4 April 2024
The International Telecommunication Union conducted a study on “Methodology for teaching digital skills to Persons with Disabilities“, aimed at studying the impact of assistive technologies on the education and life of persons with disabilities. One of the experts involved in preparing the study is Tatyana Konstantinovna Chigir, a senior lecturer at the Department of Pedagogy and Psychology of Inclusive Education of the M. Tank Institute of Inclusive Education of the Belarusian State Pedagogical University, a professional with extensive experience in pedagogy and specialization in working with people with special needs. We interviewed Tatyana to learn more about her views and experiences, and how technology can change the lives of persons with disabilities.
Please tell us about yourself, your education, and your professional life. Why did you choose this particular professional path, what motivated you?
It was easy to decide on the direction of my professional activity, as most of my relatives were and are pedagogues. So from childhood I was "teaching" my toys and then my friends. Once my friend in primary school invited me, without any speech disorders, with herself to a speech therapist, "for company". I knew nothing about who a speech therapist is and what he does. Alevtina Petrovna Finker became the person who surprised me. At that time, she seemed to me some kind of a magician, who with a wave of her "magic wand" helped the sounds to appear, which a few seconds ago my friend could not pronounce. After that class, I realized that I wanted to be a speech therapist. It sounds strange, but I did. This desire persisted throughout my years of schooling.
Then I enrolled in the Belarusian State Pedagogical University and graduated in 1994 with a degree in defectology (oligophrenopedagogy, speech therapy) with the qualification of teacher and speech therapist at a special school. I met Alevtina Petrovna later, but not as an observer of her work, but as a colleague. For more than 13 years I worked as a teacher-defectologist at a correctional-pedagogical assistance center in a preschool education institution, helping preschool children who had problems in speech development. Then I worked at the Center for Corrective and Developmental Education and Rehabilitation with children with severe, multiple developmental disabilities. First as a teacher-defectologist, and then as the director of this educational institution.
In 2020, I graduated with a Master's degree in Inclusive Education and started working as a senior lecturer at the Department of Pedagogy and Psychology of Inclusive Education of the Institute of Inclusive Education of the M. Tank State Pedagogical University. The sphere of my scientific interests is scientific and methodological support of computer science lessons at the second stage of general secondary education in the context of educational inclusion, formation of digital literacy in students with minor intellectual disability.
Can you tell us a story about a situation or experience of working with persons with disabilities that has been most inspiring for you? What challenges in the digital world do you have to overcome when working with people with disabilities, and what strategies help you to cope with these challenges?
I think every child with a disability can be such an inspiring example, as everyone has their own personal story of overcoming themselves.
I can highlight an experience of working with a child (12 years old at the time) with a mobility impairment (she was in a wheelchair). A football club invited students with disabilities to an open training session. Having agreed to all the organizational arrangements with the club, a group of students attended the event. This girl was part of the group. She watched the training session attentively, without taking her eyes off, and after it was over she said: "I want to play football." Absurd, you will say. How can a child in a wheelchair play football? My mom and I told her: "If you want to, it's in your hands." She became a fan of the club and did not miss the broadcast of any game. She also studied very hard. And after a year, she was able to walk holding her hand and even walk a few steps on her own. The power of desire was so great that it allowed her to do the impossible.
If you ask what ICT has to do with it, I will tell you that for such a victory over herself the club gave her a laptop. And she was just as eager to explore it and her capabilities. After finishing school she took online courses and now she is the administrator of a small community that helps persons with disabilities to solve their needs. Her work is just beginning, but something tells me it will be successful.
One of the challenges of working with persons with disabilities in the digital world is the rapid "obsolescence" of ICT knowledge. Due to the rapid development of technology, knowledge, skills, and abilities that were new yesterday may no longer be needed tomorrow. Therefore, one of the strategies in working with persons with disabilities is optimism, no matter how strange it may seem. A positive outlook on the situation, highlighting the moments with the support of already existing points of growth, allows us to move forward.
Utilizing the support of loved ones and other interested people is a productive strategy when working with persons with disabilities. Communication and transfer of positive experience from other people, "debunking the uniqueness of the problem" ("I'm the only one who can't make videos and I'll never learn how to do it") often become a guide for further development and improvement.
How have assistive technologies changed learning and work opportunities for persons with disabilities?
Assistive technologies are a leading tool for accessibility in education and employment for persons with disabilities. They are designed to address a variety of tasks related to physical, cognitive or communication limitations. First of all, assistive technologies have increased the independence of persons with disabilities in mobility, communication, education and employment. Thus, programs for duplicating verbal material in the form of written or gesture speech, use of subtitles allow to fully perceive the material, thus increasing the level of independence in mastering the material. Secondly, they helped to improve communication. The use of programs for alternative or augmentative communication, special devices, programs for the translation of oral speech into written speech allows persons with hearing impairment and autism spectrum disorder to communicate freely with people, which increases employment opportunities.
Thirdly, they enabled the development of skills and capabilities. For example, the use of special devices (special keyboards, alternative input and computer control devices, devices for manipulating and positioning the cursor, etc.) helps practical learning of the material and expanding the possibilities of performed actions for persons with locomotor disabilities.
The use of assistive technologies has made it possible to improve the quality of life of persons with disabilities, to create a comfortable space not only in everyday life but also in the conditions of performing employment activities and participating in social life. All this contributed to the reduction of barriers and stigmatization of persons with disabilities.
What one or two specific actions could be suggested/what is clearly lacking to improve opportunities for people with disabilities, maybe there is an example?
Have you ever thought about the fact that the words "disability" and "inclusion" have the same prefix - in- (in Russian language)? Except that it gives these words different meanings: negative in one case and positive in the other. The clear advantage in expanding the workforce of people with disabilities is - inclusion. Understanding the diversity and accepting the otherness of another person in their physical features ensures accessibility and inclusion in all spheres of life.
In general, it seems to me that along with the use of state social policy instruments (mass media, public organizations, local communities, and initiatives), it is necessary to involve representatives of large enterprises and organizations more widely in addressing the issue of improving opportunities for people with disabilities through various projects, grants, and competitions. And here we should not forget the principle of participation "Nothing for us without us", where the main experts should be persons with disabilities, we should not "do good" when it is not necessary.
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