Technology and the Diversity of Limits

Have students work by themselves to answer the following questions. Once all students have had a chance to answer the questions on their own, you may wish to hold a class discussion about some or all of the questions.

1. Choose one item or description from the ADA Design Checklist master. What criteria and constraints do you think the designer had to work with when making the product?

   Students will have different answers depending on the item they chose. For example, they might have chosen the toilet stall that is accessible to people with disabilities. Some of the criteria and constraints that its designer would have had to work with would be that there must be handrails, the door and stall must be wide enough for a wheelchair to fit into the stall, and the toilet paper must be easily reached.

2. Some technologies help many different people. For example, many people use eyeglasses and cell phones. Other technologies help only a small group of people. For example, only a small number of people benefit from wheelchairs.

   1. Describe an example of a technology that solves a problem for most people. Choose an example that is not listed above.

      Students will come up with many ideas. Some ideas are toothbrushes, computers, cars, and water bottles.

   2. Describe an example of a technology that solves a problem for only a small group of people. Choose an example that is not listed above.

      Again, students may come up with different ideas. Because they have been thinking about people with disabilities, they might come up with ideas like a wheelchair. Other ideas might be hand controls on cars or white canes. Challenge students to come up with other ideas. For example, safety equipment for rock climbers is used by a relatively small number of people, but it is very important for that group of people.

   3. Do you think it is valuable to create a technology that only a small group of people use? Why or why not?

      Students will have different opinions. Most will probably feel that it is valuable to create a technology for only a small group of people because those people can benefit most from the technology. If you hold a class discussion about this question, ask what would make the technology not valuable. Some students will likely say that if it cost a lot of money to create the technology and only a very small group of people could use the technology, it might not be worthwhile to create it.

3. You used a checklist to think about how a person with a disability might be affected by features in your school.

   1. How did the ADA Design Checklist master help you think about problems faced by people with disabilities?

      Students may realize that they did not know the reason behind certain features in the school. This will likely make them think of other tasks that may be difficult for people with disabilities.

   2. Did any of the guidelines surprise you? Why?

      Students’ answers will vary. They may not have realized that many features in the school were designed according to these guidelines. For example, they may never have thought that there is a reason for the height of the tray slide in the cafeteria.

   3. The checklist showed only a few of the ADA guidelines. Can you think of other features in buildings that might require ADA guidelines?

      Students may or may not have ideas for this question. Encourage them to think about different features they use in the school. They may realize that there are special parking spaces for people with disabilities. Another feature of the school that may be affected by the guidelines is the surface of the floors. For example, there must be nonslip material on ramps. Other guidelines are that all steps must be a uniform height, elevators should have braille signs, and some sinks should be low enough for a person in a wheelchair to access them.

4. What did you do to help your team decide on the problem it will be solving in this chapter?

   Reflecting on teamwork skills is a way to help students be more conscious of them. Students may say that they took a vote or that they all discussed the ideas in order to come up with the best one.