My students live in a rural South Carolina community, where local support is abundant but services and resources for people who have disabilities is limited. They receive instruction in functional life skills, including communication skills, social skills, and employability skills.
When I asked my students what they think makes them special, I loved their responses and thought they could express it best: "Everybody has different things to say" and "We do different things in school, like geocaching and packing [food] bags for the middle schools".
Our community has one high school, which is bursting at around 2,000 students. Our school prides itself on it's inclusive spirit across classes, athletics, clubs, and general school life. I focus my students' instruction on increasing their independence to participate in all areas of life. I want them to dream big and pursue those dreams, so I try to give them the tools they need to do it!
My Project
Our school district is very fortunate to have one-to-one technology for our students, meaning each student in the elementary and middle schools has an iPad and each high school student has a MacBook to use at school and home to complete school work. My high school students have been approved to keep iPads, which allows them to use technology with greater independence.
Students in my class use their iPads throughout the school day to complete academic work, communicate using augmentative communication systems, and take photos of their work to share with each other, their teachers, and their families.
Many of my students have some fine motor skill deficits and show more success when using a stylus to type or make selections on the iPad's touchscreen. I only have a few styluses that are shared among students. I would like each student to have their own stylus as they utilize the iPad for activities throughout the day. Most of my students are easily distracted by sounds in the classroom and need to wear headphones or earbuds when completing independent work on the iPad so they don't disturb classmates and can focus their attention more fully on their work. I want to be able to provide these technology accoutrements for each student in my class so they can have the tools they need to be successful and more independent with their iPad use across the school day.
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