Assistive Technology

 

1. Interview Questions and Answers

• What types of assistive technology are there for the inclusive education?

           Assertive tools are basically categorized as low tech and high tech.

•   What is low tech assistive tool and what are some of the examples?

           Low teach are the assistive technology that is simple enough where it can be made using the                    local  resources for instance reading stand and pen holder.

• What is high tech assistive technology and what are some of the examples?

           High tech assistive technology is the intense and expensive form of technology for instance-                   controlled wheel chair, iPad and computer.  

•  Which type of assistive technology is used more?

          Low tech is mostly used than high tech.

• Why is high tech assistive technology not used commonly?

        The core reason is because high tech assistive technology is expensive that is why it is not easy to            purchase it. With that we also lack specialist who have a good knowledge on operating such                    high- tech assistive technology.

• Do you think assistive technology is applicable in every school?

          Application is limited because the obstacle is in applying theory into practical.

• If assistive technology is expensive, then how can I as an educator help the special needs children?

         You can use alternatives such as integrating low tech assistive technology and incorporate some               improvisation to cover the gap of high-tech assistive technology.

• What are some of the assistive technologies used here?

          Stress ball

          Fidget spinner

          Picture communication file

          Reading stand

           Arm Glider

          Writing Stand 

• What new changes should be introduced to improve the inclusive education?

        We need some specialist who can train teachers in inclusive education. It would be grate if we                 also  have all the assistive technology particularly high tech to cater the needs of special children.

• What plans are there in the future to take inclusive education in the next level?

        A new project will be launched to start a diploma for teacher assistance who can help a teacher in the classroom to assist the teacher in monitoring activities and supporting the special needs.

2. What are some of the challenges faced in teaching special needs children.

The main challenge is the shortage of teacher due to which the special needs children do not get the intended support in education. With that the admission of the special needs children is quite difficult as they need extra support and attention. Special children should have a caregiver and they need different facilities that are not always available in most of the school.  Moreover, most of the teachers are not trained in the inclusive education so without a good experience they also face difficulty in catering the special needs children. Even if there are facilities and teacher, emotionally it is hard to convince them the normality of their disability as they are given more preference than the other students which makes them feel different and insecure. 

                                        Assistive Technology available in Rinpung

Classroom Schedule                                                              Weather Board 

Reading and writing stand 

Arm Glider 

 Stress Ball 

Multi-colored cube 

Fidget Spinner 

The lives of children with special needs can be significantly improved by assistive technology, especially in terms of their academic progress. Although the majority of assistive technology is currently unavailable due to its high cost, there are low-tech and no-tech options that educators can use to help students with disabilities learn. I believe that educators can significantly improve inclusive education if they receive specialized training in working with students with special needs and are given the tools and skills to use assistive technology effectively. If there is an issue with the availability of this assistive technology, we can improvise a solution.