AT MODULE 4

Part 1—Making a slight variation in order to incorporate a timely event that occurred in my school district. The mayor, along with police chief, moved around the municipal building in wheelchairs as part of the “accessibility tour,” organized by a disability advocate and the New Jersey metro chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. The men found difficulties with the task, even though the building was compliant with all proper accommodations. As a result of the “tour,” the mayor would like to form a township advisory committee to improve mobility within the town. Full story:

http://www.mycentraljersey.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009910140337

Part 2-- Disabilities awareness quiz
In taking the disabilities awareness quiz, I did very well on the sections pertaining to correct language and recognizing the employment myths. In the personal interactions portion, what I deemed to be correct in order to not offend was actually inaccurate---for example, offering your left hand to a person who puts out their left hand or at what point to offer assistance. I liked the discussion elements provided by the activity that explains the reasoning behind the answers.

Part 3-- Positive and negative aspects observed on the sites.

There is an independent living center in the same town as my school district. Their mission and message is clear although their website could use some more readily available information in terms of education, information and support. As stated within the website, “The Alliance for Disabled in Action (ADA), Inc. is a private not-for-profit Center for Independent Living, located in Edison, New Jersey USA and serves the counties of Union, Middlesex and Somerset. A Center for Independent Living (CIL) is not a place where people with disabilities live; it is a dynamic membership organization run by people with disabilities for people with disabilities. The Alliance provides information & referral, peer support, advocacy and Independent Living Skill training to people with all disabilities of all ages to increase their independence in all aspects of integrated community life. We respond to their families, businesses, and governments to enable them to better meet the needs of people with disabilities. We educate and influence our community in pursuit of full inclusion”.

The local ATA community site was extremely informative. It fulfilled its goal while creating a manageable site. It was FULL of readily available information. For example, according to its site, specifically “TECHConnection, seeks to redefine human potential by making assistive technology devices a regular part of the lives of people with disabilities. It strives to accomplish this goal by providing easy access to the assistive technologies, related services, and information resources that enable people to achieve success, independence, productivity, and social interdependence according to their individual needs and interests”.


Part 4—5 websites relating to assistive technology that proved to be useful are:

1. http://www.disability.gov/education/assistive_technology
Connecting the disability community to information and opportunities

2. http://www.pluk.org/AT1.html
Family guide to assistive technology prepared by PLUK, Parents, Let's Unite for Kids and in cooperation with The Federation for Children with Special Needs

3. http://www.ataccess.org/default.html
The Alliance for Technology Access (ATA) is a growing national and international network of technology resource centers, community-based organizations, agencies, individuals, and companies.

4. http://www.kidstogether.org/at.htm
Kids Together, Inc—Information and resources for children and adults with disabilities.

5. http://atto.buffalo.edu/ http://atto.buffalo.edu/registered/ATBasics.php
The Assistive Technology Training Online Project (ATTO) provides information on AT applications that help students with disabilities learn in elementary classrooms.