Assistive Technology
The goal for Assistive Technology (AT) is to come up with the best possible technology to match with students’ needs in the classroom. Joy Zabala, a leading expert on the use of assistive technology (AT) to improve education for people with disabilities, has created a framework to identify the most appropriate device, tools, and services for students. If your team is considering technology needs for a student, the SETT framework (Student Environment Tasks and Tools) should be utilized to get the best match of technology to the student. The process involves having a discussion with the people involved in order to understand the student, the environment, and the task before a decision is made on a technology tool.
An Individualized Education Program (IEP) team member is welcome to contact an AT consultant to consider a service or tools needed to best support individual student’s technology needs. Please contact the AT team members at Ingham ISD for training, equipment loan library and consultation.
Resources
Reading
Students who are struggling with reading can rely on various technology supports to ensure access and comprehension of the curriculum. Access to books through digital modes, text-to-speech programs, graphic organizers, OCR (optical character recognition) programs, annotation tools, display options and digital dictionaries are some of the tools that can be used by students.
Access to Books/Educational Materials
Bookshare
EPIC Books
Kindle
Learning Ally
Libraries:
Librivox
Project Gutenberg
ReadWorks
Tarheel Reader
RAZ Kids
Story Online Screen Actors Guild
Communication (AAC)
​Augmentative and Alternative Communication Profile
Communication Matrix
Praactical AAC Assessment Forms
Pragmatic Profile for People who use AAC
Checklist for an Assistive Technology Consideration
- Has the need for AT been suspected by members of the IEP team? Is the student demonstrating sufficient progress in the curriculum with current accommodations and supports?
- Can the student adequately access the curriculum with the instructional materials currently available to the student?
- Is at least one member of the IEP team knowledgeable about current assistive technologies that have been shown to be helpful to address needs similar to those of this student?
- If no AT has been selected, has the reason for this decision been documented somewhere in the IEP, such as the section of demonstrated needs or other considerations?
- If AT has been selected, has the need for AT been documented in the IEP?
