JSET ejournal
Effects of Acculturation on
Assistive Technology Service Delivery
Howard P. Parette
Illinois State University
Mary Blake Huer
California State University-Fullerton
Marcia Scherer
University of Rochester Medical Center
Given the increasing number of students with disabilities
from diverse cultural backgrounds who are being served in special
education settings (Harry, 1992), professionals have begun to
focus attention on processes and strategies for ensuring culturally
sensitive assistive technology (AT) decision-making (Parette,
Huer, & VanBiervliet, in press; Vanbiervliet & Parette,
1999). In the past seven years, numerous individuals have discussed
the impact of culture on AT decision-making (Hourcade, Parette,
& Huer, 1997; Parette, 1998; Soto, 2000; Soto, Huer, &
Taylor, 1997). Culture has been defined as a common set of beliefs,
values, behaviors, and communication patterns that are shared
by a particular group of people and learned as a function of
social membership (Soto, 1994; Soto et al., 1997). It has also
been described as a lens through which individuals see
themselves in relation to others and the world (Battle, 1993;
Soto et al., 1997). Culture exerts a strong influence
on the way in which professionals behave toward family members
in educational processes, and also affects the manner in which
family members perceive and respond to professionals (Misra,
1994). Inherent in AT decision-making is the assumption that
partnerships between professionals, family members, and the user
are desirable to most effectively identify appropriate AT solutions
for use by students with disabilities (Lahm & Sizemore, 2002;
Parette, VanBiervliet, & Hourcade, 2000).
These partnerships in making decisions about AT solutions include
consideration being given to a wide range of both low-tech and
high-tech AT devices. Examples of commonly used AT classroom
devices include (a) simple communication boards and wallets,
(b) electronic communication devices, (c) mobility aids, such
as long canes and powered wheelchairs, (d) expanded or adapted
keyboards, touch windows, and speech recognition systems, and
(e) magnification devices and computer screen reading adaptations
(Parette & McMahan, 2002).
Partnerships between professionals and families are also more
effective when consideration is given to cultural issues that
enable the AT team to better understand the characteristics and
requirements of the milieu/environments where AT will be used
(Institute for Matching Person and Technology, 2003). Cultural
issues have been shown to influence many aspects of AT decision-making.
For example, African American families have suggested that a
preference not to use augmentative and alternative communication
(AAC) devices in public settings due to the stigma associated
with having attention focused on the child and family (Huer,
1998; Smith-Lewis, 1992). Asian American families have reported
a preference that AT technical assistance and training be provided
by community liaisons rather than school personnel (Parette &
Huer, 2002). These and other reports (Hourcade et al., 1997;
Huer, 2000; Huer, Saenz, & Doan, 2001; Stuart & Parette,
2002; VanBiervliet & Parette, 1999) reflect a growing research
base that has contributed to an enhanced recognition of the importance
of culture in AT decision-making.
As noted by Lamorey (2002), "Understanding and building
on a family's cultural understandings of disability is essential
in creating partnerships with parents of children receiving special
education services" (p. 67). If professionals accept the
basic tenet that an understanding of culture, both in terms of
milieus/environments and family perspectives, is integral to
more effective AT decision-making, one aspect to the dimension
of culture that is little understood, and remains to be explored,
is acculturation.
The remainder of this article will focus on a discussion of the
process of acculturation and its relationship to AT decision-making.
A range of influences on the complex acculturation process will
be noted, along with a discussion of socioeconomic status and
its relationship to acculturation. Finally, specific recommendations
having relevance to AT teams will be presented.
