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Assistive Technology Interview

Jordan S. Rolls

University of Maryland Global Campus

EDTC 625: Hardware and Software in Instructional Development

Dr. Michael Ruffini

June 28, 2022

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Part I:

Interviewee: Susan Amerena, Assistant Principal, Master’s of Special Education and Special

Education Coordinator in our School

Interview Questions:

1. Discuss your educational background and why you chose to work with assistive

technology. Describe a student with a challenging learning disability and how

you supported him/her using assistive technology hardware and/or software.

“I worked in a non-verbal program for elementary-aged students. I received a certification from

James Madison University in autism spectrum disorder, and I worked with a nonverbal

community to establish communication skills through assistive technology. Students learned to

communicate all wants and needs through assistive technology apps. By providing students with

various forms of assistive tech, it would reduce the number of tantrums and outbreaks because

students have learned how to communicate needs. When assessing and assigning assistive

technology, you have to start at the low end and work yourself up. I chose to work with students

with special needs because I have always had an interest in autism spectrum disorder and how it

impacts students so differently. When I received my certification, it was only the beginning and I

learned a lot about autism alone through engagement and the ability to work with students. I

chose the non-verbal community because I had the most interest in helping students with no

ability to communicate and assisting them in gaining those key communication skills.”

2. What assistive technology software do you find most helpful for students with

disabilities? Why? (You may want to ask about your discipline/grade level of

students.)
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“Choice of assistive technology for students is based on their level of need. ProloQuo2go is

designed to help nonverbal users communicate through using symbols, this is the program that I

always preferred. It is very easy and user friendly to younger students on the spectrum. The

software can be customized to fit and support the needs of the child. There are many software

like this one, but I always preferred ProloQuo2Go because of the ability to customize and the

ease of access for students of all ages.”

3. What assistive technology hardware do you find most useful for students with

disabilities? Why? (You may want to ask about your discipline/grade level of

students.)

“Tablets and iPads are most desirable for students with disabilities. They are easy to use and

students can directly touch and write on them with the appropriate utensils. Laptops and

ChromeBooks were always so hard because there are a lot of fine motor skills needed for

students to successfully use them. Tablets can be programmed with assistive touch and all kinds

of gadgets that are meant for students with disabilities to use. There are also a lot more programs

and apps for iPads than there are for laptops.”

4. What are some emerging assistive technologies? How will they help students?

“ProloQuo2Go, TouchChat, Quick Talk AAC, SayIt!, CBoard, LetMe Talk, and SonoFlex are

softwares that allow students to use various types of symbols and patterns to practice and

establish methods of communication. They are mainly used for non-verbal students with autism

spectrum disorder. I am familiar with them all and have used them all at least once, but still

prefer ProloQuo2Go.”
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5. What is the process for teachers of accessing assistive technologies in the school

system?

“Special education coordinators will determine which software and hardware students need

based on their IEP or 504 information after the meetings are conducted. Then, students will be

supplied with the appropriate tools. If the student has an instructional assistant (IA or SEIA), that

IA will help the student use it during instruction time. If the student does not have an IA, it

means that they can confidently use their technology to operate functions during class. The

teacher will have access to the technology that the student uses when they are creating plans,

work, or grading assignments.”

Part II:

When thinking about my elementary general music classroom, I realize that there are

many skills my students must perform on a daily basis. Although we don’t use technology often

(as of right now), many students still come to my room with different forms of assistive

technology and needs that must be met for them to receive a fair education. Since a lot of my

class is focused around singing and performing, I would like to explore ways of utilizing

technology like ProloQuo2Go in a singing environment. I have wondered if resources like that

can be easily transferred from basic communication skills to singing skills. If students with

assistive technology use signs and symbols to communicate, potentially, I could use those same

signs and symbols with the rest of the class when teaching different songs. This would unify the

class as a whole when other students are using the same methods of communication as a student

with this type of assistive technology.

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In this interview, I learned a lot about reaching non-verbal students with autism. In my

school, I don’t have many non-verbal students, but I do have a few and I also teach many

students with autism. Since conducting the interview, I have wondered if using forms of

technology that incorporates signs or symbols as a method of communication would benefit all

of my students. I then realized that all music is composed of different signs and symbols, and I

have been teaching that the entire time. Of course, music educators teach music as another

language, meaning that students have to understand the meanings of the terminology before

using it to communicate, but is there a way that we can use music in place of those signs and

symbols non-verbal students are using on their assistive technology software? In my classroom,

for this upcoming year, I would like to try and approach a grade level as sort of a “test” to see if I

can teach music with only the terminology. If I explicitly use musical notation to educate my

students and by sight, they can perform or demonstrate what that notation means, this could

potentially take the place of the assistive technology students may be using in my classroom and

could be entirely music-based. This may require the creation of charts, diagrams, and

supplemental materials, but I would like to try this method and see how my students respond.

Rather than teaching through only software, I might be able to reach all of my students through

the same methods just by altering my delivery methods.