How does Technology help disabled people?

Discussion: The children will be given the question how does technology help people who are disabled? Once discussed in class they will post their ideas on wiki.

Lesson:
Day 1: Children will research how technology has helped people who are disabled, using wheelchairs specifically (because one of our students father is currently in one). The children will discover how wheelchairs are made through a number of simple machines working together to make a complex machine. The children will podcast their findings.

Day 2: Discussion of what makes a building accessible i.e. parking spaces, slope of ramps etc. Have people who work in construction come in and show the children what they need in order to find the specific slopes for ramps, size of spaces, width of doors etc. Children will podcast their findings.

Day 3: Using a construction tool to measure the ramps on campus the children will walk around school measuring all areas to check for accessibility. Children will podcast their findings.

Day 4: Children will begin their design of their own accessible ramps on the computer. Podcast how this worked and if their were any changes that needed to be made.

Day 5-7: Children will begin building their ramps. Digital photographs will be taken while working as well as videos and podcasts. When day 7 ends the children will do a culminating podcast discussing what worked, what didn't, how it had to be changed from beginning to end, etc. They will use earlier podcasts to do their final reflection thoughts.

Day 8: The ramps will be measured and tested. We will have our construction friends come back our and measure, then we will borrow a wheelchair from our students father and have the children roll up the ramp. The children will podcast how their ramp worked, compare the other ramps built and discuss what was learned from this activity.