Session 25 Blog

The Prezi that I listened to taught me several things. Firstly, I learned that the main goal of assistive technology is to facilitate function and engagement for people with disabilities. I also learned that legally assistive technology includes the services that help people with disabilities assess and discover what assistive technology they could benefit from utilizing. In addition to this, I learned that there are three levels of assistive technology low, medium and high. Low tech is the most basic, typically the least expensive and usually easy to use. An example of low tech could be an adaptive spoon. Medium tech is a little more expensive typically and sometimes requires training to use. High tech is commonly the most difficult to use and very often the most expensive. An example of high tech could be an adapted laptop. I also learned about the assistive technology process; beginning by looking at the client’s strengths, weakness and goals; then considering the available resources. Following that, the client should then have the opportunity to try out a variety of assistive technology to see which works the best for them. Ideally the client should be able to try out a minimum of three in the natural setting they would be used in. The final step of the assistive technology is implementing that assistive technology for use. One idea that was reinforced from my existing understanding about assistive technology is that research suggests assistive technology does not typically hinder engagement, but conversely actually assists in a development. 

The TED talk that I watched was very insightful, and I appreciated getting to listen to the perspective of someone with a hearing impairment. The idea that universal design should be talked about more, and not just for the benefit of people with disabilities, but the benefit of all people is an important concept to grasp and may not be something people without disabilities typically think about. Furthermore, I think it’s even more vital to emphasize that creating and providing universal design does not“slow down”people without disabilities, but instead benefits everyone as whole and helps ignite innovation. 

Finally, the Podcast I chose to listen to was titled “Can Occupational Therapy Help with ADHD?” I learned that ADHD and sensory related diagnosis, such as Sensory Processing Disorder, are commonly associated together. One strategy that I learned about was called the sensory diet, which involves people taking “movement breaks” every hour, to hour and half, to help reduce undesired or maladaptive behaviors related to ADHD. I also learned about Dunn Sensory Profile evaluation which indicates four different types of sensory profiles ranging from sensory avoidant to sensory seeking. Because ADHD and sensory are often commonly intertwined, it is beneficial to note that often making minor changes to an individual’s environment can make a big difference!