Parental and Teacher Perspectives on Assistive Technology

Abstract

The Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act (IDEA) of 1997 demands that assistive technology be considered for all students with disabilities, yet it is vastly underutilized amongst people with mental retardation (Arc, 1993; Wehmeyer, 1995), learning disabilities (Jeffs, Behrmann, & Bannan-Ritland, 2006; Lewis, 1998; Raskind, Higgins, Slaff, & Shaw, 1998), and infants and toddlers (Dugan, Campbell, & Wilcox, 2006; Wilcox, Guimond, Camhpbell, & Moore, 2006). This underutilization may be depriving these students of important tools that can help them achieve their potential. Why is this happening? To answer that question, I undertook a Grounded Theory study (Strauss and Corbin, 1990) to obtain a detailed description of the perception parents and special education teachers have of assistive technology for students with cognitive disabilities such as, but not limited to, Autism, ADD/ADHD, or FASD. That perception can have a very real impact on the utilization of assistive technology utilization. The results of this study have implications for creating a new emphasis on assistive technology in teacher preparation programs and teacher professional development. Beyond teacher preparation and development, the results of this study also suggest a new framework for how schools fund and support assistive technology in their special education programs.