Assistive Technology

The Assistive Technology Priority Project goal is to increase access to the general education curriculum for students with disabilities through the use of assistive technology (AT). This project supports the accommodations and modifications that are necessary for students with disabilities to master curricular objectives and to participate in statewide assessments.

The project has developed the website http://www.ttaconline.org/ which provides the following:

Technology and UDL

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a framework for designing curricula that enable all individuals to gain knowledge, skills, and enthusiasm for learning. UDL provides rich supports for learning and reduces barriers to the curriculum while maintaining high achievement standards for all. In order to find more information about creating a universally designed for learning classroom and materials please visit the Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST) at http://www.cast.org/index.html

AT Assessments

If IEP members consider that AT might be a mean to enhance students’ abilities to meet their educational goals, they could request an AT Assessment. All member of the IEP team, including the family work together to collect information on the student, his/ environment and the task required to improve his/her active participation in the general curriculum.

The following links provide information about guidelines for describing assistive technology services as the Quality Indicators for Assistive technology (QIAT, 2005), the Wisconsin Assistive Technology Initiative, and the Student, Environment, Tasks, Tools Framework developed by Joy Zabala SETT, 2002)

• http://natri.uky.edu/assoc_projects/qiat/documents.html
• http://www2.edc.org/NCIP/Workshops/sett/SETT_home.html
• http://www.wati.org/

Learning about Assistive Technology

T/TAC at GMU will strive to meet your AT needs by providing you with a variety of opportunities to learn about assistive technology and how to better serve the needs of your students.

AT Tutorials online

The following links will take you directly to the companies offering tutorials in a diverse number of tools:

• Assistive Technology Training Online Project (ATTO)
• Crick Software for All
• Don Johnson Virtual Presentations
• Inspiration/Kidspiration
• Intellitools Tutorials
• Read & Write Gold
• Premier Assistive Techology Training Videos
• SMART Interactive Boards

T/TAC is constantly developing online training materials that soon will be available through http://www.ttaconline.org/,or via video conferencing.

Contact

Estela Landros: elandero@gmu.edu

Soojin Jang: sjang6@gmu.edu