Tutorial Eight: Assistive technology

Assistive technology Act (2004) defines assistive technology as "any item, piece of equipment, or product system, wheter acquired commercially, modified, or costumized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities" (cited in Polgar, 2006). Assistive technology basically refers to objects in which their purpose is to enable individuals with disabilities to perform a or many tasks. 

One piece of assistive technology employed during my first placement in a school setting was a SMART Board. If you think about an iPad, well it is very similar but on a bigger scale. The main difference is that the SMART Board is separated from its engine. It relies on a computer to work. The SMART Board comes with a software program called Notebook. Together, they provide a multi-sensory learning experience. The SMART Board (SB) 600 series, more specifically the SB640 has a touch surface of 97.5 cm × 73 cm and a size of 106.7 cm × 81.3 cm × 13 cm. This model  cost approximately 999 US dollars and that does not include the mobile floor stand or the speakers (SMART Technologies, 2012). During my placement, I realised that it gave opportunities to students with fine motor difficulties or speech difficulties to actively take part into the class activities. This assistive technology strongly relates to occupational justice as it is a resource required to enable occupational participation that satisfy the users (Christiansen & Townsend, 2010).

Here is a video of the SMART Board 640.

Here is a video from SMART technology

Christiansen, C. H., & Tonwsend, E. A. (2010). Introduction to occupation: the art and science of living (2^nd ed.). New Jersey, USA: Pearson Education Inc.

Polgar, J.M. (2006). Assistive technology as an enabler to occupation: What's old is new again. Canadian  Journal of Occupational Therapy, 73(4), 199-205. Retrieved from ProQuest database.

SMART Technologies. (2012). SMART Board interactive whiteboards. Retrieved May 16, 2012, from: http://smarttech.com/us/