information (Rose, Hasselbring, Stahl & Zabala, 2005). This may occur within a classroom or settings within the commu- nity where an individual or group of people may have difficulty understanding and using information. For example, in a class- room the students may be reading a book during a literacy activity and then answering questions about the book. Some children are using a typical book and others may use a digital book on a tablet using text to speech to “read” the book using an adaptive switch to turn the pages of the digital book. Another example is an older adult may read a standard newspaper in the morning, but their spouse may view the newspaper on their Smartphone with a magnifier app. due to their low vision. As these two individuals demonstrate, the guiding principles of the UDL framework suggest how literacy resources may be modified to accommodate a variety of learning needs. UDL, LEARNING AND LITERACY UDL may involve a wide variety of methods used to access information and to express and apply knowledge. This knowl- edge and application of knowledge is the process and outcome of learning. Learning is accessed through literacy activities and may also result in increased literacy as an outcome of the activity in a interdependent interaction between the activity, context and the person. Literacy connects the person to a continuum of learning which enables people to achieve their goals, to develop their knowledge and potential, and to partici- pate fully in their community and wider society (Unesco, 2023). The United Nations defines literacy as “the ability to identify, understand, interpret, create, communicate and compute, using printed and written materials associated with varying contexts” (UNESCO, 2008). However, other definitions expand literacy to include freedom of expression, to seek, receive and impart information and ideas in any form ie; oral, written, print or other media (Keefe, E. B., & Copeland, S. R., 2011). The defi- nition of literacy utilized impacts how one views literacy and may have different perspectives based on the person’s view of literacy. In addition, there are many kinds of literacy to consider including foundational literacy, functional literacy, and digital literacy to name a few. Foundational literacy involves the basic skills for reading, writing and communication needed to support all learning. Foundational literacy assists with and is connected to day to day functional activities resulting in func- tional literacy. Functional literacy is literacy needed to func- tion in daily life activities such as communicating with others to express a person’s wants and needs, and to make choices. It is further defined as the ability to interpret common written materials needed to effectively carry out basic daily life skills and participate in meaningful occupations and social roles (Grajo & Gutman, 2019). It involves ways of gaining information or knowledge in everyday life and conveying what the person knows such as reading instructions for a recipe to cook a meal,
making appointments to get a driver’s license, and even filling out an application to get a job or managing a bank account or budget. Grajo and Gutman (2019) propose 3 parts of functional literacy (a) literacy as a form of occupational justice promotion; (b) literacy as an approach to health facilitation, well-being, and adaptive capacity; and (c) literacy as a means to strengthen social connectedness. Definitions of literacy vary by discipline and perspective and further varies how one may interpret literacy in broader contexts. In schools or community education programs for adults typically the teacher is responsible for foundational literacy. As a person needs more assistance for the day to day functional literacy it may involve other professionals. One professional that may be involved is an occupational therapist. Although OT practitioners are not the primary professionals responsible for teaching individuals to read and write, it is within the OT scope of practice to assist clients to access literacy resources to improve occupational participation, especially for these func- tional literacy activities (Grajo and Gutman, 2019). This “access” may involve collaboration with the teacher and other team members in the school, hospital, or other community setting. As the need for adaptations become less mainstream it may require the use of assistive technology. Assistive technologies are defined as any device or service that is specifically designed to reduce barriers for people with disabilities (Rose, Harbour, Johnston, Daley, and Abarbanell, 2006). Universal design for learning (UDL) and assistive technology (AT) enable a person to expand their participation in occupations and daily life activi- ties by providing access to literacy throughout the lifespan. For instance, a person who learns to use their Smartphone to set up a doctor’s appointment or reservation at a restaurant or even make an appointment at the driver’s license center is able to expand their participation in daily activities in the area of health, social connection, and transportation. UDL and AT have become widely integrated tools that work collaboratively to improve access to different types of literacy. UDL, ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY AND LITERACY When considering using assistive technology it is important to consider theories and frameworks to organize our thoughts and process. As an occupational therapist this includes OT theory and frameworks, such as found in the Occupational Practice Framework 4th Edition (OTPF-4) and for assistive tech- nology practitioners it is AT theory such as the Human Activity Assistive Technology model (HAAT). The HAAT model empha- sizes matching the person to the technology by evaluating the dynamic interaction between the user, the activity, and the AT within the specific environment (context) of use. The usability of AT is determined by the interaction between these compo- nents, the degree to which a user can use AT to reach their goals effectively (completeness), efficiently (time and effort used),
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