Introduction: Assistive Technology for Students
with Mild Disabilities
What is Assistive Technology?
Assistive technology is a very broad term that refers to:
"Any item, piece of equipment, or product system, whether
acquired commercially or off the shelf, modified, or customized,
that is used to increase, maintain, or improve functional
capabilities of people with disabilities" (Technology-Related
Assistance for Individuals with Disabilities Act of 1988).
View
a summary of what is often referred to as the Tech-Act,
and a more recent reauthorization of this act.
When we consider assistive technology, we're talking not
only about devices, but also about assistive technology services,
which are defined as:
"Any service that directly assists a child with a disability
in the selection, acquisition, or use of an assistive technology
device. Services include:
- Evaluation of functional needs
- Purchase, lease, other provision for AT
- Selecting, fitting, designing, customizing...
- Coordination with other therapies
- Training or technical assistance (child, parents, teachers,
employers)" (Technology-Related Assistance for Individuals
with Disabilities Act of 1988)
As you can guess from the above, assistive technology covers
a broad range of devices and services, from pencil grips to
communication boards; from a laptop computer to parent training
to use a Braille reader at home. It's important that you realize
that assistive technology is not limited to types of devices,
such as Braille readers, communication boards, and switches
that are often used by individuals with more severe disabilities.
Assistive technology includes these types of devices as
well as instructional technology, including laptop and
desktop computers, hand-held personal digital assistants,
and instructional software.
Various laws support the provision of assistive technology
as a component of students' educational programs. For example,
the Technology-Related
Assistance Act of 1988 provided funds for states to establish
a network of assistive technology services that could help
educators, consumers, service providers, employers, and others
who could benefit from knowledge and services related to assistive
technology. Nearly all states in the country have established
statewide resource centers that can help educators and schools
as they attempt to use assistive technology for individuals
with disabilities. Michigan has established the Michigan
Assistive Technology Resource, or MATR. "The overall
purpose of Michigan's Assistive Technology Resource (MATR)
is to provide information services, support materials, technical
assistance, and training to local and intermediate school
districts in Michigan to increase their capacity to address
the needs of students with disabilities for assistive technology."
See assistive technology initiatives in states other than
Michigan by visiting the Rehabilitation
Engineering Society of North America's (RESNA's) Technical
Assistance Project.
A wonderful resource for leaning more about assistive technology,
the research and legislation that supports its use, and the
types of assistive technologies being used by students and
teachers is the National
Assistive Technology Research Institute.
In addition to support provided through the Tech-Acts, IDEA
supports the use of assistive technology in the schools. For
example, the most recent reauthorization of IDEA states that:
"Each public agency shall ensure that assistive technology
devices or assistive technology services, or both, as those
terms are defined in §§300.5-300.6, are made available
to a child with a disability if required as part of the child's
(1) Special education under §300.26; (2) Related services
under §300.24; or (3) Supplementary aids and services
under §§300.28 and 300.550."
and,
"on a case-by-case basis, the use of school-purchased
assistive technology devices in a child's home or in other
settings is required if the child's IEP team determines that
the child needs access to those devices in order to receive
FAPE [free and appropriate public education]."
Some of the legislative mandates that support assistive technology
use, and their implications for teachers, are discussed in
this week's assigned reading. Furthermore, that article reviews
ways to help educators and parents ensure that technology
is considered as a part of the educational planning process
for students with mild disabilities.
Let's now consider ways in which assistive technology can
help students with mild disabilities in inclusive classrooms.
Below, we'll highlight some of the more common uses of assistive
technology to provide students with access to and success
in the general education curriculum.
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