As technology continues to advance, it’s increasingly easier for those with developmental disabilities to gain access to resources they need. These tools can be anything from case management software that makes it easier for organizations to keep track of their disabled clients to digital tools that enable better education and training to prepare these individuals for independence. Here are some recent stories that demonstrate how organizations are using assistive technology and other resources to improve life for individuals with developmental disabilities:
Bookshare and assistive technologies help students with disabilities gain authentic work experiences and independent living skills – Bookshare
One of the greatest struggles clients with developmental disabilities face is the ability to live independently. Riverview School in Massachusetts is using a digital curriculum to help qualified users gain skills such as reading. The program, called Getting Ready for the Outside World (GROW), is set up like a college campus, where students live in dorms and take classes. The students access Bookshare, a digital hub that includes almost 400,000 accessible books, giving them the opportunity to learn about career development and much more.
Center for Developmental Disabilities helps change lives with iPads – Fox 4 News Kansas City
Tablets can be enormously helpful to those with developmental disabilities. Individuals with cerebral palsy, for example, have difficulty communicating, even though their brains operate normally. Tablets and touch-to-talk software enable these individuals to speak. The Center for Developmental Disabilities in Kansas City, Missouri, recently received several grants to buy iPads and software for its clients. The tools allow people like 35-year-old Adam Dame, who has cerebral palsy, to communicate with his caregivers more effectively.
Teachers-in-training learn through virtual reality – The Daily Mississippian
There are many ways organizations can use technology to help individuals with developmental disabilities. Using tools to empower special education teachers is one. The UM School of Education has adopted tools that allow teachers to train in a virtual reality environment with avatars of children with different personalities and needs. This gives teachers a chance to learn how to interact with students with special needs before encountering these challenges in a real classroom.
Seated with red placemat at Table 3? Your food’s coming up – The Straits Times
Mountbatten Vocational School in Singapore helps developmentally disabled individuals train for positions in restaurants using a training restaurant called Cafe Bon Apetit. Students with intellectual disabilities face certain challenges in the restaurant industry, such as tracking orders, communicating and multitasking, according to Ernest Toh, the school’s principal. To cope with these issues, the restaurant uses a new technology solution that uses color coding to reduce confusion. Workers take orders using tablets that specify where orders should go based on color-coded elements on each table, such as a mat or coaster.
ClientTrack’s patient-centric case management puts IDD patients squarely at the center of the health record across multiple providers, treatment programs, and episodes of care. Check out our client case study for The Marriott Foundation for People with Disabilities.