Assistive+Technology

[|Examples of Low, Mid and High Tech Assistive Technology]
Boston Public Schools-Assistive Technology Continuum of Low to High Tech Tools

[|Accommodations Resource Manual created by the Council of Chief State School Officers]
This manual provides a comprehensive list of types of accommodations, modifications and assistive technology. The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) is a nonpartisan, nationwide, nonprofit organization of public officials who head departments of elementary and secondary education in the states, the District of Columbia, the Department of Defense Education Activity, and five U.S. extra-state jurisdictions. The CCSSO provides leadership, advocacy, and technical assistance on major educational issues. The Council seeks member consensus on major educational issues and expresses those views to civic and professional organizations, federal agencies, Congress, and the public.

[|Closing The Gap] Be sure to check out the low cost webinars
====Founded over 25 years ago by Budd and Dolores Hagen, parents of a child with a disability, Closing The Gap provides professionals, parents and consumers with the information and training necessary to best locate, compare and implement assistive technology into the lives of persons with disabilities.====

[|Maryland Assistive Technology Network]
Great resource for educators and parents. Free online webinars for explaining assistive technoloy, the SETT Framework, and UDL

[|Quality Indicators for Assistive Technology- Guiding the Provision of Quality AT Services]
The QIAT Consortium is a nationwide grassroots group that includes hundreds of individuals who provide input into the ongoing process of identifying, disseminating, and implementing a set of widely-applicable Quality Indicators for Assistive Technology Services in School Settings

[|Center for Technology in Education-Together for Good in Maryland-Technology Planning and Integration in Schools]
This publication focuses on how technology can be used to improve the educational programs of students with disabilities in inclusive schools

[|Wisconsin Assistive Technology Initiative]
A nationally recognized effort to help school districts develop or improve their assistive technology services.

[|Adapted Pencils to Computers]
Adapted Pencils to Computers: Strategies for Improving Writing is the work of the Writing Performance Subcommittee of the Maryland Assistive Technology Network (MATN)



Session Description:
Technologies and other digital tools have been developed in the last 15 years with the potential to serve as scaffolds to support and improve the writing skills of students who are low achieving or have learning, behavioral or cognitive disabilities. Based upon a research synthesis of technology-supported writing interventions, evidenced-based tools for supporting and improving the planning, organization, drafting, editing and revising skills of students who struggle to write will be addressed.

Presenters:
[|Session features and overview]
 * George Peterson-Karlan**, Professor of Special Education, Illinois State University



Session Description:
IDEA 2004 requires that specialized formats of textbooks and core related instructional materials be provided in a timely manner to students with print disabilities. What are core related instructional materials, specialized formats, and print disabilities? How do teams determine if specialized formats are needed? How do they acquire these materials? Explore the issues related to accessible instructional materials and hear about how the 15 states in the [|AIM Consortium] are working together to address these questions.

Presenters:

 * Joy Zabala**, Project Manager, AIM Consortium; and **Diana Foster Carl**, Special Projects Coordinator, AIM Consortium

[|Assistive Technology: Written Productivity and Assessment]

Session Description:
Assistive technology is known for offering support to struggling writers, but how do you determine the appropriate solutions for individual students? In this day and age of accountability through assessment, it is imperative to have a process for evaluating writing issues for students with learning disabilities. This presentation will describe a 4-step process for gathering concrete, quantitative data to shed light on a student’s writing difficulties. This presentation will be of interest to diagnosticians, occupational therapists, special educators and general educators.

Presenters:

 * Denise DeCoste**, Team Leader, High Incidence Accessible Technology (HIAT), Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS)

[|Assistive Technology Devices] lists the different assistive technologies that are available so that students can communicate with others.

[|Camera Mouse] Camera Mouse is a free program that enables you to control the mouse pointer on your computer screen just by moving your head.

[|Tech Matrix] Find and compare educational and assistive technology products side by side to make informed decisions. The TechMatrix is a product of the
 * National Center for Technology Innovation(NCTI)
 * Center for Implementing Technology in Education (CITEd)

With support from the
 * U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs(OSEP)
 * NEC Foundation of America

[|Switch Scanning Technology] online animation examples of the different switch scanning systems available.