Technology Tuesday

Those of us working to incorporate technology into to the lives of individuals with intellectual disabilities so they may live fulfilling lives know that the iPad is fueling a revolution in how that goal can be achieved. If you’d like some examples, simply read below as Stephanie Tilley, Imagine!’s Assistive Technology Lab facilitator, discusses the many ways that iPads have been incorporated into classes hosted by Imagine!’s CORE/Labor Source department. And we’ve only just begun! 

At Imagine!’s Boulder CORE/Labor Source facility, we have been using iPads to work on building educational and communication skills. The iPad is an amazing tool that is versatile, portable, and customizable for individual clients, and has cutting edge programs. Clients in the iPad and Communication classes have commented on how excited they are for class and we are seeing real progress in their life skills. With such progress we have now expanded iPad use at Boulder’s CORE/Labor Source facility to incorporate the iPads into other classes offered here.

The cooking class uses a program called Visual Impact to increase client independence by creating step by step visual recipes with auditory cues. The music class has a client using the iPad to encourage his participation in class by allowing him to play the piano or drums while walking around class. The dance class is using a relaxation app to mix their own relaxation sounds during yoga.

The iPad is being used in art classes for visual and auditory schedules for setting up art stations. We hope to use the iPad in the next few weeks for showing art examples and for step by step examples of how to create a project from start to finish. The sensory class is using the iPad for relaxation and sound recognition. The communication class is using the iPad for choice making and expressive communication. The cause and effect class using the iPads as a reinforcing activity when clients work towards basic communication by pressing a switch.

The iPad class is using the iPads for working on so many educational skills, including but not limited to: letters, spelling, reading, reading comprehension, numbers, counting, math, puzzles, thinking skills, shapes, colors, hand eye coordination, and fine motor skills. The clients have learned how to navigate through the iPad to the different activities. Though the clients are constantly working on educational skills, they often comment on how much they are enjoying the class. The clients can work at their individual level and pace even though we are all working on the same skill, for example, math skills. One client can be working on addition while another is working on counting, while still another is working on multiplication.

We are looking at incorporating the iPads into our worksites very soon. We are excited about the potential support that the iPads, and technology in general, can provide for our clients and can’t wait to see where this new venture takes us. The sky is the limit!