Technology and Full Participation for Children and Adults Who Are Deaf

Special Issuj Technology and Full Particlpatlon for Children and Adults Who Are Deaf Robert R. Davila he timing of this national symposium couldn't have been better planned. We come together in the midst of such exciting times, times that promise sweeping change and full participation in our society for individuals with disabilities, including those of us who are deaf or hard of hearing. New initiatives such as AMERICA 2000, which is President Bush's plan for transforming education, new legislation such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Television Decoder Circuitry Act, and the very real emphasis on empowerment within the disability community are all part of that sweeping change. For all of us here today, this means that the technology we envision for meeting the needs of deaf individuals in the years to come will change too. As the education and employment needs of people who are deaf grow in variety and complexity, so too must the tools they use grow to keep pace with these changes. Other factors, too, such as increased employment opportunities and dramatic increases in the public school placement of deaf children, have brought with them the need for a whole new way of looking at the use of technology in educational and employment settings. As we continue to move forward, our need for specially designed adaptive technology will only increase. During this conference, we will be hearing more about some of the specific areas in which advances are being made, and which are assisting deaf students in exciting new ways in a variety of educational settings. One trend that is definitely here to stay is the ever-increasing reliance upon computer-based hardware and software solutions to meet the needs of deaf individuals. Since the last national technology symposium, which was held in Lincoln, Nebraska, in 1983 (when the IBM PC was only 2 years old), we have seen an astounding shift to computer-based keyboard technology . Hypermedia, interactive videodisc technology, satellite-driven distance learning, and hearing aids with built-in microprocessors were unheard of just a short generation ago. I would like to share with you a few American Annals of the Deaf of my own thoughts about where this whole field is headed, and where I believe technological developments will make a difference in the future. Recently, I had the honor of accompanying Education Secretary Lamar Alexander when he addressed the national convention of the Council for Exceptional Children. He spoke with eloquence of the important role that disability issues, including the development of technology, can and should play in the education reform movement. His message for us was simple and powerful. In speaking of the disability community's leadership role in the education reform movement , he said, "Look at what we've done the last 70 years, look at what we know about early intervention, look at what we know about outcomes . . . and look at what we've done about breaking the mold by introducing computers and technology to level the playing field." That's what we're doing here, taking a close look at that playing field, so that as we approach the end of this century, we can ensure that individuals who are deaf have the tools they need to learn, to be productive, and to maintain the equality of opportunity that is their right. Americans with Disabilities Act There are, of course, many factors that will affect the direction we take in our quest for technological excellence over the next few years. Perhaps one of the greatest legislative victories of our time, which will have a truly profound impact on the contour of that playing field, is embodied in the ADA. Because this legislation is so broad in its scope and intent, it will single-handedly propel us forward to that point in time when individuals who are deaf will attain a level of equality never before experienced. No doubt the availability of state-of-the-art adaptive technology for deaf individuals will have a profound effect upon the extent to which we can effectively implement this law. For example, by July 1993, telephone companies must establish intrastate and interstate relay services in all the...