks and other instructional materials are encouraged to offer them in an accessible format in accordance with the technical standards of Section 508 of the Federal Rehabilitation Act (online at www. …