When is a switch more than just a switch?

On the very first day of class we learned about an individual named Susie Rubin. Susie Rubin has autism and we watched a video that explained what her life is like.



The message from the video was that you must ‘assume competence’ as an educator. I was reminded of Susie Rubin today when we watched a video about inclusive education. The students in this video had disabilities that could potentially limit them in the classroom if they did not have access to assistive technology. But what we saw was that these students were very capable of being included in the classroom. One form of assistive technology that allowed these students to be included in the classroom was the use of a ‘switch’. A switch is a mechanical device that closes a circuit to turn something on or off. Switches can come in all different shapes and colors.

They work for individuals who may have low mobility but who want to accomplish a task such as turning on a light. The uses of a switch are limitless. One idea I had was to hook a switch to a dice roller. This way a student could be involved in any type of game that uses dice by being in charge of pressing the switch to roll the dice.

In order to choose the right type of switch for an individual there are a number of different factors to consider. The first is the goal of the individual. What does the individual want to accomplish? Next, the position of the individual must be considered. Are they sitting in a wheelchair or lying down? Next you need to think about the movement pattern of the individual. Do they have consistent voluntary movement? Or do they have no movement pattern at all? Which part of the body will operate the switch? Lastly the type of switch needs to be considered. There are two categories of switches, simple and specialty. A simple switch can be used when there is a consistent voluntary movement pattern. There are a variety of simple switches, the size and texture can vary greatly. The specialty switch is used when there is no consistent movement pattern. The switch can be operated using the blink of an eye or person’s breath. The video below is of a boy who is blinking to operate a specialty switch.