Assistive Technologies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Assistive Technologies - Essay Example It is a technology that enables a disabled person to confront an area of challenge. Although it does not treat the disabling condition, it considerably helps in the independent accomplishment of a goal and simplifies a task that may otherwise be complicated or unworkable. Assistive technologies compatible with the users eliminate or lessen difficulties to learning due to immobilizing situations (Hopkins, 2004). This paper discusses the use of assistive technology to support special needs students, to expand classroom curricula, and to promote independent participation in the classroom. Assistive Technology Assistive Technology is widely used in the description of any object, product, piece of apparatus, or system that augments, sustains or develops the functional ability of an individual with disability (IDEIA, 2004). The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act further identifies that assistive technology is a significant device that meets the special needs of student s with disabilities in education and general development (Smith, Murphy-Herd, Alvarado, & Glennon, 2005). Assistive technology mechanisms can be electronic or non-electronic, â€Å"low-tech†, â€Å"mid-tech† or â€Å"high-tech†. Low technology approaches are non-electronic or non-battery-controlled, inexpensive and practical tools such as communication books and boards, dry-erase boards, coated or non-coated pictures, photo albums, Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) or other paper-based visual supports. Medium technology tools are battery-operated or simple electronic devices such as tape recorders, simple voice output devices, timers, calculators or other simple computer attachments or software. High technology devices are compound, expensive technological supports, such as computers and adaptive hardware (touch screen display, software, and trackballs), additional computer attachments (digital cameras and scanners), video cameras, and complex voice o utput gadgets (Target: Texas Guide for Effective Teaching Assistive Technology, 2012). Cautious instruction of teachers and students on the employment of assistive technologies is vital to guarantee proper and effective application. Integrated on a daily basis, assistive technology could facilitate and maximize the development of the functional capacities of children with special needs. And because every child is unique and special, these devices whether low-tech, mid-tech or high-tech should be individualized according to the exceptional needs of students. Assistive technology targets the students’ independent functioning abilities through the reduction of necessary direct support from another individual for task completion (Target: Texas Guide for Effective Teaching Assistive Technology, 2012). Autism and its Effect on a Student’s Ability in Classroom Performance Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), also referred to as Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD), is a neuro-de velopmental disorder that presents a delay in an individual’s speech and language development and impairment in communication skills. The disorder which is more prevalent in boys than in girls may be seen before the age of

Production And Perfect Competition - Market Activity Coursework

Production And Perfect Competition - Market Activity - Coursework Example 2: Losses to be incurred in Case B Fig. 3: Other Variances As can be observed with reference to the above illustrated calculations for both the cases A and B, the firm is projected to witness significant changes in terms of its losses incurred. Apparently, in both the cases, the firm will have to suffer huge losses. However, when comparing both the cases, i.e. when the TFC is $1,000,000 and when the TFC is increased to $3,000,000, the firm will have to suffer greater losses in Case B with the rise in its TFC. To be noted, with the TFC amounted to $1,000,000, the firm is projected to incur a loss of $400,000; whereas, with a TFC increment to $3,000,000, the firm will have to suffer a huge loss of $2,400,000. Considering the amount of calculated per unit and per work loss for the given cases, it can further be observed that the loss incurring risks will increase substantially if the firm decides to operate with a TFC of $3,000,000, which can further be deemed a unrecoverable without hu ge sums of additional investments. On the other hand, the losses incurred in case A can be deemed as recoverable for the firm, subjected to its strategic and managerial efficiencies (Schmitz Jr., 2005). Therefore, comparing and contrasting the changes in the cost variables which the firm might have to incur in both the cases A and B, it can be suggested that the firm should immediately shutdown when its TFC increases to $3,000,000, i.e. in case B. 2. For one of the cases, if the firm can operate at a loss in the short-run, how many employees need to be laid off in order for the company to break even? Break-even is commonly defined as the situation when the total revenue of a firm equals the total amount of costs incurred for a given quantity of output (Armstrong, 2006). In other words, when the firm will incur neither loss nor profit, it can be stated that the firm has reached its break-even. Considering the calculations in fig. 1 of the above section, it can be apparently observed that for case B, the firm will have to incur a huge loss of $2,400,000 and therefore should shutdown immediately. In contrast, when the TFC amounts to $1,000,000 in case A, the firm will have to incur a loss of $400,000. Hence, it can be affirmed that the company can operate at a loss in the short run when its TFC is $1,000,000 incurring lesser loss than that projected in case B. Furthermore, when the firm incurs $400,000 loss in case A, it shall have to lay off 5,000 employees, assuming all other variables to be fixed. To be specific, with the given daily wage rate of $80, the total wage for 45,000 workers (i.e. 50,000-5,000 workers) will amount to $400,000 which is again equivalent to the loss projected to be incurred by the firm with a TFC of $1,000,000. Therefore, by laying-off 5,000 employees, the firm will be able to reduce it variable cost by $400,000 and consequently, will not have to incur any loss. In such circumstance, the total cost to be incurred by the firm will be, TF C ($1,000,000) + TVC ($4,400,000 - $400,000) = $5,000,000; equivalent to the total output of the firm. Hence, it can be concluded that by laying-off 5,000 employees, the firm can reach its break-even when TFC equals to $1,000,000. 3. Given a Lower Number of Employees Now Working at The Company, What is the Change in Worker Productivity? In the above illustrated calculations, it was derived that