Assistive Technology

So, this post as you can see from the heading is all about assistive technology! Assisstive technology is used in many different areas of occupational therapy practice which is why I will be providing you with a definition of what assistive technology actually is and introducing you to a piece of assistive technology that I had the opportunity to play with during a tutorial this semester! Enjoy!

Assistive technology is defined as "any item, piece of equipment, or system, whether acquired commercially, modified, customized, that is commonly used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities" (NOAA, n.d.). This simply means that assistive technology is any equipment that helps individuals with disabilities function better. Some examples of assistive technology that we were introduced to included:

• Adaptive Switches
• IPAD 
• SMART Board 
• Powered Wheelchair
• Photo thing
• Telecommunication Devices

Reference: 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. (n.d.). Glossary of section 508 terms. Retrieved 10th May, 2011 from http://www.cio.noaa.gov/Policy_Programs//508_Glossary.html

SMART Boards are one of many pieces of assistive technology equipment that are being used to help people with disabilites, especially children with physicall disabilities in special needs schools. The SMART Board is an interactive whiteboard. It is a hand-touch screen board that gets connected to a personal computer, laptop or digital projector (ehow). Teachers can display information from their computers onto the screen instead of writing lessons on a whiteboard. They can simply type information into their computers and it will display on the SMART board. Here is a video that demonstrates how SMART boards can be used:

Reference:
Mitchell, S. (n.d.). Information on smart boards. Retrieved 12th May, 2011 from http://www.ehow.com/about_5087930_information-smart-boards.html


In a turtorial this semester I learnt that children with severe physical disabilities can use SMART boards to play games, make music, and do artwork. The board allows them to utilise their body parts (mainly hands) by using the touch screen. The link to the website below is an example of one of the websites that they can use to play games:
http://www.helpkidzlearn.com/early.html 
As you can see from the website a switch can also be used so that others who have less movement or can't actually use the touch screen can still utilise the board. 


SMART Boards range in size depending on the model. To give you an indication though, one of the newer versions of the board the 680 model is 165.7cm wide, 125.7cm high, and 13cm deep (Smart, 2010). The price of SMART boards also vary. They range from about $1,999.00 to $6,000.00. This all depends on how new the model is and the different features that the it has. 


Reference:
Smart. (2010). Specifications. Retrieved 12th May, 2011 from http://www2.smarttech.com/kbdoc/690