Discussion Forum #5 - Assistive Technology

[Drew Smith]

For one of my wikipedian assignments I found a very interesting
article on assistive technologies (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/09/
education/09tech-t.html) and how they are being used to "level the
playing field" in many classrooms throughout the world. I was not
only amazed by the number of exceptionalities they help to overcome,
but also by the fact that I was unaware of the majority of the tools
now at our disposal. Additionally, to truly integrate these new
technologies into our classrooms, a financial commitment will need to
be either taken by districts or families.

With that in mind, whose responsibility is it to learn about assistive
technologies? What actions could be taken to better educate all? Who
should be responsible for purchasing the the products? Do districts
currently have the necessary funds to do so?