Technology and Communication Impairments

The assistive technology made for hearing and communication disorders today is outstanding. When thinking of the strategies I was going to use for students with receptive language difficulties, I began to realize that I didn't know much about the options for technology aids out there for students with these needs. However, upon reading the articles I realized that there are all types of assistive technology ranging from people with severe needs or simple impairments.

I found it interesting to read about HATS (Hearing Assistive Technology Systems); that they could be used for people without hearing aids or cochlear implants. This opened my mind to realize that hearing impairments aren't always so extreme but that they can be minor and are still just as important and impairing. HATS help with students who have trouble hearing from a distance, which most people have trouble hearing from far away anyways let alone a student with hearing loss. Also, background noise was another interesting perspective. Turning up the sound system to a particular decible to help the signal-to-noise ratio seems like a simple and extremely helpful use of technology. Lastly, the acoustics of the room. I had never considered how the sound echoed and bounced of the walls of different surfaces or how that would affect the way that I heard and understood it, but of course that is relevant and alters the way a person with an impairment hears what is being said.

On the other side, are devices that are created for people with hearing, speech, and language disorders. There are ALD's (Assistive Learning Devices), to help people with hearing aids and cochlear implants to amplify the sounds that they want to hear and drown out background noise. There are also AAC's (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) devices, which help people who have speech impairments to be able to facilitate a conversation through a computer program or picture board.

All of these devices should be used in a classroom where there is a student with needs,whether it be minor or more extreme. Using and incorporating this technology is the only fair way to ensure every student is being given an equal chance at success.