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4.Kids in Cyberspace

One might think that the Internet is a way for children and teens with disabilities to meet and talk to other kids with disabilities; that it is a safe and accessible place to discuss disability issues. This is true, but everyone I have talked to says the best thing about the Internet is that on it, they are just like anyone else.

Lisa Wahl, the Director of the Center for Accessible Technology in Berkeley, California, says people "feel completely normal for the first time."⁵ Some people who use AAC cannot type fast enough to really participate in live "chat rooms", but most can participate be sending e-mail and posting messages on LISTSERVs, as well as just browsing through the information.

Vanessa, a teenager who relies on AAC, writes, "For the first time in my life, I am doing what every other teenager is doing, talking on the phone. The great thing is there’s no one looking over my shoulder! Being on-line is exciting. I love to hear the voice on America Online (AOL) say, You’ve got mail!"⁶

I talked with Sarah Armstrong, ⁷ who teaches children and teachers how to use the Internet. She has written an excellent book called A Pocket Tour of Kidstuff on the Internet.⁸ Armstrong says that a child can easily go on the Internet by third grade if not sooner. She recommends Uncle Bob’s Kids’ Page⁹ as a good place to start.

To help a young person get on the Internet, you need access to an Internet account. An Internet account gives you an e-mail address for sending and receiving computer mail. There are many ways to get an Internet account. You will want one that lets you spend a lot of time on-line. Ask friends, neighbors, relatives, librarians and teachers what Internet service they use. Try to get the same one so you can ask them questions while learning.

Internet safety

In regard to Internet safety, Armstrong says that just as parents make rules about television and talking to strangers, these same rules apply to the Internet. Parents and teachers have the responsibility to tell kids about Internet safety. Common sense rules are all it takes to have a safe and fun Internet experience. Many of the kids’ areas have an administrator, a "sysop," who censors unsafe communication.

• Don’t give out your address, phone number, or the name of your school.
• Don’t tell anyone where you will be (at school, on vacation, at work).
• Don’t stop to play in areas which are dominated by sex, drugs or violence.
• Leave and get an adult when someone is bothering you.

This article appears in AS Volume 2, # 3.

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