Independent Work: What Did I Learn?

I learned a great deal from the independent work we had to do from this past week.  I learned about Assistive Technology and how beneficial it can be for those who have a disability, whether if it is mild or closer to severe.  Learning about the different myths of AT devices was also new knowledge for me.  When I was observing at a clinic that specialized in pediatrics, I was able to see how AT devices are used, and how many different kinds of AT devices there are!  The amount is infinite and I just find it so fascinating how far our advancements have become to allow these types of devices to be able to help those with disabilities.
The TED Talk by Michael Nesmith was also very insightful.  He is a man who was born deaf and has been deaf his whole life.  His talk was on the idea and usage of universal design, which explains devices or things that are designed to be used by all people, without adaptation or modification to the design of the product being used.  I thought his talk was very inspirational and I loved how he used the snowball going down a hill analogy to explain the effect of universal design, how if people continue to pursue it, it will eventually come to fruition.  And I believe that is how AT devices should be looked at.  They're not meant to be there to show others that the person has some form of disability, but are meant to be there to give the person functional capabilities.  It gives back their sense of independence, which is very important.