Assistive Technology Or is it Educational Technology for everyone? Not just for students with IEP’s!

Presenters Kasie Hamman, General Education Teacher Sean Kugler, Assistive Technology Specialist Laura Leff-Allen, Special Education Teacher Amy Ronn, Special Education Teacher Valerie West, Speech Language Pathologist Linda Wilkins, Occupational Therapist

Definition The term assistive technology device means any "item, piece of equipment or product system, whether acquired commercially off the shelf, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities of a child with a disability. The term does not include a medical device that is surgically implanted, or the replacement of that device."[20 USCS §1401(1)(2)34 C.F.R ]. IDEA Statute: Title I/A/Section 602

The Continuum of Technology Assistive Technology No/Low Tech Simple Little Maintenance Limited or no electronics Mid Tech Some Maintenance Some Training More Electronics High Tech Complex Electronics More Training More Maintenance

Why Use Assistive Technology?  IDEA 1988 was the first time that IDEA governed the provision of AT  Provides students with another way to access materials  May motivate some students more so than only using traditional means  May help the teacher distribute their time/workload

Identify the Skill, not the Technology  When thinking about how best to implement technology, it is necessary to determine what skill the student needs support in.  After the skill has been identified, the appropriate technology can be identified as well.  ADE has created a tool to assist teachers in properly identifying both the skill and the technology options to support that skill.

Examples of Assistive Technology

Consideration Guide We will train staff on the guide.

Breaking Down the Guide The Guide specifically addresses:  Reading  Writing  Spelling  Math  Listening  Oral Communication  Activities of Daily Living  Recreation and Leisure  Prevocational and Vocational  Seating, Positioning and Mobility

Tasks What you want the students to do  Identify letters in isolation and sequence  Recognize/read name  Read basic/primer sight words  Comprehend age/grade appropriate reading materials  Read material from a worksheet with comprehension  Answer literal questions regarding materials

Standard Tools How the lesson is traditionally presented and carried out.  Worksheets  Textbooks  Workbooks  Presentation software  Websites  Printed testing materials

Accommodations Adjustments to the lesson to meet a student’s individual needs:  Increased time  Color code to emphasize key points (highlight)  Adding color background for student with visual needs  Adjusting the way things are printed  Spacing for letters or lines  Size  Color  Font

Modifications Changing a lesson for student compared to the rest of the class to meet a student’s individual needs:  Partnered reading  Using High-interest, low-reading level materials  Increased time to complete assignment  Decrease length of assignment  Simplify complexity of Text  Color code to emphasize key points (highlight)  Customize the vocabulary list  Use symbol-supported text

AT Solutions The items used to help the students achieve the lesson goals. These will vary depending on the lesson.  Slant boards  Overlays  Audio books  E-readers or E-text  Text-to-speech software  Screen readers  Mobile devices with a variety of applications  Speech-to-text software

Exploring A Lesson Math Math Task: Task: Standard Tools: Standard Tools: Accommodations: Accommodations: Modifications: Modifications: AT Solutions: AT Solutions:

Exploring A Lesson Cherry Blossom Festival Cherry Blossom Festival Task: Task: Standard Tools: Standard Tools: Accommodations: Accommodations: Modifications: Modifications: AT Solutions: AT Solutions:

Exploring A Lesson Christmas Christmas Task: Task: Standard Tools: Standard Tools: Accommodations: Accommodations: Modifications: Modifications: AT Solutions: AT Solutions:

Thank You!