A personal reflection on the impact of assistive technology by Shelby Nurse
When I was born a dear family friend--a talented artist--drew a sketch of a bird with a quote that reads: “Although we cannot prevent the birds of sorrow from flying over our heads, we can refuse to let them build nests in our hair.” This is the philosophy I have chosen to live my life by. At ten months old I was diagnosed with cerebral palsy; thirty percent of my brain was scarred, leaving me without the ability to walk. Even though I face numerous physical challenges on a daily basis, I do not let my disability define who I am.
For parents with children with disabilities, and even their children reading this, I want to stress that I’m sharing my story as a source of genuine encouragement rather than boasting. Currently I am a 22-year-old junior at the University of South Florida Saint Petersburg with plans to go on to complete a masters program and eventually pursue a career as a university Learning Specialist. It would be easy for me to allow cerebral palsy to overtake my life in a negative way, but I do not let it stop me from living life to the fullest.
Assistive technology has played a big part in my life and my success. When most babies begin to explore their surroundings, they often bump into objects around them. I experienced this milestone at the age of two and a half when I was fitted for my very first power chair. I collided into walls. Looking back, I remember feeling this great sense of freedom and pride because for the first time my mobility was not dependent on assistance from others. My parents describe the smile on my face as my “I can do it myself smile,” and that is exactly how I felt. This was my first introduction to assistive technology. It was only the beginning.
Now fast forward to age five when it was time for me to go to kindergarten. The entire summer before school began I came up with every reason I could not go. Yet despite my best efforts, my parents told me everything would be okay and dropped me off that first day. So I not only had to contend with the typical separation anxiety and feelings experienced by all new kindergartners, I also worried whether I would be accepted because I was physically different. At the end of the day, however, I came home with the same “I can do it myself smile.” I looked at my parents and said, “Guess what? I am not so different after all!”
At school the goal for assistive technology has always been for me to find the right method or tool to complete the same task as my peers. So in kindergarten when we began to study the alphabet, when all of my friends were learning to identify and write letters, I was doing the same on the keyboard. As I got older, my fellow classmates were learning organizational skills by writing in their planners while I was utilizing Microsoft Outlook to accomplish the same task. When everyone else was using a graphing calculator, I used a computer program called
TI-80 SmartView that showed the identical calculator on my computer screen and instead of pushing the buttons with my fingers, I used my mouse to successfully navigate the same tool as my classmates.
Due to my visual impairments, reading has always been a struggle for me. I can read, on average, ten pages at a time which makes reading long chapters difficult. To compensate, I have used a variety of adaptive instructional materials including large print and audio formats. Currently I use
Kurzweil 3000, which is a program that can read any printed material aloud. In addition, it consists of interactive study aids, such as highlighting, dictionaries, footnotes, and word prediction.
As I reached college and note taking became even more of a necessity, I used
Livescribe pens and notebooks. This is a system that uses specialized dot paper and a pen with an infrared camera and audio recorder. As notes are being taken, the recording function captures what is being said during lectures, linking written notes to the audio for playback.
In general, I have always looked at assistive technology the same way that Alice looked at the rabbit hole. She was excited to venture into the undiscovered world, but she was not quite sure what she would find. In my experience, assistive technology provides endless opportunities for not only academic success but also the independence necessary to be a unique person. I can honestly say that if I had not fallen down that rabbit hole I would not be the person I am today. My message to parents and students is have faith and fall!
Shelby Nurse was a featured speaker at the Catalyst Project's Employment Summit this past May in Maryland.