Adaptive and assistive technologies, Part II - Reflective Post #13

This week's reading continues with the topic of adaptive and assistive technologies. The article Emerging Technologies and Their Impact on Disability, written by Paul Wise, discusses the technologies that prevent disabilities and ones that provide therapy to those who do. Wise uses the definition of disability, proposed by Neal Halfon, in the article which is described as, "an environmentally contextualized health-related limitation in a child’s existing or emergent capacity to perform developmentally appropriate activities and participate, as desired, in society."

In the introduction Wise uses technological advancements to make the reader question their perceived ideas of a disability. Wise states that, "a changing technological environment can dramatically alter the functional impact of any given disability." He then describes how the invention of the telephone enhanced society's ability to communicate. However, since it was a hearing related activity it made deafness a more debilitating disability. Wise also uses these examples of technology overcoming human limits:

"Automobiles address human inability to move quickly over long distances; telephones address their inability to communicate with their voice over long distances; typewriters and their successors compensate for poor and slow penmanship."

Wise then discusses the difference between, and examples of preventive and therapeutic technologies. Preventive technologies are developed to reduce opportunities for serious injuries to occur that could be disabling or fatal.

Preventive technologies are technical improvements. Wise describes these improvements could be, "in the physical environment of children, including housing, automobile travel, pedestrian and water safety, medication and poison packaging, and playground design." Some of these preventions are mandated by law. An example that was used in the article is a child car seat. Children must meet age, height and weight requirements however a lot of the risk and responsibility lies on the parents or guardians of the child. Parents must have the financial access to purchase a car seat and enforce the use of the car seat and/or window locks to ensure the child's safety.

Therapeutic technologies are more along the lines of assistive technology. Examples mentioned by Wise are eyeglasses, hearing aids, mobility aids, and prescription medication. These technologies, as Wise describes, "can improve daily functioning primarily through enhancing activity levels and participation in normal activities." As with preventive technology, individuals who could benefit from therapeutic devices must have access to financial resources--medical insurance, Medicare, Medicaid, etc.--to acquire necessary equipment. Wise also adds that the adoption phase also comes into play. As with most technology, adoption is a large part of the lifecycle of therapeutic devices. Early adopters are likely to invest larger amounts of resources to be the first to acquire the technology but run the risk of limitations/issues with first generation technology. Majority adopters are more likely to invest once bugs have been worked out of the system and/or prices begin to level while laggards invest once the technology has been proven successful, prices drop on these devices or the technology/method may even become outdated.

Questions to consider

1. Wise notes that, "all technology attempts to address some deficiency in human capacity or in the human condition." How does this idea affect your perception of disability as well as your own abilities, if at all?
   
   When I think of disabilities in this sense, it makes me rethink my perception of what a disability is and the various limitations I encounter. I now see that stereotypes begin to fade and notice that all human beings have some sort of limitation however some limitations are more debilitating.
   
2. Wise describes a debate between technical innovation and the social determinants of health.
   
   "For those who elevate social causation as a focus for public response, the utility of a health indicator like the child mortality rate lies in its capacity to reflect the human impact of larger societal forces. In this sense, child mortality acts as a kind of social mirror, serving as a stark, ultimate expression of deep, often complex social influences. For those who embrace clinical or technical strategies, on the other hand, the very purpose of technical intervention in a setting of material deprivation is to uncouple poverty from its implications for health. Here, the intent is to use technical capacity not to alleviate poverty but to reduce or eliminate its power to alter health outcomes. In this manner, the goal of technical intervention is to eradicate child mortality’s linkage to social causation; the ultimate goal is to create equity in child mortality regardless of the scale of persistent social stratification."
   
   What side of the debate do you find yourself on after reading this article?
   
   I find myself siding with social causation because it returns to the idea of technological equity. Those without the financial means to invest in these technologies are the ones who may suffer the most.
   
   Do you think social causes (like poverty) or technical causes (like lack of proper sanitation) are more at fault for preventable disabilities?
   
   I believe these topics go hand in hand. To use the provided examples, if someone lives in poverty they are unlikely to have the resources to afford proper sanitation. Ultimately poverty becomes at fault due to lack of financial resources.
   
   What, as educators, should we be focusing on to help our students with disabilities?
   
   Students with disabilities may require assistance. As educators, we must strive to help those with disabilities overcome their physical limitations. If students fall behind, or don't receive the assistance they need, we may be putting them at a greater disadvantage in the future. Unfortunately there is a connection between poverty and lack of education. If students continue down a path leading them away from acquiring knowledge or skills, poverty becomes a serious risk.
   
3. In the conclusion, Wise uses the phrase, "transforming human capability and disability" with regard to technology. Using evidence from this article and your own teaching/personal experience, explore if and/or how technology does this.
   
   In my personal experience, technology does transform human capabilities which we could label as disabilities. Society would be less efficient or at least function at a much slower pace without the advancements in technology we take for granted. As Wise pointed out, "virtually all technologies attempt to address some deficiency in human capacity or in the human condition." Vehicles allow us to travel distances in a matter of hours where it would take days to complete and (tele/cell/smart)phones allow us to quickly communicate regardless of distance. Today's smartphones even allow the blind to communicate, Stevie Wonder can text thanks to his iPhone. Technology changes the world we live in and empowers those who taken advantage of its capabilities.