Special education does not lack for acronyms, and this week I discovered a new one: UAAACT. The Utah Augmentative Alternative Communicaiton and Technology Teams Project, supported by the Utah State Office of Education and the Utah State Office of Rehabilitation, provides professional links to over 30 sites related to technological adaptations and supports for individuals with disabilities. While some links were already familiar to me (e.g. The Arc and the Utah Parent Center), others expanded my awareness of available tools. Both Apple and IBM devote portions of their websites to describing product accessibility for those with special needs. Other businesses like RJ Cooper and Associates sell equipment that further extends access beyond what these brands offer.
The websites linked to from the UAAACT page varied greatly in design and credibility from individual educators assembling their preferred resource lists to companies attempting to market their products. Overall, I generally preferred sites associated soley with educational instituions (.edu) versus ones seeking profits (.com); the Enabling Devices catalog under the Toys for Children link was one major exception.
Exploring across several sites tonight, the options for adaptive equipment seem endless--limited only by human ingenuity. Happily, we've moved far beyond Stone and Bronze Age tools to technology capable of enriching the lives of those previously barred from full participation in society as a result of their disabilities.
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