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The Reading, Writing and Arithmetic of Assistive Technology
By Michael Cruse
Let’s face it; you spend countless hours on the computer. In today’s
society, it’s not uncommon to spend an hour in paying bills,
catching up with family and friends, and shopping for great vacation
deals, all from your computer. No matter what your initial
resistance to new technology, you have probably grown to see it as
indispensable to your everyday life. Now, imagine what this
technology means to a child who has grown up with its ever changing
pace? Imagine how much of your child’s life will be impacted by his
ability to adapt to new technology. The truth is that today much of
classroom success depends on access to technology that will support
academic development. For students with learning difficulties, this
technology is commonly referred to as Assistive Technology (AT). As
it becomes more widely used, it is simply being seen as a means to
help people with different learning styles meet their fullest
potential.
For students with problems keeping themselves organized, there are
countless technologies out there to help them get better organized
and help them stay on task. The problem is that in our
advertising-saturated society, it can sometimes be harder to figure
out what we need than it is to find out where to buy it. Many
schools offer a one size fits all approach to assistive technology.
However, students with more defined needs must be able to customize
the technology to provide better solutions for their particular
challenges. One of the better resources for finding out about new
technology solutions is Closing the Gap. This company offers online
forums for discussing assistive technology with other users, an
online guide to over 2,000 products, and a subscription database
that offers a 30-day free trial to help answer some of the more
frequent concerns of parents and educators. To access this free
trial, go to Closing the Gap’s website at
http://www.closingthegap.com
.
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act requires that
schools keep a record of any AT devices or services that a child
uses to perform in the classroom. As well, evaluating the need for
AT services is a requirement during the development of every child’s
Individualized Educational Program (IEP). Despite this requirement,
there is no shared definition for providing quality AT services. To
meet this need, an independent consortium at the University of
Kentucky have developed the Quality Indicators for Assistive
Technology (QIAT), which focuses on defining descriptors that serve
as guidelines for quality AT services. The QIAT consortium has been
used by school districts in the development and provision of quality
AT services that are aligned to federal, state and local standards,
as well as by consumers in the selection of AT services, and by
leaders in the development of policies governing the use of AT in
public education. You can learn more about the consortium’s research
online at
http://sweb.uky.edu/~jszaba0/QIAT.html .
Another consideration in all this talk of new technology is how to
pay for it. Schools provide AT for children to use in the classroom,
but this does not always guarantee that a child can take it off
school grounds to work on homework, or other projects. Cost is a
significant consideration in the purchase of many types of AT. One
resource for financial information on low-interest loans that can
help make this technology more affordable is right here in our area.
The Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of
North America (RESNA), located in Rosslyn, VA, has a comprehensive
website with links to Alternative Financing Programs, funded under
Title III of the Assistive Technology Act of 1998. RESNA recently
received a grant award from the U.S. Department of Education, in
part, to help support 33 alternative financing programs funded under
the AT Act. The Alternative Finance Technical Assistance Project can
be accessed online at
http://www.resna.org/AFTAP/index.html .
Assistive technology is offering students at all ages and ability
levels, the opportunity to excel in classroom, and beyond. While AT
offers many possible solutions for students with different learning
needs, the consideration of how to best implement this technology
into a child’s whole learning environment is something that must be
carefully considered. As with most important decisions, it pays to
be an educated consumer and to utilize the professionals and
resources that will help to make the best decision for your family.
In doing so, you will be providing your child with the chance to
develop the confidence and skills needed to succeed in our
increasingly technology-oriented world.
Washington Independent Services for Educational Resources (WISER)
members work to improve educational services and promote child
advocacy by providing resources to children and parents. Please
visit www.wiserdc.com or
call 301-816-0432 to find a specialist to work with your child and
family.. Michael Cruse, ED.S, a member of the WISER group, is a
learning consultant focusing on educational technology and the
transition from high school to college for students with learning
disabilities. He can be contacted via email at
cruse.co@gmail.com
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