1 Assistive Technology? What Does It Have to Do with Me? Joy Zabala,, M.Ed., ATP Assistive Technology and Leadership Lake Jackson, Texas Email: [email protected]@joyzabala.com.

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Assistive Technology? What Does It Have to Do

with Me?

Joy Zabala,, M.Ed., ATPAssistive Technology and Leadership

Lake Jackson, Texas

Email: [email protected]

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The Legal Evolution of Access

• EHA, 1975 Access to schools

• IDEA, 1990 Access to classrooms

• IDEA ’97 Access to and progress within the general education curriculum

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IDEA ’97

• Improved student performance

• Increased accountability

• Strong parental participation

• High expectations for student achievement

• Linked to the general education curriculum

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No Child Left Behind Act of 2001

• Improved Performance by all students

• Accountability for Student Achievement

• Increased Parental Involvement

• Focus on What Works • Flexibility

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President’s Commission on Excellence in Special

Education• Focus on results• Embrace a model of prevention

• Consider children with disabilities as general education children first

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Congressional Intent of IDEA ’97

•Requires consideration of AT in the IEP process

•Places responsibility for decision-making with IEP teams

Increased Emphasis on Assistive Technology

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We’re All in This Together…

General Educators

FAMILIES and PERSONAL SUPPORT

STUDENT

Related Service Providers

Special Educators

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How can I tell if a student needs AT?

 How can I be a good steward of public funds?

How can I help make good

decisions for students?

What IS Assistive Technolo

gy?

Where do I go for help when I need it?

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Five Things Everyone Needs to Know

about Assistive Technology

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A Team Approach is Required!

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• Team membership is flexible and based on the needs of the student

• Multiple perspectives are vital• Team members bring different gifts - knowledge, skill, observations, ideas, suggestion

• Focus is on the common interest in student progress and aligning thoughts on how to best foster it

Big Ideas about Teams

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What is Assistive Technology?

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• A legal term related to use and need, not specific items

• Any item that enhances capabilities and removes barriers to performance

• Related to function, not disability category

Big Ideas about AT

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• Seating/Positioning• Hearing• Seeing• Self-care• Mobility• Behavior• Other areas

• Reading• Written Expression

• Math• Communication• Recreation• Daily organization

Instructional/Functional Skills

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• Applicable to all disability groups

• Applicable in all phases of education

• Not replacements for instruction in academic and social skills

• Part of a system

Big Ideas about AT

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How Can I Tell if a Student Needs AT?

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• Try what you know• Work collaboratively• Use a systematic approach to problem analysis and solution seeking

• Recognize that assessment and intervention form a continuous, dynamic process

Big Ideas – Decisions

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The SETT Framework

•Student•Environments•Tasks•Tools

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The Goal of SETT Framework

… to help collaborative teams

create SStudent-centered,

EEnvironmentally-useful, and TTasks-focused TTool systems

that foster the educational success of students with disabilities

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Student

• Areas of concern

• Strengths• Current educational performance

• Evaluation information

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The StudentThe Student

• What is the functional area(s) of concern? What does the student need to be able to do that is difficult or impossible to do independently at this time?

• Special needs?• Current abilities?

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Environments

• The customary environments in which the student is (or can be) expected to learn and grow

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The EnvironmentsThe Environments

• Arrangement• Support• Materials and Equipment

• Access Issues• Attitudes and Expectations

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Tasks

• The specific things that the student needs to be able to do to reach expectations and make educational progress

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The TasksThe Tasks

What tasks are a part of being actively involved in educational environments ?

•Communication•Instruction•Participation•Productivity•Environmental Control

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Tools

• Whatever is needed by the student and others for the student to do in tasks in order to meet expectations

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Tools

• Strategies• Accommodations• Modifications• Devices• Supports• Services• Etc.

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How can I make good decisions for students and be a good steward

of public funds?

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• Make least complex tools that will remove barriers to performance a first consideration

• Recognize that assistive technology can BE a barrier

• Try to determine tool systems that remove more barriers than they create

Big Ideas – Decisions and Stewardship

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• Avoid device abandonment and underutilization

• Try before you buy • Plan for implementation• Identify expected change• Evaluate effectiveness • Think Return on Investment (ROI)

Big Ideas – Decisions and Stewardship

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When do I need help and where can I get

it?

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• On Campus – Others using AT/IT• In District- Assistive Tech Leaders

• In State– MICCA– JHU Center for Technology in Education

– Maryland Assistive Tech Network– MATN Summer Institute

Big Ideas – Getting Help

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• Online – Policy to Practice for Assistive Technology(http://cte.jhu.edu)

– MATN Electronic Learning Community– QIAT (http://www.qiat.org)– Me (http://www.joyzabala.com)– Search for Assistive Technology– Search for Technology and Disability

Big Ideas – Getting Help

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Big Ideas in Action!

- Kathryn and Mr.Weber

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Freda AdlerFreda Adler

“We measure progress not only by the

questions we have answered, but also, by the questions we are still asking or have just begun to ask…

for knowledge alters what we seek

as well as what we find.”