Special Education Law Blog

Virtual Schooling Needs to Be Adapted for Students with Special Needs

Many of the same obstacles that exist in traditional bricks and mortar classrooms, are carried over to the virtual or e-learning environment. Given tight budgets and other constraints, virtual learning will have greater appeal to school districts,  but it is not a easy fit for many students with special needs. Critical technological, accessibility and curricular issues need to be worked out.  While I am a big proponent of technology, I have not yet found the virtual learning world to be a good fit for my son and many of the students I represent.  The following blog post is review of some of the current research and issues that pertain to virtual learning.

Brain Interface Controlling Computers

While I am not ready to start implanting electrodes into my brain to speed up my slow typing or to assist my son's computer interface, technology is advancing that would make brain-based control of the computer a reality. Here is a current article on new advances in brain interface control of the computer.

Apple Highlighting Disability Apps

Apple is spotlighting the increasing number of apps meant for  individuals with special needs with a featured special education section in its App Store. The section titled “Special Education” launched late last week and includes 72 applications for the iPhone and 13 applications for the iPad in 10 categories ranging from communication to emotional development and life skills, according to Trudy Muller, an Apple spokeswoman.

These apps can be used on all Apple products including the iPad which is increasingly being used in the school setting. These applications in conjunction with the devices themselves increase student's abilities to communicate and access the curriculum and make the meaningful progress intended by IDEA. 

Location App to Keep Students Safe and Sound

AbleLink Technologies today announced the release of Community Sidekick, an innovative iPhone application designed for individuals with special needs who wish to provide automated location updates to friends and family members as they travel in the community. Sidekick can provide travelers that sense of security that comes from knowing "someone is watching over you," as well as peace of mind to their caregivers.

 

New Application for Apple Products Tries to Protect Students from Sexting

This fall Apple started to develop a technology that could help prevent sexting . This technology would allow parents to block incoming or outgoing texts containing certain words. Considering the recent incidents of sexting in the news, this would allow parents to put up one more line of defense against sexting. 

 

The Virtual Future of Special Education

The world continues to get smaller thanks to technology and the special education world is no exception. From specialists using video conferencing to touch base with clients to students using technology to express themselves, the possibilities seem to be endless.

 Recently in Washington, a school district used technology to discuss a student with selective mutism. The insight and knowledge that school personnel was able to attain would not have been possible without the technological advances. Students can also get evaluated and even receive therapy virtually. The growing access to early diagnoses and intervention will help students all over the county.

 These advances can also provide access to education for students who are unable to attend school due to health issues or other reasons. One of the most widely used practices of videoconferencing for special needs students is connecting students from remote locations to the classroom.

 

New I-Phone Application, IEP Checklist, A Great Tool for Parents by Nicole T. Jorwic

Going into an IEP meeting can be an intimidating thing for any parent, even when they have an attorney or advocate in their corner. Feeling that you are on a level playing field with the school could provide peace of mind.  The new I-phone application, the IEP checklist, would provide that peace of mind. The application was created by the Parent Educational Advocacy Training Center, a Virginia center that’s part of a national network of special education parent information and training centers funded by the Department of Education. This new app is so cool and should justify the purchase of an I-phone, if just for the look on the school personnel and their attorneys faces.

This application allows you to look up everything from notification time requirements, to scientifically-based research, and it leads you to a brief description and lists the section of the IDEA that addresses each issue. This is a great tool to balance the powers between the school districts and families. The application allows you to take notes under each section to keep your thoughts organized. You can also save your notes in the application in order to refer back to them at another time or at the next IEP meeting.  Next we need a goal writing app and apps for literature that applies to your child's/client's disability.  School districts that would take advantage of unsuspecting parents have been fairly warned that parents are now fully loaded with the law for their next meeting.

Live Binder of AT Resources

Among the things you can never have enough of is information and resources on AT. Here is a great resource in a format called Live Binder , that until now I was unaware of and could be a great modality for classrooms and other settings.

AT Intake Form Provides Good Guidance

I was recently at an IEP meeting where the main topic was AT or Assistive Technology. The district is part of an educational cooperative in the Chicago area (LADSE). While the district has lots to learn about AT the intake form is a useful, albeit general, guidance for the types of technologies that are commonly in use in school districts. Too often when the subject of AT comes up I get a lot of blank stares or excuses based upon lack of educational relevance. This form could be one basis to educate school personnel about the types of AT in use, and rebut the latter ill-informed justification. Here is the form in pdf format Download 2755_0001

Robotic "Skin" Is a Significant Advance Towards Artifical Eyes and Assitive Robots

One of the things that up to now has held back robots is the ability to have a pressure sensitive "skin" which feels and moves more naturally. A team of Tokyo University researchers has revealed a break through in material science; a rubber material that conducts electricity which would potentially allow for the development of robotic "skin." This new material is described:

"Another possible use being discussed is in robot development. The material would allow for robots to be much more responsive and life-like because their entire surface could have sensors since the electrical power source is everywhere. The day when robots match humans is even closer, as this material could be the "skin" of the robot human since it can be maneuvered to do virtually everything our skin does when it reacts with our surroundings. It seems quite surreal and perhaps scary, but we are closer to an "I, Robot" type world than some of us think."

Perhaps a nearer term application of this new material science is the development of a functional artificial eye according to researchers. I believe in the foreseeable future that many motor tasks which create significant obstacles for  individuals with disabilities can and will be remediated with the use of robots or robotic components, if not Rosie from the Jetsons.