Virtual Programs Have Their Virtues

Virtual reality, teaching and meetings/hearings  should have an important role in providing an appropriate education for our children.  Some of these technologies are still cutting edge and not yet here (e.g. virtual meetings/meetings), virtual reality is in the testing stages (and actually in use in some schools) for use with children with disabilities, and virtual teaching is already in use.

I have already seen the benefits of virtual teaching through a program called Virtual High School.  A number of years ago when the program was brand new I had a client who was a very capable high school student. who used this program. She suffered from raised inter cranial pressure which triggered massive headaches when she was exposed to light or extremes of noise; two things that could not be controlled in school. At that time there were technical glitches with the high speed connection which should no longer be an issue.  The course offerings were appropriate to meet her needs and the online help was very useful.  There are other programs out there that are similar but this is one that I am familiar with from this case.

The down side of Virtual High School is that a student would have to be self-motivated and disciplined to make it work. There is room for abuses that the school will use it as a means of "teaching" difficult children, as opposed to addressing their social and emotional needs on campus. The lack of personal contact certainly can foster isolation and even depression. Nevertheless, for the student who can not come to school for extended periods of time for bona fide reasons this program could be lifesaver.  Ideally, the Virtual High School program would be used in conjunction with live home-bound services and the school of course should pick up the tab for all of the services.

The virtual reality program is from a company called VTREE, Inc.  It consists of series of computer game-type programs running on a Windows based computer.  The benefits of the program are to develop upper extremity gross motor movements, dynamic balance and social development:

"The social interaction and inclusionary aspects of our system should not be overlooked. We have found that family members playing together in this system, at the same time, is one of the most rewarding attributes of the systems. To be able to put 1, 2, or 3 people on the screen at the same time and have them work together in the program is valuable for social development."

This program looks very exciting but it only begins to approximate the potential benefits for individuals with disabilities. For instance over spring break my family went to visit a cave, open to tourists. It is a guided tour and quite accessible, if you can walk. My son who uses a wheelchair had to stay behind and miss a wonderful educational opportunity.  There are many recreational, therapeutic and educational opportunities that can and should become accessible with further developments in this area.

[Thank you to Denise Bohn for bringing the VTREE website to my attention.]

Virtual hearings and meetings sound way too futuristic but are not very far off. The American Bar Association reported on a project that has been underway for some time called Courtroom 21 which has been developing and trying out court-based technologies since the early 1990's.  The technologies run a wide range from holographic parties/witnesses at hearings, to interactive white boards.  An interactive white board is like a black board with a touch sensitive screen allowing participants to use a stylus to mark comments and notes (sort of like the telecasters that sports commentators use).  It would allow for IEPs to be developed with greater collaboration unlike current practices.

The benefits of holography would allow parents to present their experts (or themselves if schedules do not permit "in person" attendance) at a meeting and hearing which because of geography, time or expense can be prohibitive. This technology is also being developed to allow greater access to people with disabilities in the court process and the same would hold true at IEPs and hearings.  I acknowledge that these technologies are not cheap, but educational cooperatives can create high technology meeting rooms and hearing facilities where the costs can be spread out an used on an as needed basis. 

Parents are the often the engines of innovations in school.  Even if the school is not ready to hear about any or all of these virtual technologies because it is rocking their actual reality and budgets, we need to put it on the agenda. Discussions and evaluations of new technologies can take years for the kinds of things being offered through Courtroom 21, but there are real courts using these technologies in practice and on a trial basis (no pun intended).  Virtual High School and the VTREE program are programs that can and should be considered where applicable in the IEP process. 

Comments

[Chuck Bergen]

Hi Charles

Thank you for your thoughts about our system. We work very hard with the special needs communities to try and develop various types of systems to improve the quality of life for the individuals we serve. We have several new systems under development, as well as another product we developed called the VR wheelchair mobility simulator. If you ever have any questions that you would like to ask about us and what we do, please don't hesitate to call me. Thanks again.

Sincerely,
Chuck Bergen
215-244-8661

[Dana Webb]

Our state is venturing into the world of virtual schooling. I suppose the concept is new enough that I had never thought of how it could be implemented with special needs students. This medium certainly provides yet another option and serves as a valuable resource for meeting student needs in terms of offering a least restrictive environment in which they can learn.