1.5 Implication of the Above for Inclusion

1.5 Implication of the Above for Inclusion

In today’s society of informational instant gratification, people have begun to gain knowledge through the internet, television, and other types of media. It has become apparent that society as a whole is changing the way it gathers and stores information. Although some still gain their information through newspapers and books, many have shifted to more easily accessible forms of data gathering. One area where technology has caused a large shift is in the field of education.

With the number of students inundated with smartphones, students are one touch away from the internet, music, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube videos. This increase has become quite a challenge for educators to keep up with various forms of media that are interesting to students while still allowing the transmission of non-watered-down material. With new educational technologies such as Smart Boards becoming an everyday staple of the classroom, it has become imperative that educators not only possess this new technology but, more importantly, be able to navigate through and manipulate this technology to best meet the needs of their students. If teachers are not feeling prepared for this task, educational administrators need to ensure the success of all teachers, both young and old, and provide them with professional development opportunities. ChanLin (2007) states, “There is a consensus among educators and various social communities that current educational practices need to prepare students to thrive in an ever-changing technological society.”

This means that in order for students to be successful in a global economy based on growing informational technologies, it has become more and more important for students to have exposure to various media types.

Today's Technological Efforts for Persons with Disabilities (PwD)

• Government and Non-Governmental Organizations funded by MSJ&E

  • NIMH developed software packages for children with mental retardation:

    • a) Literacy

    • b) Numeracy

    • c) Number skills

    • d) My country

    • e) Living and non-living things

    • f) Health and safety

    • g) Community utilization

• National Association for the Blind

  • Screen reader software in different Indian languages

  • PC support for Windows environment

• Media Lab Asia

  • National Disability Register, Online courses by RCI and RCI Studio

  • ICT-based Punarjjani: Assessment and Analysis for PwMR

  • Sanyog: A multilingual augmentative and alternative communication system.

    • Construct simple sentences by selecting icons.

  • SmartCane: Bus identification system based on wireless communication technology such as route number and bus stop.

  • Shruti: A computer-aided text-to-speech and text-to-Braille system (Hindi and Bangla)

    • Available for Windows

• DAISY (Digital Accessible Information System)

  • A world where people with print disabilities have equal access to information and knowledge, without delay and additional expense.

  • DAISY Books with >18 languages

  • Braille in DAISY

  • Synchronized text and audio, multimedia reading experience (completely accessible).

• Yahoo India Accessibility Lab (Web accessibility)

• BarrierBreak Technology
  (A firm that provides solutions for PwD and distributor)