The ADE/ESS Assistive Technology (AT) Team is pleased to announce the final installation of our 2024–2025 AT National Presenter series, Meaningful Activities to Increase Participation, Access & Communication for Students with Complex Bodies and Communication Needs, with Julie Marzano, M.S., OTR/L and Emily McCarthy, M.S., CCC-SLP. This presentation is intended for special education administrators, special education teachers, general education teachers, related service providers, and assistive technology specialists.

Date/Time:                  Tuesday, May 6, 2025 - 8:00 AM – 3:30 PM (Seats are limited; register now!) Please bring your own device

Fee:                                $25

Where:                          Gilbert Community Education Center

Address:                       6839 E. Guadalupe Rd., Mesa, AZ 85212

Julie Marzano, M.S., OTR/L, is a nationally certified occupational therapist who works and resides outside of Philadelphia, PA, with her husband and three children. She has over 20 years of experience working in the public school system and currently works at an approved private school serving students aged 3-21 with MANY abilities. Julie loves her job and enjoys the creative aspect of “thinking outside the box” to develop solutions from an OT perspective.

Emily McCarthy, M.S., CCC-SLP, is a nationally certified and licensed speech-language pathologist. She worked in the public school setting for 12 years before transitioning to early intervention. Emily now works with the birth-to-three population in Pennsylvania. Emily lives with her husband and three children just a few streets away from Julie in the suburbs of Philadelphia, PA. 

Julie and Emily are co-creators of Fine Motor Boot Camp and Tooth Camp.

Workshop Description:

Only 2% of students with IEPs in the United States are classified as having multiple disabilities. This population is often underserved in our community. Individuals who work with children with multiple disabilities sometimes struggle to find new and exciting ways to meet the needs of these students. Let’s “think outside the box” and focus on what our students can do! Learn how to use a strengths-based approach to guide active and meaningful participation for our students with multiple disabilities and complex needs in the areas of literacy, math, vocation, and recreation/leisure. Attend and leave re-energized, creative, and equipped with cost-effective activities that can be easily implemented the next day.

Objectives:

• Understand and apply a strength-based approach, including the concepts of “presuming competence” and “presuming potential” for students with multiple and complex needs.
• Gain knowledge of basic language development and modes of communication.
• Define and differentiate between core and fringe vocabulary.
• Define “active participation” for students with complex needs.
• Develop skills to differentiate curriculum and activities to enhance active participation for students with multiple and complex needs.
• Define and understand “active communication responses.”
• Gain knowledge of assessments for communication, including switch, touchscreen, and eye-gaze access methods.
• Increase active participation and access to education for students with complex needs.
• Learn strategies for using switches to increase participation in activities of daily living (ADLs), group activities, math, English Language Arts (ELA), vocational tasks, and recreation/leisure activities.
• Explore Speech Generating Device mounting options and hacks.

Register for Meaningful Activities to Increase Participation, Access & Communication for Students with Complex Bodies and Communication Needs

If you have questions about this training, please email [email protected].

Are you overwhelmed by professional development? Don’t have time for a 90-minute webinar? We got you! Join the ADE/ESS Assistive Technology Team for our spring series, Assistive Technology: Just One Thing (JOT). In these quick 30-minute sessions, we will highlight a single assistive technology tool or strategy that you can use to support your students.

Title:                JOT: Trello- How to Streamline Your Day and Reclaim Your Time

Presenters:     Rui Hernandez, M.S., CCC-SLP

Date:               Wednesday, April 30, 2025

Time:               11:30 AM-12:00 PM

Description: Overwhelmed with your never-ending to-do list? Come learn about Trello, a free, visual task management tool, and how it can help streamline your day. This webinar is specifically designed for educators and will explore practical applications like lesson planning, IEP tracking, parent communication, and resource management. Learn to create boards, lists, and cards to organize everything from daily tasks to long-term projects. Discover time-saving tips and tricks to boost productivity and reclaim your time. Walk away with actionable strategies to implement Trello immediately and conquer your daily chaos. Perfect for beginners, this webinar will empower you to work smarter, not harder!

Registration has closed. 

If you have questions regarding this professional development opportunity, please email [email protected]

Revised 1.23.2026

Are you overwhelmed by professional development? Don’t have time for a 90-minute webinar? We got you! Join the ADE/ESS Assistive Technology Team for our fall series, Assistive Technology: Just One Thing (JOT). In these quick 30-minute sessions, we will highlight a single assistive technology tool or strategy you can use to support your students.

Title:              JOT: Book Creator and Wakelet
Date:             Wednesday, December 11, 2024
Time:             11:30 AM-12:00 PM

Description:  Do you ever feel like you’re a content creator? No doubt you have students who need lessons presented in so many different formats: video, audio, ASL, high contrast, large print, highlighted text as you read, and more. Book Creator is a free tool that lets you easily create digital books that integrate all these UDL features! You’ll also learn how to integrate Book Creator and Wakelet to inspire student creativity (and your own) and enhance learning in the classroom. Learn how to combine the interactive storytelling and multimedia features of Book Creator with Wakelet’s curation platform to foster collaboration, personalize learning, and showcase student work.

Register for AT JOT: Book Creator and Wakelet

If you have questions regarding this professional development opportunity, please email [email protected].

The ADE/ESS Assistive Technology (AT) Team is pleased to announce the second presentation in our 2024—2025 AT National Presenter Series: Technology Tools to Support Executive Functioning and Self-Regulation for K-12, with Elisa Wern, M.Ed., OTR/L, ATP. This presentation is intended for special education administrators, special education teachers, general education teachers, OTs, PTs, SLPs, and assistive technology specialists.

Date/Time:                  Wednesday, November 13, 2024 - 8:00 AM – 3:30 PM (Seats are limited; register now!)

Fee:                                $25 - lunch on your own

Where:                          Conference Center at Rio – Rio Salado College (2323 W. 14th Street, Tempe, AZ 85281)

Elisa Wern is an Occupational Therapist with a master’s degree in special education and is a RESNA Certified Assistive Technology Professional (ATP). With over 20 years of experience in pediatric therapy, she presents at various state and national conferences, including regional training, AOTA, CEC, PATINS A2E, ATIA, Closing the Gap, OTAP/ECHO TIES Project, CATE, TalkingAAC, and AAC in the Cloud. Elisa is the Local Assistive Technology Specialist for Alachua County Schools in Gainesville, Florida, where she coordinates AT services for the district and serves as the Lead Occupational Therapist. In her spare time, she runs a private practice, AT & OT Consulting and Coaching, supporting students and families primarily through teletherapy evaluations, consultations, and interventions, as well as providing consultation for companies. She proudly served as a Year 1 Mentor as a Joy Zabala Fellow and coordinates the Facebook group book study on Comprehensive Literacy for All.

Session Description:
In today’s diverse classroom environments, fostering executive functioning and self-regulation skills in students is critical for their academic and personal success. This session is designed for K-12 educational staff and therapists who seek to integrate educational and assistive technology tools into their practice to enhance these essential skills. Participants will explore a range of innovative technological solutions, including low- and no-tech tools, apps, software, and devices, which can aid in improving organization, time management, task initiation, emotional regulation, and more.

Session Outline

• Overview of Executive Functioning and Self-Regulation: Understanding the key components, the research behind them, and their importance in student development.
• Assessment and Identification: Tools for assessing executive functioning and self-regulation challenges specific to the educational setting and occupational therapists.
• Technology Solutions: Detailed exploration of specific tools such as digital planners, reminder apps, visual schedules, and resources.
• Implementation Strategies: Practical guidance on integrating these tools into daily routines and individualized education plans (IEPs) and 504 Plans.
• Case Studies, Research, and Best Practices: Real-world examples of successful technology integration and its impact on student outcomes.
• Interactive Demonstrations: Hands-on opportunities to explore and experiment with selected technology tools.

By the end of this session, participants will be equipped with the knowledge and skills to effectively leverage technology to support the executive functioning and self-regulation needs of their students, leading to more independent and successful learners. The session includes hands-on time with no-tech, low-tech, and technology-based applications and strategies, featuring a mix of free and paid resources to support executive functioning.

Register for Technology Tools to Support Executive Functioning and Self-Regulation for K-12.

If you have questions about this training, please email [email protected]

The ADE/ESS Assistive Technology (AT) Team is pleased to announce our 2024—2025 AT National Presenter series kickoff presentation, Assistive Technology Consideration and Assessment Made Easy, with Penny Reed, PhD. This presentation is intended for special education administrators, special education teachers, general education teachers, OTs, PTs, SLPs, and assistive technology specialists.

Date/Time:                 Thursday, October 17, 2024, 8:00 AM – 3:45 PM (Seats are limited; register now!)

Fee:                                Free - lunch on your own

Where:                          ASU Chandler Innovation Center
                                        249 E. Chicago St., Chandler, Arizona 85225

Penny Reed, PhD, is an independent consultant in AT services and provides training on various topics related to AT, focusing on improving the delivery of AT services. Dr. Reed has a BS in elementary education, an MS and PhD in special education, and certification as both a principal and special education administrator. She was the director of the Wisconsin Assistive Technology Initiative (WATI) for many years and serves on the Quality Indicators for Assistive Technology (QIAT) Leadership Team. She is a founding member ofthe QIAT Consortium,the National Assistive Technology in Education Network, andthe Coalition for Assistive Technology in Oregon. Dr. Reed has authored and co-authored numerous articles and manuals, including her most recent publication, Best Practices in Special Education: A Framework for Assistive Technology (2022), with Gayl Bowser.

Workshop Description:

Are you confused about your responsibility to provide assistive technology devices and services?
Are you frustrated with delays in obtaining AT assessments from sources outside your district or the cost of those assessments?
Are you looking for an efficient, effective way to determine a student's need for assistive technology?
Then this workshop is for you.

Assistive Technology Consideration and Assessment Made Easy

This activity-packed workshop will present a team-based model for completing assistive technology (AT) consideration and assessment. It begins with a brief overview of the laws related to the provision of AT services in schools, including AT Consideration and Assessment. Participants will examine and discuss AT Consideration forms to determine what works for them. Then, an AT Assessment process will be explained. Specific, easy-to-follow forms will be provided. Participants will use the forms for guided practice in completing the AT Assessment process. The training will end with pointers for implementation planning. It would be most beneficial if participants could attend as a team.

Register for Assistive Technology Consideration and Assessment Made Easy.

If you have questions about this training, please email [email protected].

Overwhelmed by professional development? Don’t have time for a 90-minute webinar? We got you! Please join the Arizona Department of Education/Exceptional Student Services/Assistive Technology team for our spring series titled “Assistive Technology: Just One Thing” (JOT).

These fast, 30-minute sessions will showcase just one organizational or assistive technology tool or strategy that you can use in your classroom or teacher/therapist life. Are mornings or afternoons better for you? No worries—each JOT will be presented on Wednesdays at lunchtime and after school. Choose the time that works for you. The next spring session will take place on Wednesday, February 7, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and again from 3:30 to 4:00 p.m. The topic will be “Visual Scene Displays with Click AAC”.

Visual Scene Displays (VSD) provide a way to represent meaning. They have been a part of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) systems for years. Here’s a new vision on using VSDs as language organization on your iOS or Android devices.  During this JOT, we will look at an exciting, free, still-developing AAC app that can be used to enhance and support students’ current AAC systems or that can be an additional tool for classroom instruction and activities. Join us for a look at the Click AAC app.  

Register for the 11:30 a.m. session

Register for the 3:30 p.m. session

If you have questions regarding this professional development opportunity, please email the AT Team inbox.

Special Education Directors,

Writing better goals and effectively monitoring student progress towards those goals are foundational skills for Related Service Providers. Positive student outcomes can only be achieved when school-based therapists can do both consistently. Good data on good goals leads to effective interventions and allows therapists to write better progress reports in less time. And we know that “time spent on paperwork” is a leading cause of therapist burnout. For these reasons, we are very excited about the next presentation in our series of Related Service Provider Seminars, Creating Goals that Are Easy to Monitor and a Stress-Free Companion Monitoring Tool, with Carlo Vialu, PT, MBA, and Peggy Morris, OTD, OTR/L, BCP. This workshop is designed for Occupational Therapists, Physical Therapists, and Speech-Language Pathologists and will convey ASHA, APTA, and AOTA CEUs. Please share with your staff.

Creating Goals That Are Easy to Monitor and A Stress-Free Companion Monitoring Tool

Presented by ADE/ESS/Special Projects

Hosted by Littleton Elementary School District

Date: Wednesday, January 25, 2023

Time: 8:00 a.m.−3:30 p.m.

Fee: $120 (lunch on your own)

Where: Littleton Elementary School District

Address: 1600 S. 107th Ave, Avondale, AZ 85323

About Carlo Vialu

Carlo served as Director of Physical Therapy for the NYC Department of Education, overseeing a program with over 700 PTs working in more than 1,500 schools. He is the project manager of research on normative data for five mobility tests for school-aged children and co-founder of SeekFreaks.

About Peggy Morris

Peggy is an OT with 30+ years of pediatric experience in early intervention, private practice, and outpatient therapy, but most of her experience and passion are in school-based practice. She coordinates the post-professional MS and OTD programs and school-based certificate programs at Tufts University. She is Board Certified in Pediatrics through the AOTA and is a regular SeekFreaks contributor.

Workshop Description:

Are you ready for an easy way to write goals and monitor progress? Peggy and Carlo will walk you through setting goals that are easy to monitor and creating a monitoring tool that can help you decide whether your student is on track, if it is time to change the intervention, or if it is time to work on more challenging goals.

Stress-free monitoring begins with a well-written goal. While making a goal SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-Bound) is a great start, how many times have we written a SMART goal that contained too many conditions to be easy to measure? So, in the morning, you will learn the three common problems with SMART goals and the four strategies to make your SMART goal easy to monitor. You will practice utilizing Apply EBP’s simple worksheet for goal creation with the guidance of your instructors. You will then go through the three steps to create an accompanying data-collection system. You will gain four tips for making this system user-friendly for different team members and help make informed decisions. You will learn and practice using this data-collection system in making objective decisions about whether your student is on track or if it is time to change the intervention or goal.

Finally, you will learn two additional strategies to elevate your goals further: the Goal Attainment Scale (GAS) for more complex cases and the five steps for creating collaborative interprofessional goals.

Bring sample goals you need to improve and case vignettes that you find challenging. There will be multiple opportunities to practice goal creation, monitoring, decision-making, and interactive Q&A discussions with the instructors. Leave the day with concrete strategies and the confidence to create goals and monitor them meaningfully!

Register for “Creating Goals that are Easy to Monitor and A Stress-Free Companion Monitoring Tool”

If you have questions regarding this training, please email Margaret Egan or email Mitch Galbraith

Special Education Directors,

The ADE/ESS Assistive Technology (AT) team is excited to announce the next 2022–23 national presenter, Mike Marotta, ATP. Mike’s workshop is designed for special educators and related service providers.

“Explore and Identify Google Tools That Can Be Incorporated Into Educational Experiences”

Date: Wednesday, January 18, 2023

Time: 8:00 a.m.−3:30 p.m.

Fee: $21 (breakfast and lunch included)

Where: Sunnyside Unified School District

Address: 2238 East Ginter Road, Tucson, AZ 85706

About Mike Marotta

Mike Marotta, ATP, is the owner of Inclusive Technology Solutions, LLC. Mike has been in the field of Assistive Technology for almost 30 years. His experience revolves around a vast array of accommodations for persons with disabilities and their family/support members. Mike is the Director of the Richard West Assistive Technology Advocacy Center @ Disability Rights New Jersey, is the Founder @EdcampAccessNJ @EdcampAccessInt Co-mod #atchat Wed 8PM ET @BookCreatorApp Ambassador, and is a Raspberry Pi Certified Educator
Mike believes that networking and information-sharing are essential for the successful evaluation, consideration, implementation, and application of technology to support individuals of all abilities.

Workshop Description:

From Chrome apps and extensions to Google tools, Google can support all learners in your classroom. This full-day, in-person workshop will focus on exploring Google tools and identifying ways to incorporate these powerful tools into educational experiences. We will explore the feature match process to ensure a clear rationale for using built-in Chrome OS accessibility features, G Suite tools, and third-party Chrome apps and extensions. You will explore tools to assist students in the areas of reading, writing, and math, as well as with executive functioning skills that include time management, organization, task completion, and focus, to effectively meet the needs of every learner in all environments (classroom, transition, community). 

Register for “Explore and Identify Google Tools That Can Be Incorporated Into Educational Experiences”

If you have questions regarding this training, please email our AT inbox.

Special Education Directors,

The ADE/ESS Assistive Technology (AT) team is excited to announce our next 2022–23 national presenter: Therese Willkomm, PhD. Dr. Willkomm’s workshop is designed for special educators and related service providers.

Making AT for Educational Success: A “Hands On” Make and Take Workshop

Date: Thursday, December 8, 2022

Time: 8:00 a.m.−3:30 p.m.

Fee: $26 (breakfast and lunch included)

Where: Roosevelt School District Wellness Center

Address: 1030 E Baseline Rd, Phoenix, AZ 85042

About Therese Willkomm

Dr. Therese Willkomm, PhD, is the Director of New Hampshire's State Assistive Technology Program with the Institute on Disability at the University of New Hampshire (UNH). Dr. Willkomm is a clinical associate professor emeritus in the Department of Occupational Therapy. She developed, coordinated, and taught the assistive technology courses for the Graduate Certificate Program in Assistive Technology for 23 years. She is known nationally and internationally for her innovative strategies for creating solutions in minutes. She has designed and fabricated over two thousand solutions for individuals with disabilities. She has presented her work in forty-two states, ten foreign countries, and three U.S. Territories and has authored over twenty publications, including her recent book, Assistive Technology Solutions in Minutes Book 3: "Make Stuff and Love People."

Workshop Description:

This workshop will explore hundreds of assistive technology solutions that can be made in minutes using everyday tools and materials. Each participant will make ten different multi-use assistive technology solutions, including solutions for reading, writing, communicating, vision, physical access limitations, life skills, self-regulation, and tabletop mounting/stabilizing solutions. Attendees will receive a copy of Dr. Willkomm's latest book, Assistive Technology Solutions in Minutes Book 3: "Make Stuff and Love People."

Register for “Making AT for Educational Success: A “Hands On” Make and Take Workshop.”

If you have questions regarding this training, please email our AT inbox.

Special Education Directors,

The ADE/ESS Assistive Technology (AT) team is excited to announce the 2022–2023 National Presenter Series with Kelli Suding, MEd. This workshop is designed for special educators and related service providers.

“Assistive Technology Integration for All Students”

Date: Tuesday, October 25, 2022

Time: 8:30 a.m.−3:30 p.m.

Fee: $17 (Lunch only)

Where: Laveen Elementary School District

Address: 5001 W Dobbins Road, Laveen, AZ 85339

About Kelli Suding, MEd

Kelli has a background in general and special education classrooms. She holds a master’s degree in Learning and Technology and is certified in both general and special education instruction. Kelli has national, state, and local presentation and training experience. She has a strong understanding and experience in connecting theory to practice. Her instructional experience has been with students requiring mild, moderate, and intense intervention. Kelli’s specializations include universal design for learning, autism, accessible educational materials, assistive technology, Google Chrome accessibility and integration, and specific learning disabilities.

Workshop Description:

“Assistive Technology Integration for All Students”

Creating our classroom instruction with learner variability in the forefront will allow us to be mindful in meeting the needs of all of our students. Oftentimes, the use of assistive technology is the appropriate accommodation to meet those needs. Statements such as “That’s cheating. They need to do that by themselves,” are often comments aligned with the use of appropriate accommodations of accessible educational materials (AEM) and assistive technology (AT) for students with specific disabilities. But how can we promote a culture of universal design for learning (UDL) and at the same time step outside of our “No, it’s not cheating,” echo chamber to have meaningful conversations with educators who may see AT accommodations as a crutch?

This workshop will explore ways to debunk the mindset of “it’s cheating” through personal stories, understanding learning disabilities, short simulations, discussion of the different skill sets of reading, the “what” of AEM, and most importantly, the “why.” Attendees will learn about and have access to free/low-cost simple AT tools for Mac, PC, iOS, and Chrome extensions to turn classroom worksheets and documents into accessible formats, instruction for independent student access, and other assistive technology options.

If you have questions regarding this training, please email our AT inbox.

Register for Assistive Technology Integration for All Students.