| CODE | IAL3003 | ||||||||||||
| TITLE | Aids for Daily Living: Towards Autonomy and Self-Determination and Quality of Life | ||||||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 03 - Years 2, 3, 4 in Modular Undergraduate Course | ||||||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 6 | ||||||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 4 | ||||||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Inclusion and Access to Learning | ||||||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | Learners with disabilities have a right to live independently and experience full inclusion in the classroom and beyond. Independent Living will be taken to mean having control over one's life decisions and everyday activities with or without the necessary support. This right has been enshrined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Disabled People (UNCRPD, 2006) and also protected under EU law, in particular through the prohibition of discrimination on the grounds of disability (Article 21 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU) and the principle of integration of persons with disabilities (Article 26 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU). Support for disabled learners may include the utilisation of human support including learning support educators (LSE) or personal assistants (human support) and the use of non-human support including assistive technology and service animals. This study-unit will focus on Assistive Technology and how this type of support promotes independence in activities of daily living and enable disabled learners to access their environments and the associated tasks. The range of AT to be covered includes devices for seating and mobility, personal care (eating, grooming, dressing), play/leisure, and school-related activities such as reading and writing. This AT will be applied to scenarios which include learners with learning disabilities, with physical disabilities, learners with sensory disabilities such as blind/visual impairment and deaf/hearing impairment, learners with multiple and complex disabilities and learners who encounter sensory processing differences e.g. Autistic Children. Assistive Technology for learners with special communication needs will be covered in another study-unit. Study-Unit Aims: - To introduce LSEs to the broad field of AT in general and with special focus on AT and how it can support activities of daily living and educational activities that occur in the class/school environment and in the community; - To familiarise LSEs with their role in this field and their place within the relevant interdisciplinary team; - To expose LSEs to the benefits of AT for disabled students and its role in empowering them towards independent living; - To introduce LSEs to sensory processing differences and the impact on participation in class and community. -To explore how AT and environmental modifications assist individuals with sensory processing differences in class/school and community. - To familiarise LSEs with the barriers that service users, their families and service providers encounter in this complex field of practice. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Recall the concepts and approaches behind AT access and use; - List the opportunities/benefits that AT may open for students with disabilities; - List the numerous constraints and dilemmas surrounding this complex field; - Name the wide range of AT aids and equipment that exists; - Name AT resources and services in Malta and abroad. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Identify the need for AT devices that may help their learners in a specific task; - Identify where to refer to the appropriate professional/service for an AT assessment; - Participate in an AT assessment/intervention session/s with the interdisciplinary team and their role therein. - Implement simple AT and environmental modifications to help learners to participate in activities of daily living and educational related activities. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main Texts: - Green, J. L. (2018). Assistive Technology in Special Education : Resources to Support Literacy, Communication, and Learning Differences (3rd Edition). USA:Prufrock Press - Dell, A.G.,Newton, D. A. & Petroff J.G. (2017 ). Assistive Technology in the Classroom: Enhancing the School Experiences of Students with Disabilities (3rd Edition). London: Pearson. Supplementary Readings: - Cook, A.M. & Polgar J. (2020). Assistive Technologies: Principles and Practice, (5th Edition). St. Louis, Missouri: Mosby. - Anson, D.K. (2018). Assistive Technologies for Persons with Disabilities. USA: Greenwood Publishing group ltd. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture | ||||||||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
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| LECTURER/S | Sharon Borg |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2023/4. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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