Special Education: Synthesis of Music, Media and Technology
-- August, 2008
We are all people, and we all have special needs. Personally, I have serious problems with my back and legs. I know another person who problems with social situations. However, there are people who have special communication and physical needs that inhibit their ability to take care of themselves. These are special people, or people with special needs.
This community is often forgotten, hidden away and only regarded when it affects a person's own life. My wife, Mrs. Rhythm, has a remarkable sister who is a continual, mature child with special needs. She has difficulty communicating and taking care of herself, but in everyway she is special and a contributing member of our society. These people can teach us more about life than any news channel or self-help book. They can reveal aspects of our surroundings that would otherwise go unnoticed and moreover this community is an integral part of our world culture.
The question of this short article is how can music, media and technology enlighten this community in a positive manner? I can speak through experience that music is a powerful device in the lives of special and remarkable citizens. My sister-in-law can travel from emotions of pure happiness to sincere sadness by just hearing a certain song. She can turn on the radio whenever she likes, and often will do so when she is in a very good mood. Music in her life serves as a soundtrack, a guide and cue to her memory. When she interacts with a computer she is enthralled with pictures and videos that can be seen and accessed. She can have hours of fun with a toy that has simple one-to-one interaction that includes sound and music. Music, media and technology functions this way in all of our lives and we mostly take it for granted. At times we may hear a song that was played at a wedding, or a funeral and that may provoke emotion, or contrastly a particular style may make an individual cringe in disgust. We are delighted when our iPhones can take a picture, or when we create a simple program that lights up an LED through our computers. We all in one the same.
Special education is the field of positively developing individuals with special needs. Often music, media and technology are included in this education, but what if there was a specific way in which these devices were implemented in way that could effectively engage people with specific special needs? These children and adults need a different way of being expressive. Could there be an environment developed, either digital, physical or hybrid, that is versatile enough to affect a large majority of this community? We have the tools, motion tracking, artificial intelligence, robotics, software, hardware, etc. But why is the progress in this field, assistive technology, so slow?
The answer is assistive technology does not make enough money. Tools in this field are expensive and do not sell enough to create large profit margins. Since the demand and supply is low, the price is exorbitantly high. The solution? Industry and higher education need to collaborate and find a way to create environments and tools for these communities that can also crossover to the greater consuming public.
For example, the automatic door buttons in public buildings are quite useful for people making deliveries, carrying bags or objects, or the elderly who may not be able to pull a heavy door. The technology was intended for people with physical disabilities, but useful to a variety of people. Using music, media and technology to create dynamic leaerning systems (environments and tools) are not solely intended for the special needs community. Children and adults could also benefit from these innovations. We just need people to invest the time and institutions to take the risk in developing these technologies and media.
Keep in mind the next time you encounter someone who is disabled or has specific and special needs that they are really no different from you. We all have unique problems and needs and we as a global community can collaborate to make everyone's lives better and the world an even more special place.
In good musical health,
Dr. Rhythm
