iPads for Special Needs Kids

When you begin blogging about your passion, you realize that your work really does have a purpose.  That was the way I felt yesterday when a parent called me about getting an iPad for his daughter.  We had a chance to talk technology and he shared a website about iPad apps for special needs kids

http://blog.easystand.com/2010/05/ipad-apps-for-kids-with-special-needs/  I know that this is just the beginning.  But the fact that folks are developing applications with disabled children in mind is truly rewarding to this life-long special educator.

A Day Made of Glass--By Corning Glass

Okay, so what does glass have to do with special education?  Quite a bit if you view the YouTube video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Cf7IL_eZ38  Now, just think of the possibilities...this is a totally interactive communication environment.  Disabled students who are relying on flip books to make their wants and needs known, need only touch the interactive digital links--on the countertop, on the fridge, anywhere.  Big Mac switch, move over.  The incredible thing is that this "window into the future" is really not so "futuristic" at all.  I guess it is how I felt when I went from the sliderule to the calculator.  The possibilities now are truly infinite.  Let's make sure that our students with disabilities have access to the "glass."

Be Prepared!

Can we every to too prepared for life's many challenges?  This thought has been on my mind quite a bit lately as I see my aging parents requiring more and more of me.  But the notion of being prepared for transitions must always be on the minds of parents of children with disabilities.  Transition planning is becoming the basis of the IEP.  Fewer references to NBA and NFL futures are making it into the documents; more realistic choices about post-secondary training, education, and employment are appearing.  If you have been following Charles Fox's blog , Special Education Law Blog (linked at right) you know that transition assessments are critical to the process.  He provided a link to a laundry list of transition checklists and assessments to get good student input.  As special educators and administrators, I hope we can use the many tools now available to make their post-secondary transition as smooth as it can be.