1. Assistive Technology Helping Students Increase, Maintain or Improve

2. Who I am?  Sean Kugler, skugler@fusd1.org, www.fusd1.org/atskugler@fusd1.orgwww.fusd1.org/at  Husband  Father  Assistive Technology Specialist  Teacher/Trainer  Coach

3. What are your careers?  Teacher: Special Education and/or General Education  Transition Specialists  Office Managers/Secretaries  Administrators  Psychologists  Therapists – Occupational, or Physical  Speech Language Pathologists  Counselor – Academic and/or Social  Support staff

4. Overview  Definition of Assistive Technology  Examples of Assistive Technology  Why use Assistive Technology  Introduction to the AZ-TECH Consideration Guide  Idea sharing activity (time permitting)

5. Assistive Technology (AT) Defined? Any product or device… used by a person with a disability… to maintain, improve, or increase functional capacity. (off the shelf, modified, or customized) Assistive Technology of Alaska

6. So, exactly what is assistive technology?  Assistive Technology (AT) describes a wide range of tools used to Increase, Maintain, or Improve functional capability  These tools aid almost every functional skill area such as: vision, hearing, mobility, sitting, communication, accessing a computer, as well as  Every academic area  Employment site  Social setting  Tools range from high-tech (devices, computer software, etc) to low-tech (magnifiers, page fluffers, pencil grips)

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

8. Assistive Technology: What exactly is it? Communication DeviceKeyboards

9. More Assistive Technology

10. Even More Assistive Technology

11. …And More Assistive Technology

12. But wait, there’s even more…

13. What makes it Assistive Technology?  It is used by someone with a disability to support their needs due to their disabilities.

14. 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 her time/workload  May help a student achieve and maintain employment  May help student to continue their education

15. 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, then 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.

16. The AZ-TECH Consideration Guide  Guide to access Arizona’s college….. Standards  http://www.azed.gov/special-education/files/2011/08/attachment-9-az-tech-consideration-guide.pdf http://www.azed.gov/special-education/files/2011/08/attachment-9-az-tech-consideration-guide.pdf  Specifically addresses:  Reading  Writing  Spelling  Math  Listening  Oral Communication  Activities of Daily Living  Recreation and Leisure  Prevocational and Vocational  Seating, Positioning and Mobility

17. General Layout Instructional AreaStandard ToolsAccommodations/ Modifications Assistive Technology/Soluti ons Read material from worksheet with comprehension Worksheet Document Camera Color code to emphasize key points Provide peer/adult reading assistance Tracking Strategies Text-to-speech software

18. Highlighting Tape Simple solution to teach spelling patterns, parts of speech, etc.

19. More Examples Upper ElementaryLower Elementary

20. Natural Reader  Natural Reader Video Natural Reader Video

21. Open Discussion…  What ideas do you have for using AT to help your students?