To assist public education agencies (PEA), parents, and other government entities in building their capacity to consider and implement assistive technology for students with disabilities in order to improve access to the general education curriculum.
Assistive Technology (AT) includes low-tech and high-tech products that enable people with disabilities to be more productive and independent. Assistive technology includes a wide range of products, from simple to complex and inexpensive to expensive. Examples of low-tech AT include pencil grips, tactile rulers, raised line paper, graph paper, large print text, adapted scissors, slant boards, Velcro, magnetic strips, magnifiers, highlighters, page flags, color transparencies, rubber stamps, timers, typewriter key guards, and teacher-made communication boards to name only a few.
An assistive technology device is any “item, piece of equipment or product system, whether acquired commercially off the shelf, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities of a child with a disability. The term does not include a medical device that is surgically implanted, or the replacement of that device.”
[20 USCS §1401(1)(2)34 C.F.R. 300.5].
An assistive technology service refers to any service that directly assists a child with a disability in the selection, acquisition, or use of an assistive technology device. This includes the following for a child with a disability:
- The evaluation of the needs of such child, including a functional evaluation of the child in his or her customary environment;
- Purchasing, leasing, or otherwise providing for the acquisition of assistive technology devices by children with disabilities;
- Selecting, designing, fitting, customizing, adapting, applying, maintaining, repairing, or replacing assistive technology devices;
- Coordinating and using other therapies, interventions, or services with assistive technology devices;
- Training or technical assistance for a child with a disability, or, if appropriate, the child’s family; and
- Training or technical assistance for professionals, employers, or other individuals who provide services to, employ, or are otherwise substantially involved in the major life functions of that child.
[20 USCS §1401(1)(2)34 C.F.R. 300.6].
Understood – for learning & attention issues
Hey, Can I try That? – A Student Handbook for Choosing and Using Assistive Technology
Assistive Technology: A Parent’s Guide
