The Practical (and Fun) Guide to Assistive Technology in Public Schools: Building or Improving Your Districts AT Team

Cover Page......Page 1
Title Page......Page 2
ISBN 9781564842633......Page 3
About ISTE......Page 4
About the Authors......Page 5
Acknowledgments......Page 6
Contents......Page 8
Assistive Technology......Page 16
The Rules......Page 18
Our Glossary: The Language We Speak......Page 20
part 1: defining and understanding assistive technology......Page 24
Definitions of AT and Its Components......Page 26
The Meaning of “Any”......Page 29
The Meaning of “Accessible”......Page 30
Examples of AT Devices......Page 31
Examples of AT Services......Page 32
The AT Continuum......Page 33
The Best Answer......Page 35
2 this is not assistive technology......Page 36
Popular Misconceptions......Page 37
part 2: assistive technology and the IEP......Page 42
3 how to consider assistive technology in the IEP......Page 44
A “Thoughtful” Consideration......Page 45
Assistive Technology Devices Are Accommodations......Page 47
Use versus Need: The Battle Rages On......Page 51
AT Written into Goals Is a Big No-No......Page 52
You Know It, Whether You Know You Know It or Not......Page 53
The One, the Only: Recommending an AT Evaluation......Page 54
The Good, the BAT, and the UDLy: The Universal Design for Learning......Page 55
Use Whatchya Got......Page 57
part 3: building an assistive technology team......Page 60
Who You Gonna Call?......Page 62
New Tools of the Trade: Teachers Need Assistance......Page 63
Is Help on the Way?......Page 64
Resistance Is Futile: It’s the Law......Page 66
The Ripple Effect: One Tool Helps Many......Page 67
What One Person Can Do, Another Can Do......Page 68
Bad to Good to Great to Elite: AT Can Help You Get There......Page 69
The Digital Rapids: Fear Not Technology......Page 74
I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for NCLB......Page 75
Sprinkles, Whipped Cream, and a Cherry on Top: Every Student Benefits......Page 76
Live Long and Prosper: Life Skills......Page 77
Pennies in the Piggy Bank: Spend Technology Money Wisely......Page 79
Time in a Bottle: Streamline Strategy Shopping......Page 82
It’s Not What You Know, It’s What You’re Willing to Learn......Page 84
Slim Pickins: Hard-Working Folks Are in Demand......Page 86
The Dangers of a Multidisciplinary Approach......Page 87
It’s Okay to Say That You Don’t Know......Page 89
Take Me to Your Leader: The Assistive Technology Team Leader......Page 94
Oh Captain, My Captain: Team Leader Inclusion......Page 96
With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility: Defining the Plan......Page 98
Your Granddaddy Master To-Do List......Page 99
The Scenario Test Strategy: Try It On and See If It Fits......Page 101
Team Meetings......Page 102
Advisory Committees......Page 106
Staff Development Workshops......Page 107
Clones and Conferences: Learn, Baby, Learn......Page 110
Know the Code: Inventory Tracking......Page 112
License Detector: Software Tracking......Page 117
Contact Lenses: Keep Track of Your Hard Work......Page 118
Go Big or Go Home......Page 119
Your Wish Is Granted: Funding Sources......Page 120
Energize: Kitchen Confidential......Page 124
Mobilize: Endurance Pays Off......Page 125
Conceptualize and Mesmerize: Strategies and Promotions......Page 126
Customize: Cater to Their Tastes......Page 127
Centralize: The Assistive Technology Team Website......Page 129
Organize and Economize: Take Stock Before You Shop......Page 132
Advertise: Seize Every Opportunity......Page 133
Fraternize: Enlist Student Support......Page 135
Fantasize, Visualize, and Actualize: Future Visions......Page 137
The AT Zipper: Pulling AT and IT Together......Page 138
This Is a Test, and Only a Test: Software Evaluation......Page 141
Solutions for All: Add UDL to the Network......Page 144
AT and IT Roles Overlap......Page 147
part 4: assistive technology services......Page 148
It Begins with a Struggle......Page 150
Numbers as Indicators: Specific Data Is the Only Way......Page 151
The Comfort Zone: Defense against Complacency......Page 152
The Person with the Imaginary Office: Become a Regular......Page 153
Tools at Hand: It’s Not “What’s Out There,” It’s “What’s In Here!”......Page 155
I’ll Think of Something …......Page 159
Consultations Are Not Services listed on the IeP......Page 163
Singled Out: Staff Talk......Page 165
Where It’s AT: Anywhere, Any Time......Page 166
The Appalachian Paper Trail: Documenting Consultations......Page 167
e-mail Nation......Page 170
The Consultation list: Step-by-Step......Page 174
The Win–Win–Win–Win Scenario......Page 175
11 assistive technology evaluation requests......Page 176
Student Observation......Page 178
Following the One Rule = Good Will......Page 181
Every Request Is Appropriate......Page 183
First Come, First Served......Page 185
The Nature of the Beast......Page 187
Opening the Procedural Door for Evaluations......Page 188
Swimming with Sharks: Requests Should Be Specific......Page 189
A Request for Information: Targeting the Goals in Need of Support......Page 190
Before Recorded History: Addressing Known Challenges......Page 192
The Eligibility Concoction......Page 193
Web-It!......Page 194
Cut-Off Date......Page 195
Rescinding Requests......Page 196
Scheduling the Evaluation......Page 198
SETTing Yourself Up: A Framework for Success......Page 199
The Related Service Gold Mine......Page 204
Professional Courtesy......Page 205
Leave Judgments to Others......Page 207
Who’s Got Your Back? Taking a Partner Along......Page 208
Are Two Heads Better Than One?......Page 212
Believers and Skeptics, Trials and Tribulations......Page 214
Mix and Match......Page 219
Trial by Fire......Page 220
The Report Dissected......Page 222
Reasons for Recommendations: Justify!......Page 224
Facts and Opinions: Sworn Enemies......Page 226
Observation Section Style......Page 227
Cover Letter......Page 228
Don’t Procrastin… Ah, We’ll Finish That Later......Page 229
Bringing the House: Unlimited Recommendations......Page 232
The Right Tool for the Job......Page 233
The Generic Accommodation......Page 234
How Much Wood Could a Woodchuck Chuck If a Woodchuck Could Chuck Wood?......Page 236
It’s All about the Benjamins: Justification of Expenditures......Page 237
Every Penny Counts......Page 238
How a Recommendation Becomes a Law (Accommodation)......Page 242
Guess Who’s Not Coming to Dinner......Page 243
A Statement of Conclusion: Closing the Door......Page 246
May I Take Your Order?......Page 247
The Loophole Riddle......Page 248
The Evaluation List......Page 249
Johnny AT-Seed: Growing an Orchard......Page 252
Tilling the Classroom Soil......Page 253
Less Is More: Streamlining Paperwork......Page 254
One for All: The Needs of One Benefit All......Page 255
individual evaluation......Page 256
Easy Does It: The Classroom Evaluation Report......Page 257
I Want It All … and I Want It Now......Page 259
Always, Sometimes, Never: Sharing the Report......Page 260
From Classroom to Individual......Page 261
Year to Year......Page 262
Do With, Not For......Page 264
Training Wheels: Methods for Training......Page 265
Each One Teach One: Students as Trainers......Page 268
Paraprofessionals: Diamonds That Sparkle......Page 269
Never Underestimate Face Time......Page 270
Keeping Tabs via Progress Notes......Page 273
The Data Dragon: Objective Truths......Page 275
Collecting the Right Data......Page 276
Across All Disciplines......Page 278
The Data Collection Quandary......Page 281
Addendums and the Three-Year Itch......Page 282
18 assistive technology in the summer......Page 284
June, July, and August......Page 285
Summer Scenarios......Page 286
Functional Life Skills Form......Page 288
Collection Conundrum......Page 289
Every Minute Counts......Page 291
part 5 putting the pieces together......Page 292
AT Fight Club......Page 294
On the Right Track......Page 295
Question Everything......Page 296
The Faces......Page 299
20 nursery rhyme review......Page 300
Little Boy Blue......Page 301
This Little Team Member......Page 302
Baa, Baa, AT......Page 303
Humpty Dumpty......Page 304
Create-a-Team......Page 305
Hickory, Dickory, Dock......Page 306
Tom, Tom, His Eval is Done......Page 307
Mary Had a Little Device......Page 308
Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary......Page 309
You’re a Gem!......Page 310
references......Page 312
The Loophole Solved (rotated pages)......Page 313
The Loophole Solved (original pages)......Page 316