Some great teachers and a fabulous SLP at one of our middle schools have worked really hard to provide meaningful opportunities for students with disabilities to interact with their non-disabled peers. One of those students, Ty, cannot speak for himself, but his teachers have found a way for him to communicate using a Step by Step sequencer device with pre-recorded voice messages that he activates with a switch when he moves his head. The following video is of Ty giving a speech about his favorite movie, Disney Pixar's UP! Ty's SLP communicated with Ty, his mom, and his teachers to identify his favorite video and some of the things he liked about it. While Ty did not write this speech himself (the SLP did), I absolutely LOVE that he is able to give the speech in front of a class of his peers, following the same format that all of them are expected to use. It is plain to see that he really enjoys the experience, and I'm sure at least some of the students in that class gained a new appreciation for Ty and what he is truly capable of.
That is the power of assistive technology, to give a voice to people who otherwise would not have any. Please check out the video below. I hope you will enjoy it, and it will get you thinking about things you could do in your classroom or home.
Note: if you are unable to view the video in this blog, try clicking this link to view it in a separate page.
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