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I Can Soar Video: Stacey
Tags:I Can Soar Video
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Stacey, an active and energetic girl in the sixth grade, was diagnosed with an educationally significant hearing loss when she was seven years old. Stacey was identified with hearing loss through a screening provided by the school district and was subsequently referred to her pediatrician and an ear, nose, and throat specialist for confirmation. While Stacey’s doctors attended to her medical needs related to the hearing loss, specialists at her school were able to step in and provide the necessary hearing amplification that enabled her to participate in school and gain access to the general education curriculum along with her classmates. Stacey is fortunate to live in a school district with a strong system of support for students with disabilities. In addition to personnel with specialized expertise in a range of disabilities and instructional methods, the county employs an Integrated Technology Services (ITS) team that handles requests for assistive technology. Any teacher who feels that assistive technology could benefit either an individual student or an entire classroom can make a referral to the ITS. The ITS consists of over a dozen staff with expertise in the use of assistive technology to improve outcomes for students with disabilities and is available to provide assistance with the selection of appropriate tools, training in the use of tools, and ongoing consultative support and assistance for teachers, students, and staff, as necessary. With ITS support as well as the help of service providers with expertise in a range of disabilities, Stacey’s school district has been able to build capacity to help all service providers who work with Stacey to understand and meet her needs. When Stacey began using the FM amplification system shown in the video, she, her teachers, and her parents benefited from the capacity described above. A district audiologist and deaf/hard-of-hearing itinerant teacher came to Stacey’s school and conducted training with everyone who worked with Stacey. They provided hands-on demonstrations of the FM system as well as explanations about Stacey’s hearing loss and how it affected her ability to access the general education curriculum. They also sat down with Stacey’s parents and helped them understand the challenges that Stacey faces as well as what they could do to help her overcome some of those challenges.
Focusing on supporting student learning
"It increases their productivity. There are a lot of students who are very capable on the computer. Some students don’t have that great skill. They’re not very quick on the computer but.this gives them the opportunity to practice and get quicker.. Stacey has been able to write more and for a longer period of time.. She has a difficult time with writing paper and pencil but when given. [the wordprocessing device] she can type and type and type." Erin Woodward, Special Education Teacher The team-based approach that characterizes the resources available for Stacey reflects a commitment to supporting stakeholder collaboration. In order for the assistive technology to be most effective in helping to improve Stacey’s life, her parents, her teachers, and everyone who works with her must be involved in its implementation. Providing support for Stacey’s use of assistive technology is an ongoing process. As she has grown older, the nature of her hearing loss and her learning needs change, so the assistive technology she uses in school needs to change as well. The team of staff who work with Stacey conduct frequent evaluations in order to monitor the impact that the assistive technology has on her learning. For example, Stacey’s audiologist and hearing itinerant teacher routinely conduct formal and informal "functional listening assessments" to determine the ways in which her hearing loss is affecting her ability to receive instruction and engage in classroom activities. As her educational needs change, Stacey’s teachers and support staff adjust the assistive technology as necessary. Stacey’s hearing loss has had an impact on her language development and literacy skills, which is one reason why her special education teacher has provided her with a portable word-processing device that helps her with spelling and assists her in maintaining focus during lengthy writing tasks. The most important aspect of monitoring is to maintain focus on the student’s learning in order to ensure that the assistive technology is helping Stacey accomplish her educational goals. The specialists who work with Stacey know that one of the biggest barriers to implementing assistive technology in classrooms is resistance from users. As she explained in the video, Stacey herself has shown some resistance to the FM system. As she has grown older, she has also grown self-conscious about having to wear the device and worries about making friends and fitting in with her classmates. After discussing these worries with her, Stacey’s audiologist, hearing itinerant teacher, and guidance counselor came up with some strategies in order to help Stacey and her classmates reduce their fear of and become more comfortable with the technology. One way in which they have addressed these concerns is by directly involving Stacey in peer education. Stacey was given the opportunity to get together with five or six classmates at a time, show them her FM system, and explain what it means and how it works. With the support of her teacher, Stacey met with small groups like this about ten times. This strategy helped to build her confidence and reduce her feelings of embarrassment and discomfort, as well as the discomfort and hesitation of her peers. Since then, her comfort level has increased to the point where she felt comfortable addressing the entire class, as a whole, together with her hearing itinerant teacher. Because of the supportive environment that surrounds Stacey and the commitment and teamwork of all who work with her, Stacey has been able to experience remarkable benefits from the assistive technology that she uses in school. Her ability to pay attention, maintain focus, and follow directions has improved greatly; consequently, her academic achievement has as well. And with the help of her teachers and other support staff, Stacey has been able to overcome her resistance to the technology and build a confidence that has enabled her to make friends and develop positive social relationships with all of her peers.
