For most people, technology makes things easier. For people with disabilities, technology makes things possible. Mary Pat Radabaugh (2015)
Children with disabilities may be the most stigmatized and excluded group of children around the world. They will likely have poorer health, less education, and less economic opportunity when they grow up. They are more likely to live in poverty and deal with more significant inequalities than their peers without disabilities (World Health Organization, 2015). The lack of access to assistive technology is a critical barrier that restricts children with disabilities from accessing education and participating in the community.
The International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health defines assistive technology as any product, instrument, equipment, or technology adapted or specially designed to improve the functioning of a person with a disability. Assistive technology includes products and related services that will enhance the functioning of people with disabilities. For many children with disabilities, assistive technology means the difference between inclusion and exclusion, between rights enjoyment and rights deprivation.
Children with disabilities have lower rates of primary school completion than those without disabilities, and in many cases, their lack of access to assistive technology is a contributing factor. For many children with disabilities, meaningful access to assistive technology is critical for them to access and benefit from education, and it can help them further develop their learning capacity.
When appropriate to the user and their environment, assistive technology can be a powerful tool to increase a child’s independence and participation. It can help children become mobile, communicate more effectively, see and hear better, and participate more fully in learning and play activities. In addition, assistive technology supports children in accessing and enjoying their right to do things they value and bridges disparities between children with and without disabilities.
Assistive technology provides access to and participation in educational, social, and recreational opportunities, empowers more significant physical and mental function and improved self-esteem, and reduces costs for educational services and individual support. By facilitating the participation and inclusion of children with disabilities in all aspects of life, assistive technology can positively impact self-image, self-esteem, and sense of self-worth.
Assistive technology has been found to improve the achievement of students with disabilities. Assistive technology reduces costs when it supports early childhood development and educational attainment and avoids repetition of learning that was missed due to academic barriers. The link between school dropout and unemployment is clear and frequently leads to high societal costs. By improving access to education and increasing school achievement, assistive technology can have a positive socioeconomic effect on the lives of children with disabilities.
Children with disabilities are more likely to be unemployed and to live in poverty in adulthood than their peers without disabilities. An educated child with a disability supported by assistive technology will have more employment opportunities. This results in less dependence on social programs and a more significant contribution to the country’s economy and prosperity. Addressing the need for assistive technology will yield a return on investment beyond an individual family to the community.
Information and communication tools and applications are paving the way for children with disabilities to access educational materials and resources in different formats and to engage in the same academic activities as their peers without disabilities. Assistive technology offers new ways to break down accessibility barriers. It provides children with disabilities with the opportunity to exchange knowledge and information and to communicate in ways they otherwise may not have been able to do.
Gabrielle Young, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Education at Memorial University, Newfoundland.