Switch on the Learning

Technology, such as speech generating devices (SGD), offer a wide variety of ways for students with significant disabilities to independently interact with their environment. However, to be independent, students with severely limited mobility need some method of accessing this technology that requires minimal movement. Switches can provide any student, regardless of ability level, access to some assistive technology. This paper will focus on a step-by-step training plan to move a student from using a switch for a single purpose (e.g., activating a favorite leisure item) to discriminating between multiple switches to make choices. Practical suggestions for systematically expanding vocabulary and supporting generalization from the initial planning stages are included.