chapter nine - university of washington...163 use technology as an empowering tool. chapter nine...
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163
Use technology as an empowering tool.
Chapter NiNe
Being technologically competent can provide an avenue to academic and career success. Computer technology is one of the most powerful tools available to individuals with disabilities. Technology, including computers, adaptive technology and the Internet, can help maximize independence, productivity, and participation. It can lead to the highest levels of success—personal, social, academic, and professional. As reported by successful individuals with disabilities:
•Thecomputerhelpsmeorganizemythoughts.Icanreadandmakeimprovementswithease.IcancheckallofmypapersforspellingerrorsbeforeIsendthem.IamareallyBADspeller.(highschoolstudentwithalearningdisability)
•Iuseacombinationofapalmtopnotetakercomputerandadesktopcomputertowrite.WithoutthemI’dbelost.(collegestudentwithmobility/healthimpairments)
•WithoutcomputersortheNetIwouldnotbedoingmanythingsthatI’mdoingtoday.Forinstance,IaminvolvedinawritingforumontheNetthatletswriterstalkaboutwritingandsharetheirpiecesofliteraturewitheachother.SinceIwanttobeawriterthishasbeenVERYhelpful.(highschoolstudentwithDyslexiaandAttentionDeficitDisorder)
•Oneofmytwoorthreebestfriends—maybebestnexttomywife—andImetontheInternet,andwearenotonlyfriendsbutcloseworkingcolleagues.(professorwhoisblind)
And new products are developed every year. As pointed out by a college student who is blind:
•FormeIlookforwardtothefuturewithoptimismbecauseIlongfortheadvancementsthathumanitywillmakeinthefieldsoftechnology.Everyyearmoreandmoretechnologyisdevelopedandmarketedthatcanhelpmakelifeeasierforpeoplewithvisualimpairments.
Do what you can with what you have, where you are.— Theodore Roosevelt —
164
e-Mentoring
In the following online activities, young people learn about the roles technology has played in the success of people with disabilities and about how they can use technology to achieve their own success. By the end of this chapter, they will learn how computer technology can help them:
n pursue recreational activities.n make and maintain friendships.n communicate with mentors.n learn and enhance academic
performance.n achieve high levels of independence and
productivity.n develop skills that will lead to success in
employment.n pursue careers in fields that might
otherwise be inaccessible.
The e-mentoring administrator can select appropriate messages from the following examples and send the Mentor Tip messages to the mentors only and the E-Community Activity messages to the entire online mentoring community. Use these examples to stimulate other ideas for online discussions. It is desirable that, ultimately, most discussion topics come from the mentors and protégés.
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e-Community activity: Surveying accessible technology
Send this message to the e-community of protégés and mentors.
Subject:Surveyingaccessibletechnology
Therearemanytypesofassistivetechnologythatallowpeoplewithdisabilitiestousecomputers.Forasummaryofapproaches,consultAccesstoTechnology:AnOnlineTutorialat
http://www.washington.edu/doit/Brochures/Technology/aeit.html
Whatassistivetechnologydoyouuseand/orwouldyouliketouse?
166
Mentor tip: promoting technology
Send this message to the mentors only.
Subject:Mentoringtipsonpromotingtechnology
Thefollowingstatementsaretrue.
•Computerscanhelpstudentsinschool.
•Computerskillscanleadtogoodjobs.
•Computerscanbeusedtosupportpersonalinterestsandsociallife.
•Computerscanhelpyoungpeoplecommunicatewithmentors.
•Increasingnumbersofjobsrequirecomputerskills.
Belowisspecificadvicefromsuccessfulteensandadultswithdisabilitiesaboutencouragingyoungpeoplewithdisabilitiestousecomputers.
•TheInternetisavaluabletool.ParentsandteachersshoulddoeverythingtheycantoprovideaccesstotheInternettotheirstudents/childrenandthenencouragethemtouseit.(collegestudentwhoisblind)
•Iwouldadviseaparentorteachertotellkidsthatcomputersarethefutureandiftheydon’tknowhowtouseonethentheywillgetlostinthedust.(highschoolstudentwithalearningdisability)
•Beingabletouseacomputerisagreatskilltohavetoday.Don’tbeafraidofcomputers!Theywon’tbite.Kidswithdisabilitiesbenefitextremelyfromaccessintheireverydayacademiclives.Itisatoolthat“levelstheplayingfield.”ComputersandtheInternetalsopromotesocialinteractions.(highschoolstudentwithamobilityimpairment)
•Ifyouwanttoencourageakidtouseacomputer,itisveryimportantnottoforcethemtodoit.Everyonelearnsbetterwhentheyarepursuingapersonalinterest.(highschoolstudentwithamobilityimpairment)
•Iwouldencouragestudentstojoindiscussionliststhatcovertopicstheyareinterestedin.(youngpersonwithamobilityimpairment)
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Mentor tip: promoting technology (continued)
•(1).Giveyourkidsanearlystartatlearningtechnology.Theyshouldatleastunderstandwordprocessing,email,WorldWideWeb,andevensomespreadsheetsanddatabases.(2).Teachthemawidevarietyofprogramstoincreasetheirchancesofgettingjobs.(3).Givethemtheopportunitiestodointernshipstopracticeusingtechnologyonthejob.(collegestudentwhoisblind)
•Experience,enjoy,andapplytheconceptsgainedineverydaysituations.(physicsprofessorwithamobilityimpairment)
•Parentsandteachersshouldmakesurethatdisabledstudentshaveeasyandfrequentaccesstocomputersandthatstudentsknowhowtousetheirtechnologycomfortablywithoutmuchassistance.DO-ITisgreatforlearninghowtoeffectivelyuseemailandtheInternet—todayI’mstillusingalotofthingsthatIlearnedattheSummerStudies.(collegestudentwhoisdeaf)
•Letthemworkattheirownpace.Iftheyaretotallyforitthefirsttimeyouaskthem,great!However,ifittakesafewtimesofurgingthemtousecomputersatschool,justbepatientwiththem.Theywillcatchonsoonerthanyouexpect.(highschoolstudentwithamobilityimpairment)
•Beforeyouinvestinacomputerforastudent,givehimanopportunitytotryoutdifferenttypesoftechnology.Lethimpickoutthehardwareandsoftwarethatworksbestforhim.Don’tmakefalseassumptions!Justbecauseadeviceworkswellforsomedoesn’tmeanitwillworkforall.Getacompleteideaofwhatthestudentneeds,andusealltheresourcesyouhavetolearnwhatisavailable.Lethimgetrecommendationsfromothersandtryoutdifferentpiecesofequipment.Fromthatpoint,youandthestudentcandecidewhatkindoftechnologyworksbest.(collegestudentwhoisblind)
•EmailrequiresdeafindividualstoreallyfocusondevelopingEnglishskills.Encouragestudentstoalwaysproofreadtheirmessagesbeforesendingthem.Onceyouhitthesendbutton,it’stoolatetogobackandchangesomething.(employeewhoisdeaf)
•Myadvicetostudentswithdisabilitiesandtheirparentsandteachersisthattechnologyisnotanicety;itisanecessity.Getit,learnit,anduseit.(collegestudentwhoisblind)
168
Mentor tip: technology accessSend this message to the mentors only.
Subject:Mentoringtipsontechnologyaccess
Inschool,technologycanhelpleveltheplayingfieldbygivingstudentswithdisabilitiesopportunitiestoperformtasksindependentlyandmaximizeefficiency.Below,peoplewithdisabilitiessharehowcomputertechnologyhashelpedthemachievesuccessinschool.Herearesomeexamplesofhowindividualswithdisabilitiesaccesstechnology.
•Iusewordprocessingprogramstocomposemyassignments,andthespellcheckfeaturetomakemywritingasprofessionalaspossible.I’materriblespeller.(collegestudentwithabraininjury)
•IuseacomputereverydaytocompleteEnglishandhistoryassignments.Iinputthemintoawordprocessorviadictationsoftware.Thisisbecausemyspokengrammarisbetterthanmywrittengrammar.Iamabletofocusmoreonthelearningandideas,insteadofthemethodsandmechanics.(highschoolstudentwithDyslexiaandAttentionDeficitDisorder)
•Iuseacomputerwithaspeechsynthesizer,screenreadersoftware,ascannerandopticalcharacterrecognitionsoftware,aBrailleprinter,Brailletranslatorsoftware,andInternetservices.Thetechnologyhasreallyhelpedmewithmyschooling.Icandomyhomeworkusingawordprocessor;communicatewithmyfamily,teachers,andfriendsusingemail;scanprinteddocumentsusingmyscannerandopticalcharacterrecognitionsoftware;anddoonlineresearchusingtheInternet.(collegestudentwhoisblind)
•ThecomputertechnologyIusehasalargemonitorthatmakesiteasierformetoreadandeditmyworkwhileitisonthescreenandavoidvisualfatigue.Thecomputerhelpsmewriteandeditmypapersforschoolquickly.IcangetinformationfromtheInternetforresearchpapers.(collegestudentwhoisvisuallyimpaired)
•IuseaBraille‘nSpeak™(anelectronicnotetakerwithaBraillekeyboardandspeechoutput),withthediskdriveaccessory.Ialsouseacomputerwithscreenreadersoftware,andaspeechsynthesizer.IusetheBraille‘nSpeak™fortakingnotes,keepingtrackofappointmentsandthingstodo,ascientificcalculator,andanotepadforsmallwritingprojects.Iusethecomputerforwritingreports,readingemail,surfingtheInternet,andputtingthefinishingtouchesontheabovesmallwritingprojects.(collegestudentwhoisblind)
169
Mentor tip: technology and Success in School
Send this message to the mentors only.
Subject:Mentoringtipsontechnologyandsuccessinschool
Studentswithdisabilitiescanusetechnologytohelpthemindependentlyandefficientlycompleteavarietyoftasks.Below,peoplewithdisabilitiessharehowcomputertechnologyhashelpedthemachievesuccessinschool.
•Withcomputertechnology,Iamabletotypemostofmyassignmentsinsteadoftryingtowritethem.I’mleft-handedandmylefthandisconsiderablyweakerthanmyright,makingitdifficultformetowrite.(highschoolstudentwithamobilityimpairment)
•IusetheInternettolookupinformationonvarioussubjects.(highschoolstudentwithapsychologicalimpairment)
•IcantypefasterthanIcanwritepapersforschool.Onthecomputeritisalsoeasiertocorrectanymistakes.(highschoolstudentwithamobilityimpairment)
•IuseacomputereverydaytocompleteEnglishandhistoryassignments.Iinputthemintoawordprocessorviadictationsoftware.Thisisbecausemyspokengrammarisbetterthanmywrittengrammar.Iamabletofocusmoreonthelearningandideas,insteadofthemethodsandmechanics.(highschoolstudentwithDyslexiaandAttentionDeficitDisorder)
•Emailhelpstremendouslywhendoinggroupworkandcommunicatingwithprofessors.(graduatestudentwithahearingimpairment)
•SinceIhaveahearingimpairmentandcannotusearegulartelephone,Idon’tknowwhatIwoulddowithoutemail!EmailishowIcontactprofessorsandtheDisabledStudentServicesofficeatmycollege.Someofmyprofessorshavewebpages,andIusethosealottohelpmewithclasses.Somewebpageshavelectureoutlines/notesforupcominglectures,examdates,samplequestionsfrompreviousyears’exams,andothervaluabletoolstohelpyousucceedinclass.(collegestudentwhoisdeaf)
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Mentor tip: technology and Success in School (continued)
•ElectronicmailallowsmetokeepincontactwithinstructorsifIamabsentfromclass.(highschoolstudentwithalearningdisability)
•Thecomputerisaninvaluabletoolwhenitcomestoresearch.IfIneedtolooksomethingupforatermpaper,Inolongerneedtogotothelibrary;rather,IcanobtaintheinformationviatheInternet.(highschoolstudentwithDyslexiaandAttentionDeficitDisorder)
•TheInternethasbeenveryusefulinmycollegesearch.IthashelpedmefindspecificschoolsthathavetheprogramsI’minterestedin.TheInternethasalsoallowedmetostayincontactwiththedisabilityservicescoordinatorattheschoolI’mplanningtoattend,whichisoutofstate.(highschoolstudentwithalearningdisability)
Asyouinteractwithprotégés,encouragethemtousetechnologyinschoolandsharewiththemtheaddressesofinterestingwebsitesyoufindontheInternet.
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e-Community activity: Becoming Digital-age Literate
Send this message to the e-community of protégés and mentors. The content is from enGauge 21st Century Skills: Literacy in the Digital Age, a report published in 2003 by North Central Regional Educational Laboratory and the Metiri Group.
Subject:Becomingdigital-ageliterate
AreporttitledenGauge21stCenturySkills:LiteracyintheDigitalAgelistsfoursetsofskillsallpeopleneedtobesuccessfulinthe21stcentury.
•digital-ageliteracy,
•inventivethinking,
•effectivecommunication,and
•highproductivity.
Whatdoyouthinkismeantby“digital-ageliteracy?”Howwillyoumakesureyouhaveit?
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e-Community activity: Using technology with Young Children
Send this message to the e-community of protégés and mentors.
Subject:Usingtechnologywithyoungchildren
Howwouldyouadviseparents,teachers,orfriendsofachildwithadisabilityaboutthevalueofusingtechnologyandaboutwhatagechildrenwithdisabilitiesshouldbegintousetechnologytomaximizetheircapabilities?
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e-Community activity: Using technology for Success in School
Send this message to the e-community of protégés and mentors.
Subject:Usingtechnologyforsuccessinschool
Technology—computers,adaptivetechnology,theInternet—canhelpindividualswithdisabilitiesmaximizetheirindependence,productivity,andparticipation.
Describewhatcomputertechnologyyouuseinschoolandwhatyouuseitfor.Whatothertechnology,ifavailable,wouldhelpyouinschool?
174
e-Community activity: Using technology to Complete homework
Send this message to the e-community of protégés and mentors.
Subject:Usingtechnologytocompletehomework
Anexampleofhowahighschoolstudentwasresourcefulinusingtechnologytohelphimcompleteaschoolassignmentoccurredinanelectroniccommunity.Hepostedthefollowingmessagetoalargegroupofpeers:“Hieveryone.ForanassignmentinaclassIamtaking,Ineedtointerviewpeopleontheirdefinitionsoflove.Iwouldappreciateanydefinitionsfromyouformypaper.Thankyou.”Herearesomeoftheresponseshereceived.
•Loveisunconditionalacceptanceofaperson,inspiteofanyphysical,emotional,orspiritualconditionstheymayhave.
•Loveiscaringdeeplyandwithapassion.
•Loveistheonethingthateveryone,insomemanner,wishestogiveandtohavegiventothem.Itisprobablythetopicwhichhasreceived,acrosscultures,themostthoughtandefforttounderstand.Howironicthenthatitisprobablythemostelusiveanddifficultgoalwewillevertrytoattain.
•Loveisthequalityofgivingofone’slifesothatothers’livesmaybebettered—inotherwords,it’sthewaythatweliveasitrelatestohowwegive(peoplejustLOVEthatrhymingstuff).
•Ithasalottodowithgivingandworkingwith,asopposedtoagainst,someone.
•Idon’tthinkthatapersonwhohaslostthecapacitytoloveishumananymore.
•Tokeepyourownthoughtsandideasoutofthewaywhenyouarelisteningtoanotherhumanbeingistheultimateactoflove.Whenyoulove,youfeelfreeandunguardedwiththeotherperson.Butbeforeyoucanlove,youmustfirstrisk.Makeslifekindoftough,doesn’tit?
Describeacreativewayyouhaveusedorcouldusetechnologytohelpyouinschool.
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e-Community activity: Using technology in Science and engineering
Send this message to the e-community of protégés and mentors.
Subject:Usingtechnologyinscienceandengineering
Technologymakesitpossibleforpeoplewithdisabilitiestoengageinstudiesandcareersthatwereatonetimenotaccessibletothem.Shareexamplesofhowmoderntechnologyhasmadeitpossibleforpeoplewithdisabilitiestopursuethesefields.
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E-Community Activity: Surfing the Web to Prepare for College
Send this message to the e-community of protégés and mentors.
Subject:Surfingthewebtoprepareforcollege
TheInternetprovidesarichcollectionofresourcestoprepareforcollege.TheAccessCollegewebsitelinkstomanyofthemandprovidesasearchableknowledgebaseoffrequentlyaskedquestions,casestudies,andpromisingpractices.
AccesstheDO-ITwebsiteat
http://www.washington.edu/doit
Select“AccessCollege”andthen“TheStudentLounge”andexploretheresourcesyoufind.
TellthegrouponethingyoulearnedaboutpreparingforcollegeatDO-IT’sAccessCollegewebsite.
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e-Community activity: Using technology in Your Career
Send this message to the e-community of protégés and mentors.
Subject:Usingtechnologyinyourcareer
Computertechnologyisusedinalmostallcareerfieldstoday.Howwilltechnicalskillshelpyougetandexcelinajobinafieldofinteresttoyou?Howcanyougettheskillsyouneed?
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e-Community activity: Using technology in Careers
Send this message to the e-community of protégés and mentors.
Subject:Usingtechnologyincareers
Computertechnologycanhelpyouprepareforandsucceedincareers.Thefollowingcommentsdemonstratethevalueofcomputersintheemploymentarena.
•Ihaveacoupleofmentorswhohavehelpedmealongmycareerpath,andtheyhavesavedmefrommakingsomemistakesthattheymade.TheInternetisavaluabletoolinlocatingandcommunicatingwithmentorsinyourcareerarea.(highschoolstudentwithmobilityimpairment)
•Computertechnologyhasreallyhelpedmewithmycareerpreparation.Iuseonlinecommunicationallthetimetolearnaboutjobopportunitiesindifferentareas.Forexample,Icangototheemploymentdepartmentonlineanddownloadinformationabouttechnicalsupportpositionsinmyarea.Icandosomanythingswithonlinecommunicationthatcan’tbedoneoverthephone.IfIgetholdofinformationIwanttotakewithmesomewhere,Icanloaditintoawordprocessor,deleteunnecessarytext,andthentranslatethemessageintoBrailleforaquickreference.(collegestudentwhoisblind)
•Thetechnologyhasreallyhelpedmewithmycareergoals.Ihavehadseveralcomputer-basedinternshipswhilestillincollege.MyexperienceshelpedmedevelopandapplymycomputerskillsandmademedecidetogetadegreeincomputerapplicationssoIcanassistotherswithtechnicalissues.(collegestudentwhoisblind)
•Iuseawordprocessor,onlinecommunications,andotherprograms.TechnologyhashelpedmecompletethreesuccessfulinternshipswhereIusedmyonlineandwordprocessingskillstodomywork.Forexample,IjustcompletedasummerworkexperienceatthepubliclibraryandIdidalotofonlineresearch.Ievengottheopportunitytotrainotherstaffmembersinhowtousespecialtechnology.(collegestudentwhoisblind)
Whatadvicewouldyougivetoparentsandteachersaboutencouragingstudentswithdisabilitiestolearntousecomputersinpreparationfortheircareers?
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E-Community Activity: Surfing the Web to Prepare for a Career
Send this message to the e-community of protégés and mentors.
Subject:Surfingthewebtoprepareforacareer
TheInternetprovidesarichcollectionofresourcestoprepareforacareer.TheAccessCAREERSwebsitelinkstomanyofthemandprovidesasearchableknowledgebaseoffrequentlyaskedquestions,casestudies,andpromisingpractices.
AccesstheDO-ITwebsiteat
http://www.washington.edu/doit
Select“AccessCAREERS.”
Select“ResourcesforStudents.”
Select“precollegestudents”or“collegestudents,”andexploretheresourcesyoufind.
Select“Searchknowledgebase.”Typeinwordsabouttopicsyouwouldliketolearnmoreaboutinthe“entersearchtext”box.Selectotheritemsifyouwouldliketofocusyoursearch,andthenselect“search.”
TellusonethingyoulearnedaboutpreparingforacareerfromyourexplorationofDO-IT’sAccessCAREERSwebsite.
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e-Community activity: Using technology to enhance Your Social Life
Send this message to the e-community of protégés and mentors.
Subject:Usingtechnologytoenhanceyoursociallife
Asagraduatestudentwithahearingimpairmentstated,“Ithinkthemostsuccessfulpeoplewithdisabilitiesarethosewhohavedevelopedsocialskillsthatallowthemtointeracteffectivelywithpeoplewhodon’thavedisabilities.Thisincludeseducatingtheirpeersabouttheirdisabilitiesandgettingotherstounderstandthattheyarepeoplefirst.”
TheInternetcanhelpyoucultivatepositivesocialrelationships.Speakingabilityandspeedofcommunicationareunimportantwhencommunicatingviaemail.Spellcheckfeaturesimprovethequalityofwritingforthosewhosedisabilitiesimpactwritingability.
Below,peoplewithdisabilitiesdiscusshowtechnologyhashelpedthemachieveasuccessfulsociallife.Readeachstatementandseehowitappliestoyou.
•Thecomputerhasbecomearealassettomysociallife.Becauseofavoiceimpairment,itissometimesdifficultformetocommunicatewithpeopleinperson.However,withtheadventofelectronicmail,thatisnolongeranissue.Electronicmailallowsmetocommunicatewithfriendswithoutbeinghamperedbymyvoice.Electronicmailalsoallowsmetokeepincontactwithfamilymembersandfriendswholiveoutofstate.(highschoolstudentwithaspeechimpairment)
•Ihavemademany,manyfriendsovertheInternet—morethanIhavein“real”life.ThisincludespeoplewhohavethesameinterestsasmeandwhodothesameworkasIwanttogetinto.(youngpersonwithamobilityimpairment)
•TheInternetallowsmetokeepintouchwithfriendswholivefarawayfromme.Ihavereceivedhelpfrommentorsthroughthe‘Net.Itisalwaysgreattohavecontactwithpeoplewhocanhelpyououtwithaproblemorhelpyoufindwhatyouarelookingfor.(collegestudentwhoisblind)
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e-Community activity: Using technology to enhance Your Social Life (continued)
•Icancommunicatewithmymotherandfatherwithouthavingtopaylong-distancecharges.Ialsouseafinancialprogramtokeeptrackofmycheckingaccountcharges.(adultwithavisualimpairment)
•IamdeafandIcan’thearoverthephone.Ihavetouseaspecialmachineandthencalltheoperator.Ittakesalongtime.WhenIusethecomputertocommunicate,peopledon’tevenknowthatIamdeaf.Ijusttypethewords.Ilikethat.(highschoolstudentwhoisdeaf)
•Ireceivehelpfromamentorviaemailandspreadsomewisdomofmyown.(collegestudentwithamobilityimpairment)
•Ifindit’sdifficulttomakefriendsbecausepeoplejudgemebeforetheyknowme.I’mquiteshy,buttopeoplewhoactuallyknowme,I’mquitethe‘hyper-hellion.’Ithinkthishasalottodowithmydisability,becauseitjustturnsintoalabelformetowear.Youtrytoexplainyourdisability,whichispartofyou,andallyougetbackissympathy.MakingfriendsontheInternetallowsmetoescapemylabel.(highschoolstudentwithamobilityimpairment)
Howhascomputertechnologysupportedyoursociallifeandhelpedyougiveandreceivehelp?Forexample,haveyoumadefriendsontheInternet?Haveyoureceivedhelpfromafriendormentor?Haveyoubeenamentortosomeoneelse?
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e-Community activity: Affirming Success with technology
Send this message to the e-community of protégés and mentors.
Subject:Affirmingsuccesswithtechnology
Belowaresomestatementsbysuccessfulyoungpeopleandadultswithdisabilitiesaboutusingtechnology.Readeachstatementandthinkabouthowitappliestoyou.
•Iusetechnologytohelpmewithmyschoolwork.
•Iusetechnologytohelpmeprepareforacareer.
•IusetheInternettomaintainfriendships.
•IusetheInternettocommunicatewithadultswhoprovidemewithusefulinformationand/orcareaboutmepersonally.
Howcouldyoumakebetteruseoftechnologytohelpyousucceedinschooland/orwork?