Send this message to the mentors only.
Subject: Mentoring tips on technology and success in school
Students with disabilities can use technology to help them independently and efficiently complete a variety of tasks. Below, people with disabilities share how computer technology has helped them achieve success in school.
- With computer technology, I am able to type most of my assignments instead of trying to write them. I'm left-handed and my left hand is considerably weaker than my right, making it difficult for me to write. (high school student with a mobility impairment)
- I use the Internet to look up information on various subjects. (high school student with a psychological impairment)
- I can type faster than I can write papers for school. On the computer it is also easier to correct any mistakes. (high school student with a mobility impairment)
- I use a computer every day to complete English and history assignments. I input them into a word processor via dictation software. This is because my spoken grammar is better than my written grammar. I am able to focus more on the learning and ideas, instead of the methods and mechanics. (high school student with dyslexia and attention deficit disorder)
- Email helps tremendously when doing group work and communicating with professors. (graduate student with a hearing impairment)
- Since I have a hearing impairment and cannot use a regular telephone, I don't know what I would do without email! Email is how I contact professors and the Disabled Student Services office at my college. Some of my professors have web pages, and I use those a lot to help me with classes. Some web pages have lecture outlines/notes for upcoming lectures, exam dates, sample questions from previous years' exams, and other valuable tools to help you succeed in class. (college student who is deaf)
- Electronic mail allows me to keep in contact with instructors if I am absent from class. (high school student with a learning disability)
- The computer is an invaluable tool when it comes to research. If I need to look something up for a term paper, I no longer need to go to the library; rather, I can obtain the information via the Internet. (high school student with dyslexia and attention deficit disorder)
- The Internet has been very useful in my college search. It has helped me find specific schools that have the programs I'm interested in. The Internet has also allowed me to stay in contact with the disability services coordinator at the school I'm planning to attend, which is out of state. (high school student with a learning disability)
As you interact with protégés, encourage them to use technology in school and share with them the addresses of interesting websites you find on the Internet.