1. Assistive Technology Interview Carin Ashley Lawton EDU620: Meeting Individual Student Needs With Technology Dr. David Quinn, Ed.D. March 24th, 2015

2. Interviewee Joseph Go Employer: Assistive Technology Resource Centers of Hawaii (ATRC) Position: Assistive Technology Trainer Role: Educating, training, and connecting people with disabilities with potential technological alternatives that can make their daily living easier and more self-reliant.

3. 1. Choice of Technology Vision Assistive Technology Vision AT is divided into categories of size and portability as well as function

4. 2. How is the Technology Implemented Function Magnifiers Low-tech glass magnifiers High-tech digital magnifiers RUBY SmartLux Zoomax Snow 7 Closed-circuit television magnifiers (CCTVs) Text-to-speech readers Optical Character Recognition Technology (OCR Technology) Intel Reader KNFB reader Hybrids Prodigi Duo Visiobook

5. 3. Funding (Did they receive grants? Where did the funds come from? How were funds allocated?) ATRC is a non-profit organization and the state-designated Tech Act Program ARTC is mostly federally funded, but they also get funding from grants and other sources such as the Christopher Reeves foundation and government contracts Funds are allocated among different services that they provide such as: AT Depot AT Exchange Camp Cool Financial Loan Program

6. 4. Population Served Primarily serve the population of Hawaii, especially those with disabilities Although they serve those with disabilities Anyone who is a resident of Hawaii is served All people with different disabilities Vision Hearing Learning Mobility Daily Living Etc. All ages Elementary Intermediate High School College Students Working Adults Seniors

7. 5. Who is Impacted? (Is there a universal impact or does it affect one student?) The tools mentioned for vision can be used in the classroom setting Each tool is for independent/personal use These tools could be accessible in a classroom for use by any of the students when needed

8. 6. Incorporation into the Curriculum As stated in the previous slide a teacher can request to have one or varied vision AT in the classroom to promote and incorporate Universal Design for Learning (UDL) The teacher can have individual devices to be used and the teacher can utilize magnification when presenting information to the class

9. 7. How is Training Offered for the Device(s)? A 1-hour free demonstration and training $100 per hour of training RTS (Rehabilitation and Training Services) is a working contract with the Hawaii Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) to equip and train people with disabilities who want to become employed or pursue higher education.

10. 8. How are the Technology Devices Maintained? (What happens if one breaks?) Most AT are serviced monthly and maintained as far as general wear and tear. A security deposit for equipment over $100 that will be returned promptly at the end of the loan period if the device is in good, working condition.

11. 9. Review Likes and Dislikes Likes I appreciate the fact that they are a non- profit organization that is non-biased in terms of AT recommendations and are not beholden to any company. They try their best to accommodate and personalize both the AT and training needed for each client. Their service is based on consumer- input and they avoid “prescribing” AT along a cookie-cutter model. Dislikes Some of the weaknesses of their model of services include the bureaucracy surrounding the process. Because they receive funding from outside sources, they are sometimes tied in terms of the process and system that goes along with the funding. This sometimes causes delays and limitations in cost as far as equipment and training goes. They try to remedy this issue by working closely with the different funding organizations and earning their trust.

12. 10. Do they have any way to track whether it is beneficial to student learning? If so, how do they track this information? If not, why do they not have any way to track whether it is beneficial to student learning and how could they track this information? AT Depot program Short survey Interview DVR clients under the RTS contract Immediate feedback

13. References Assistive Technology Resource Centers of Hawaii. (2015). Retrieved from http://www.atrc.org/ National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities. (2009). Assistive Technology Act. Retrieved from http://nichcy.org/laws/atahttp://nichcy.org/laws/ata National Center on Universal Design for Learning. (2013). UDL and technology. Retrieved from http://www.udlcenter.org/aboutudl/udltechnology State of Hawaii Department of Human Services. (2015). Division of Vocational Rehabilitation. Retrieved from http://humanservices.hawaii.gov/vocationalrehab/http://humanservices.hawaii.gov/vocationalrehab/