The paper analyses different types of mobility and transportation aides for students with mild disabilities. The research provides information on how these aides help students to succeed academically or functionally. Outline Introduction Discussion New technology to help students Importance of mobility aides Types of mobility devices for students with mild disabilities Mobility aides help students to succeed Conclusion Mobility and Transportation Aides for Students with Mild Disabilities Mobility is fundamental to a students overall development and functioning in education and leisure and is essential to quality of life. Students with mild physical disabilities who have difficulty achieving independent motor control are often deprived of self initiated mobility experiences. Because they lack the necessary movements to engage in and act on their environment, important learning opportunities are also hindered. Restricted experiences and mobility during early childhood can have a diffuse and lasting influence.
New technologies have significantly improved the quality of life for persons with disabilities. Computers, power mobility, augmentative communication devices, and environmental control units have greatly enhanced functional performance, making it possible for students with mild disabilities to participate in roles previously closed to them. Similar to the legislation that supports inclusion, IDEA and other laws encourage states to provide assistive technology to students. These laws have increased the momentum for using assistive devices with children; however, the IDEA mandate is not funded, meaning that local school districts and other sources need to provide the funding for assistive technology. The use of mobility and transportation aides not only requires that the team perform an in-depth evaluation to ensure appropriate recommendations; it also requires that the occupational therapist teach students how to use the aides. (Kameenui) Functional mobility is critical to the childs development and to the family’s ability to be active outside the home. Community participation ranges from the early stages when the child accompanies his or her parents on errands to the time when the child goes out on his or her own.
The Term Paper on Students With Disabilities School Children Violence
Are Children with Special Needs More Likely to Commit School Violence? 1. Denise (Smith) SkarbekDenise (Smith) Skarbek worked as a special education teacher for children with mild disabilities before becoming a professor in the department of special education at Indiana University at South Bend. Her interest in special education led her to research the relationship between children with special ...
A power wheelchair is ordered for a child to maneuver around school and to participate in community outings. This chair gives the child tremendous capabilities at school. Selection of a specific type of a mobility device depends on several factors: the purpose for using the mobility device, the indoor and outdoor environments in which it will be used, the effort required by the individual to use the device, and positioning needs. Mobility device should be optimal to use in functional activities such as eating, transfers, augmentative communication, personal hygiene, and school activities. If a student has upper-extremity function to push and maneuver wheels, a mobile stander may provide another means for mobility. These devices allow the student to experience lower-extremity weight bearing in a standing position. A student achieves mobility using large handheld wheels for self-propulsion.
Support walkers are designed for children who have some ability to move their legs reciprocally but need support at the pelvis, chest, and possibly the upper extremities and head. Successful use of mobility devices depends on the fit of the child, the device, and the physical and social environments. Studies have shown a significant relationship between certain standardized tests of cognition and perception and use of powered mobility. According to tutors, proactive procedures have been adopted by most departments in high schools and colleges to open up opportunities for disabled students. According to one admission tutor a student contacted university: Can I please come to visit your department prior to making an application? asked a prospective student. The tutor and mature student Robert arranged to meet prior to an open day, and the tutor was a little surprised and somewhat embarrassed to find that Robert was a wheelchair user with very limited mobility, something that he had not clearly understood when reading the letter Robert wrote.
Student Achievement Education Spending School
Equality in School Finance In The Story of the Education Dollar, Odden, Monk, Nakib and Picus describe some basic facts about education spending in the United States to facilitate an understanding of the level and uses of the federal government's policies on education funding. The purpose of the authors' discussion is to argue that public education facilities need to change their focus on the ...
Robert relieved the tension obvious in the tutors face by saying, It’s OK, my brain still functions, although sometimes my hands and mouth take some time to catch up, and the two started their conversation in a much easier atmosphere. It was obvious that there was no impairment in this students thinking, although it took a little time for the interviewer to fully understand the occasional word. (Powell) Independent mobility plays a facilitative role in cognitive and social development of a student. Therefore when mobility is severely delayed or restricted, emotional and psychosocial development are affected. Augmentative mobility devices can provide either functional or transitional mobility. These devices can provide students with physical disabilities with greater opportunities to develop and become initiators and active participants in daily occupations and experiences. Occupational therapists emphasize methods of adapting the child’s environments to maximize his or her functional mobility. The occupational therapist is responsible for ensuring that children with physical disabilities receive opportunities for mobility at the earliest age possible to promote participation and development more equal to their able-bodied peers.
Bibliography:
Horne, Marcia D.
Attitudes toward Handicapped Students: Professional, Peer, and Parent Reactions. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1985. Ira, V. Virtual reality and mobility skills. Exceptional Parent, 28, 1997. Kameenui, Edward J. & Chard, David & Lloyd, John Wills. Issues in Educating Students with Disabilities.
Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1997. Powell, Stuart. Special Teaching in Higher Education: Successful Strategies for Access and Inclusion. Kogan Page, 2003..
