Activate your background

How can your district connect with your state's AT program?
How can you collaborate with your colleagues to make sure that students with disabilities receive the AT they need?

Build background: Understand how districts support AT

Every state has an AT program that provides a range of services for individuals across the lifespan. Whether or not your district provides AT services, your state AT Act Program is an important partner in making sure students with disabilities are effectively matched to the AT they need. Visit the National Assistive Technology Act Technical Assistance and Training (AT3) Center to learn about these programs. Then find your state’s AT program and learn about the services they make available to school districts and families of students with disabilities.

Learn from two AT professionals from the Tigard-Tualatin School District in Oregon as they share personal and professional stories highlighting the power of assistive technology and accessible educational materials.

Podcast: The Accessible Learning Experience | S.01, Ep.06:
How Assistive Technology Opens the Door to Opportunity in Oregon (length 37min)

Download the transcript (doc) | Access this podcast at aem.cast.org

Takeaways

Collaboration is important. Collaboration between different departments, breaking down silos, and finding innovative ways to deliver education that accommodates various learning needs can play a key role in the successful implementation of AT.
AT works with accessibility. AT works when the materials are accessible.

Deeper insights on how districts support AT

Choose from this list of resources that showcase student and practitioner voices that can help deepen your understanding of how districts support AT.

Websites

Quality Indicators for Assistive Technology Guide
Learn from the official site of QIAT (Quality Indicators for Assistive Technology), which focuses on identifying, disseminating, and implementing a set of Quality Indicators for AT Services in school settings that can be used as a tool to support districts, AT service providers, consumers of AT services, professional developers, and policymakers.

State AT Programs
Find your state and connect with AT providers.

Georgia Department of Education Special Education Services and Supports - Assistive Technology
Learn about how this state uses AT to support student learning.

Reflect on new insights

How have the resources extended your understanding of how districts collaborate to support AT?

Compose an email or other communication to one of your colleagues. Let them know about one of the ways a district supported AT integration and why it was important. Here is an example:

You:
“Hey! Did you know this site supported AT by (share what that site did)? We should think about doing [list your action step or collaboration idea] because [add why this is important]. Here is a resource to check out (add a resource you recommend).”

Colleague:
“Thank you! I'm so glad you brought this thinking about how to support AT for individual students to my attention. We should also share this information with the IEP team.”

Back to Topic Homepage: 2.0 | Assistive Technology