Maine Learning Technology Initiative

Thanks to the folks who logged in Thursday afternoon or evening to participate in the webinar, Considering a Student’s Need for Assistive Technology. My guest facilitator was Mary Beth Walsh of Mainely Access Inc, a company in southern Maine that conducts computer access evaluations, training in the use of assistive technology (AT), and production of Braille. Mary Beth and her business partner, Mike Adams, have been supporting students with disabilities in accessing the MLTI laptops since the inception of the program.

We set out with the essential question,
What are the considerations for achieving successful AT integration?

First, what is AT? Mary Beth explained it in terms of student independence. That is, AT is anything that allows a student to accomplish a task without relying on another person. We pondered this for awhile, discussing the implications for student self-direction, motivation, engagement, and self-monitoring. Envision a student who has the freedom to control the rate at which a text is read aloud to her, even being able to pause upon demand, rewind, fast forward, all in the pursuit of independently accessing the content of the material.

A Federal definition of AT, presented in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1997 (IDEA ’97), also exists.

To further illustrate the definition of AT, we used the “AT Continuum,” which presents AT as low-tech, mid-tech, and high-tech (see figure below). Mary Beth described her experience of oftentimes working with professionals who assume that AT has to be expensive and sophisticated. She explained that, typically, the best place to begin matching a student with the most appropriate AT is with the least expensive, least complicated, and least intrusive options. From there, technology with more features and supports can be added to the AT assessment process.

We also emphasized the second part of the definition of AT, which is AT services. “AT service” is included in the Federal definition of AT, as presented in IDEA ’97 and means, “any service that directly assists a child with a disability in the selection, acquisition, and use of AT.” This was the heart of our webinar. Documented evidence and research indicates that the common causes of student underutilization and abandonment of AT are (1) the technology not being environmentally useful and (2) not designed to support the student in accomplishing relevant tasks.

And beyond the selection and acquisition of the most appropriate AT (or system of AT) for the individual is the need for training of the student, the professionals, and the family. Regardless of where the AT exists along the low-tech to high-tech continuum, everyone involved in the student use of the technology must understand the environment(s) in which the AT is most suited for use, and the tasks for which it is best designed to support the student.

Mary Beth suggested the SETT Framework as a guide for conducting an AT service.

S tudent
E nvironment
T ask
T ool

According to Joy Zabala, the creator of SETT, the framework “considers first, the STUDENT, the ENVIRONMENT(S) and the TASKS required for active participation in the activities of the environment, and finally, the system of TOOLS needed for the student to address the tasks.”

In addition to a proper AT assessment, I asked Mary Beth for her recommendations to minimize the possibility of the abandonment or underutilization of AT by a student. She stated that a strategy is to introduce AT in the early grades rather than waiting until middle school or high school. In the early grades, kids are typically more receptive to try new tools, and they are less likely to be concerned about the perceptions of their peers. The likelihood of such a student maintaining use of his AT over time is much greater than a student who is introduced to AT in middle school or high school and at a high risk of feeling stigmatized.

The final considerations of successful AT integration that we identified were:

Meaningful and sustained collaboration
Mary Beth stated that, in her experience, collaboration is the single most important factor in ensuring success. The student, special educators, general educators, parents, specialists, and service providers must work together and across disciplines. And this collaboration must be sustained beyond the AT service and the IEP meeting.

High expectations
Students who use AT must be held to the same high expectations as their peers. AT is an accommodation, not a modification to a student’s learning goals. The only exception to this rule is if modifications to the curriculum have been determined for a student via the IEP process.

Strong transition program
Students are under our system of support for only so long. Eventually, they will move on to postsecondary life. Regardless of a student’s postsecondary plans, they need to be prepared for independence and self-advocacy. Mary Beth pointed to the importance of a strong and well-implemented transition program as a marker for successful AT integration.

Web Resources Shared

Here are the resources that were presented during the webinar, as well as shared by folks in the Chat Pod:

Maine’s AT Act project, MaineCITE

A guide to specific questions that a team should ask when considering AT

Family Guide to Assistive Technology

IRIS Resource Locator