Pasco+-+Patsy

1. have a back up plan or system! A technology specialist I work with at one of my schools has this as her email signature "It's technology, things happen." 2. have fun. Isn't finding a solution for someone having difficulty incredibly rewarding? 3. check to see if the student needs all the bells and whistles. ( See # 3 in the don'ts...I know, it's sounds contradictory but most of us know it isn't. There are some kids that do need all of the bells and whistles.) 4. think about the price if there is more than one option (See # 4 in the don'ts) 5. remember there is a difference between educationally necessary and educationally relevant (See #4 in the don'ts) 6. continue to learn, try new ideas and equipment, talk to others in the field 7. try to make life easier for people with and without disabilities.
 * Assignment 1 - Intro**
 * Do**

1. infer that a student wants the technology. Is it too heavy, too awkward, too "nerdy", too noticable? 2. assume because a student **CAN** use it means he/she **WILL** use it. 3. infer that high tech is always the answer. Sometimes no tech, low tech or lite tech is just easier and quicker, making it more functional. 4.even think about how much it costs if it is educationally necessary and the only answer. (See # 4 and # 5 in Dos) 5. try to "fix" a disability, some individuals are offended by us trying to change something that is a part of them (See # 7 in Dos)
 * Don't**

What to consider when providing Low Tech... 1. Things that are easiest to implement and used most are things that are not intrusive or and don't require special equipment. 2. No/low tech solutions are often appropriate and will be used most often and across environments. The solution needs to be educationally necessary and "do the job", which isn't always the most high tech. 3. The more complicated it gets, the less chance there is that the assistive technology will be used and the more problems there may be. The more "stuff" it involves, the less it will be used by students, teachers and family. 4. Sometimes mid/high tech is educationally necessary and the only solution for the student. 5. Start with no/low tech and move up if necessary. A speaker once said "Don't solve a low tech problem with a high tech solution."
 * Assignment 2 - Chapter 1**

What solutions would you try for Tyler, the "happy clicker". 1. See if the switch provides auditory and tactile feedback. If so, that may be the reason Tyler keeps pushing the switch. Try switches that don't provide either such as Pal Pad, Credit card switch, pillow switch. Work with the OT or other staff to determine auditory and tactile activities that will provide him with that input. 2. Try a different access site and/or different motor movement. Some students don't have functional use of their hands and would do better with a switch placed somewhere else or requiring a different motor movement. If the student has learned to push the switch over and over because they have been allowed to, a different motor movement such as a string switch or grasp switch might solve the problem. Work with the student so they don't learn to access the new switch or new switch site with repetitive movements. 3. Use highly motivating activity with an environmental control unit set for latch. The activity won't work if the student continuously pushes and lets go of the switch. It will turn the activity on/off/on/off. 4. Same as #3 but use continuous (direct) mode on the ECU. This requires pushing the switch and not letting go, therefore no multiple clicks. 5. Demonstrate the appropriate use of the switch and activity in #3 and #4. 6. Fight the urge to provide hand over hand assistance. Many speakers have told us that if the student is provided with hand over hand assistance, they learn that the hand over hand is part of the activity and wait for it instead of learning to use the switch or do the activity independently. This is particularly true for cognitively impaired and/or young students.
 * Assignment 3 - Chapter 2**

AT and the IEP The liked the discussion about assistive technology being an accommodation. That is what I have been taught in the past. When I participate in an IEP, I list the assistive tech as an accommodation. 1. What needs to be on the IEP? -Any adaptation or accommodation/AT that the student must use to have a free/appropriate education. 2. What should NOT be on the IEP? -The book said don't list things the student is using but doesn't have to have. Typically I try not to give things to students that they don't have to have for free/appropriate education. Some teacher use things like computers, SMART boards and SMART tables so they can work with the whole class at one time. Those things are necessary but are convenient. -Don't list things that used for the convenience of the adults. -Don't list specific pieces of equipment. New things may come out that are better. Use characteristics such as switch scanning software, on screen keyboard, word processor, phonetic word prediction, augmentative communication system. -Don't list the AT in the IEP goals. I liked the statement in the book that I have heard at training related to this. It said you wouldn't write a goal that says "Using her mouth, the student will answer comprehension questions." The goal would only be about the comprehension question. There are some good books titled "Using Assistive Technology to Meet Math Standards", "Using Assistive Technology to Meet Literacy Standards". The only problem is, they list IEP goals that include the assistive technology. We always warn everyone not to follow their standard but to use their ideas. One of their IEP examples goals is: Using book holder, page turner and standard dictionary, the student will read and understand word origins, derivations, synonyms, antonyms and idioms with ___% accuracy__ ___/_____ times. Technically, the book holder and page turner should be in the accommodations section and the standard dictionary is inferred unless otherwise specified. 3. I didn't quite understand the question about Florida's new accommodations. I don't see much new about the accommodations but see a big change in who qualifies. In the past I understood that certain accommodations were available to 504 students and more involved were for students that had IEP's. Recently I learned that 504 students can receive the same accommodations. I also learned that students with temporary disabilities such as a broken arm could qualify for a 504 plan and therefore accommodations and assistive technology.
 * Assignment 4 - Chapter 3**

Resources I use to keep up with AT: What assistance I can offer others: When working with a student or the IEP team members, I offer suggestions regarding AT tools that may be helpful, methods of teaching or working with the student and skills that the student may need to learn related to use of assistive tech. I find it most productive to use the SETT Framework. Sometimes IEP team members want to talk about tools "He needs a laptop", or "I need Boardmaker". I redirect to find out the problem we are trying to solve, offer several possible solutions and then we try them to see if they work. I provide training in specific equipment, ideas for implementation, cheat sheets to help those trained remember how to use the equipment and work with tech support to get equipment working or more functional.
 * Assignment 5 - Chapter 4**
 * Courses at ATIA *Tech Support *Company Reps *Websites about AT *Other LATS *Trial Versions of software

Set aside time to work together to come up with ideas, learn technology and teach technology to others on our team and school based staff. The book had some good information about spending technology money wisely. We need to encourage the implementation of what is necessary and not focus on mid/high tech when educationally necessary strategies, equipment, communication systems aren't being implemented. We need to stress the difference between a student being capable of using mid to high tech equipment versus having the intent to use it, particularly related to spending technology money wisely.
 * Assignment 6 - Chapter 5**

We don't choose our AT teammates any more. In the last several years, I don't remember being involved or included in the consideration of who should be hired to be on the assistive tech team. Prior to that, the AT team members interviewed applicants with our supervisor. We had usually worked with the applicants and therefore knew them. When we were involved in choosing our teammates, we considered:
 * Assignment 7 - Chapter 6**
 * the person's history of working with the assistive tech team members (did they follow through or implement, were they easy to work with and willing to try things, etc.)
 * ability to learn and teach others,
 * background knowledge and experience for the job,
 * ability to work as team and follow team policy and procedures instead of wanting everyone to do things their way,
 * ability to handle stressful situations (answer questions from people that weren't happy, give ideas, defer until answer could be obtained)
 * ability to pull from knowledge/ideas and apply it to individual situations instead of learning something new and thinking it applied to most situations.
 * must be able to and want to maximum work time instead of taking advantage of the ability to create your own schedule

Our team didn't feel that people were pigeon holed into certain tasks but we knew there were areas we each had more background or expertise. When we started our team, we had members that had a variety of skills that overlapped. We also knew that there were some things that we weren't qualified to determine but could assist with based on knowledge and experience.