Utilizing Technology in the Service of Individuals with Special Needs

When considering the use of computers in special education and the various educational settings where students with special needs are taught, some may initially think that the goal is simply entertainment or recreation. While this is one of the anticipated benefits of using computers, their applications in planning, organizing, and implementing instruction have become extensive. This necessitates that educators and administrators understand and maximize the potential of these technologies. Computers are powerful and effective learning tools.

Special education emphasizes:

• The importance of focusing on individuals with special needs, adapting curricula and teaching methods to meet their requirements, and allowing their integration with their typically developing peers in general education classrooms.
• Providing intensive scientific support to special education teachers and general education teachers to help them implement educational strategies for both gifted students and those with various disabilities.

In the current decade, there has been tremendous progress in the field of disability awareness. Countries have actively developed programs in this area because an effective response to disability must be comprehensive, addressing all aspects of the issue. Prevention programs are particularly important as they represent early interventions that significantly reduce the occurrence of disabilities and minimize the moral and material efforts needed for care and rehabilitation programs.

Concept of Special Education:

Special education is defined as a set of services and educational programs that include specific modifications in curricula, materials, or teaching methods to respond to the special needs of students who cannot meet the demands of regular education programs. Thus, special education services are provided to all categories of students who face difficulties negatively affecting their ability to learn, including those with exceptional abilities and talents.

This includes students in the following main categories:

• Gifted and talented.
• Intellectual disabilities.
• Hearing impairments.
• Visual impairments.
• Physical disabilities.
• Emotional disabilities.
• Autism.
• Learning difficulties.
• Speech or language disorders.

Objectives of Special Education:

1. Identify exceptional children using appropriate measurement and diagnostic tools for each special education category.
2. Develop educational programs for each category.
3. Design teaching methods for each category to achieve the goals of educational programs based on individual education plans.
4. Prepare educational and technological resources specific to each category.
5. Develop general disability prevention programs and work to reduce disability occurrences through preventive measures.
6. Consider individual differences among students by guiding and assisting them to grow according to their abilities, interests, and inclinations.
7. Provide research opportunities to utilize and direct the talents of gifted students and offer them opportunities in their fields of excellence.
8. Ensure individual dignity and provide suitable opportunities to develop their abilities so they can contribute to the progress of the nation.

Principles of Special Education:

1. Children with special needs should be educated in environments as close as possible to regular educational settings.
2. Special education includes providing individualized educational programs which involve:
   

• Assessing current performance levels.
• Setting long-term goals.
• Setting short-term goals.
• Determining successful performance criteria.
• Identifying necessary materials and tools.
• Scheduling the start and end of program implementation.

1. Providing special educational services requires a multidisciplinary team where each specialist provides services related to their expertise.
2. Disability affects not only the child but potentially the entire family. The family is the primary and most important teacher for the child.
3. Early special education is more effective than later stages. Early childhood is a sensitive period for development and should be maximized.
   

Benefits of Using Computers in Special Education:

One of the key advantages of using computers in special education is their capacity for individualized instruction. As individualized teaching is a core aspect of special education, and because special education teachers often have limited time for this due to their various roles, tools that support individualized teaching are crucial. Computers are among the most effective tools for this purpose.

Other potential benefits include:

• Computers provide interactive responses, offer stimuli (questions or information), accept responses, evaluate them, and provide appropriate reinforcement. This interaction is non-threatening, making it a useful and encouraging tool for students with disabilities who struggle with communication or have a history of failure.
• Well-designed software offers instruction that adheres to effective teaching principles, stimulates motivation, uses multimedia, assesses student responses accurately, provides appropriate feedback, and encourages attention, retention, and practice of skills.

Kirk, Gallagher, and Anastasiow (1993) noted that computers have gained increasing attention in special education due to the following benefits:

• Numerous computer programs are available for teaching basic skills in reading and math, which are often lacking in students with disabilities.
• Many computer programs and activities are designed as games, an effective model for teaching visual-motor and academic skills.
• Computers simplify record-keeping, allowing schools to collect, organize, and update information easily.
• Computer education fosters independence and control in students with disabilities, differing from their usual experiences of helplessness.
• Computers offer ample opportunities for differentiation in information delivery, providing additional practice until the desired skills are mastered.

Goldenberg (1979) observed that computers can enrich the experiences of children with disabilities, noting that they engage enthusiastically with computers, mastering skills faster than they might in traditional educational settings.

For children with special needs, their interaction with the world is more limited compared to typically developing children, both due to their disabilities and our misunderstandings about those disabilities. Therefore, mastering effective technology becomes a significant and exciting event in their lives.

Applications of Computers in Special Education:

The use of computers in special education is diverse and reflects the varying educational needs of students with disabilities and exceptional talents. Important applications include:

1. Information Processing and Interactive Learning:

   Initially, there was concern that increased reliance on computers might lead to more isolation for individuals with disabilities. However, computers have become widely used in special education, offering individual attention, continuous feedback, and positive reinforcement. They are the only interactive learning medium that allows users to fully control their individual learning processes, enhancing personal achievement.

2. Instructional Planning:

   Computers are effective tools for organizing information related to individual educational programs. They simplify the storage and updating of data about students' strengths and weaknesses, improving decision-making and instructional planning. Computer-assisted analysis of skills allows teachers to focus on mastery rather than traditional failure-based assessments.

3. Communication:

   Computers serve as electronic communication systems, enabling students to receive information in their strongest sensory modality and control the pace of information delivery. This improves both expressive and receptive communication.

4. Assistive Technology:

   The use of computers for assistive communication has had a profound impact on individuals with disabilities. For instance, communication devices have enabled deaf individuals to make phone calls, Braille printers have allowed blind individuals to access information, and voice-activated systems have enabled individuals with severe physical disabilities to control home appliances.

5. Recreation and Leisure:

   Technology offers promising recreational opportunities for individuals with disabilities. Computer games provide genuine interaction, engaging users actively rather than passively, and offer various programs for sports, intellectual stimulation, and personal activities.

6. Individualized Education Program (IEP):

   An IEP outlines a student's current status, goals, methods to achieve those goals, timeframe, and criteria for success. Automated programs help teachers by storing and selecting goals, and some programs can fully prepare IEPs, allowing teachers to adjust based on available resources.

7. Assessment and Evaluation:

   Teachers in special education must also work with regular education teachers and school psychologists for assessments and documentation. Technology has proven useful in conducting evaluations more efficiently and effectively than manual methods.

8. Training Special Education Personnel:

   Providing effective educational services requires well-trained personnel knowledgeable about the latest field developments. Information technology facilitates access to current practices and training resources. Direct training programs are also available.

9. Special Education Management:

   Effective management of special education programs depends on accurate and up-to-date information. Information systems have been developed to collect, maintain, and analyze data efficiently.

10. Rehabilitation Applications:

    Computers are increasingly used in vocational rehabilitation programs to ease the transition from school to work, particularly for jobs that rely more on information management than physical tasks.

Terminology Used in the Research Paper:

• Special Education: Refers to a set of programs and strategies designed to meet the specific needs of exceptional children, including teaching methods, tools, and support services.
• Special Categories: This term refers to groups within society with specific needs or characteristics, without implying the cause of their uniqueness.
• Individuals with Special Needs: This term identifies individuals whose needs differ from the general population and require specific programs or services to accommodate their unique circumstances.
• Educational Technology: Encompasses all methods, tools, and devices used in educational systems to enhance effectiveness, involving an integrated system of people, machines, ideas, and methods to achieve educational goals.