The Evolution of "All About Assistive Technology"

All About 

Assistive Technology

Since my first blog post in August until today's post, there have been gradual changes which prompted me to title this post, "The Evolution of All About Assistive Technology."  Having never created or contributed to a blog post in the past, I have benefited personally and professionally from learning a new form of information sharing.  I do believe that I will refer to my posts in my position at the Disability Resource Center and that they will serve as a valuable resource for me.

In my first post called "All About Me" I begin by stating, "As Testing Coordinator for Cabrini University's Disability Resource Center, I see the direct and dramatic positive impact that thoughtfully selected assistive technology has on our students. Universal Design and appropriate assistive technology level the playing field for students of all ages in all settings. I hope to increase my understanding of this critical educational imperative in our EDG 519 course." In discussing my educational journey in the previous post, I referenced my belief that EDU 519 has greatly increased my understanding of learning differences, AT, and UDL. I believe that I have achieved my desired goals for the course and notice, by looking back to my first post, that my writing style and presentation has been consistent.  I do recall Dr. Ahmad's suggestion to add images which I did add on to my first few blogs and continued doing throughout the remainder of the blog. Clearly, images, links, and graphs make my blog more visually interesting and UDL friendly.

My posts throughout the blog tend to be long! In looking back to my October post about Carly called "Autistic Girl Expresses Profound Intelligence," and my post in November called, "Online Educational Resources to Teach College Level Math" I realize that I am as interested in the real, human, personal side of people with disabilities as well as the very practical issues of available resources and devices.  My interest in the whole spectrum of UDL and assistive technology is evidenced by detail and scope of my blog posts.

Generally speaking, I like the look of my newer posts more than my older posts. I think that the newer posts are more in keeping with UDL principals in terms of clear presentation and visual aids and they include more audio links which benefit auditory learners. For example, my September post called "Three Additional Teacher Friendly UDL Resources" contains helpful information but the layout is fairly spread out and I realize now that the links I used actually don't link. A more recent post that I wrote called "Strategies to Overcome Learned Helplessness" contains an image I especially like of the Superman symbol with a question mark which aligns appropriately with my topic and contains a helpful link that does link up properly to a related article.

While my writing style has been consistent throughout my blog, I believe that my presentation has evolved to a more striking and UDL friendly style.  By building on information gained from earlier blogs, I also think that my later blogs include an even greater richness of knowledge than my earlier blogs demonstrating a productive and worthwhile learning journey.

My Learning Journey in Assistive Technology Perspectives

Cabrini's Assistive Technology Perspectives course has been extremely positive and productive. In this post I intend to share my thoughts about my learning journey in EDU 519. Specifically, I will discuss what I have learned and how the information I have learned will strengthen my instruction.  

Through my work at Cabrini's Disability Resource Center, I began this course with an understanding of the importance of AT for students with learning disabilities and an awareness of the AT used by Cabrini students.  As I review the course goals and learner outcomes, I believe that my knowledge has increased significantly in relation to the stated goals.  I have certainly gained an even greater understanding of how AT can increase independence and academic and social success for students with learning needs.  Learning about the AT continuum and the range of possibilities for students facing reading, writing, communication, and other challenges will be of great practical use for me in my profession.  Prior to taking this course, I had an understanding of the IEP process which is now much broader especially regarding the process of determining AT recommendations.  I am especially interested in the principles of UDL which we studied throughout the course. Although I had never studied UDL before, I believe that I have operated  under these principals throughout my career in education in my work at Tredyffrin Public Library, Marple Newtown School District in Title 1 Reading, and now at Cabrini's DRC.  I find that I am philosophically aligned with the mission of providing all learners an equal opportunity to learn. Flexible and individualized instructional goals, methods, materials, curriculum and assessments allow acceptance of differences and encourage meaningful learning opportunities for all.

As I mentioned in a recent post, Cabrini's DRC is firmly committed to providing appropriate support and accommodations to students with disabilities.  Cabrini's strong commitment to social justice and compassionate concern for all people is evidenced by our mission of "An Education of the Heart."  I believe that the information that I have learned about the broad topics of AT and UDL, as well as the more specific knowledge I have gained about particular AT devices and learner needs, will allow me to be an even more valuable Cabrini employee. I am now better informed about the importance of UDL, AT, and AT options and can use my knowledge and expertise to further the missions of both the DRC and of Cabrini University.

Assistive Technology and Self-Advocacy Training at The Woodlynde School

In my position at Cabrini's Disability Resource Center, I have the opportunity to meet students from a variety of high schools throughout the area.  Cabrini also has dual enrollment arrangements with two local high schools for students with learning differences. One of those schools is the Woodlynde School in Strafford, PA where "great minds think differently."  Cabrini has close ties to the Woodlynde School and each year several students matriculate from Woodlynde to Cabrini.  In this post I will discuss the various assistive technology options Woodlyde offers students as well as the self-advocacy training Woodlynde provides.

To help students achieve to their greatest potential, Woodlynde uses a variety of AT. Each student receives a laptop computer which is loaded with technologies that address individual learning needs for school and home use. One of the programs available for students is "Read Live" which assists with fluency, comprehension, vocabulary, phonics, pronunciation, expression, and phrasing.  Another program provided for students is Learning Ally for audio textbooks and literature. When students follow along with audio books, comprehension, vocabulary, and fluency is increased. Dragon NaturallySpeaking is also offered as a tool which turns spoken words into written words to aid with the writing process. The WYNN software provided by Woodlynde School allows students to improve their reading and writing fluency.

Woodlynde School students are taught to "learn how they learn." These metacognition skills are powerful tools that help students become self advocates. Students are helped to understand both their strengths and challenges and use their intelligence to learn individualized strategies to achieve positive learning outcomes. By understanding their differences, students can use their strengths to work through obstacles to perform to their capabilities.

Based on what I have learned both in this Assistive Technology Perspectives course and in my work at Cabrini's DRC, I believe that committed students who fully engage in Woodlynde's learning environment are well prepared to succeed in college. Students who understand the advantages of carefully selected AT and who can advocate successfully for their own learning needs are well positioned to take advantage of available resources at college to facilitate their success.

Cabrini University's Disability Resource Center Accommodations

As an employee at Cabrini University's Disability Resource Center, I have firsthand experience with the policies and procedures Cabrini follows to make our services accessible to students with disabilities.  As described on our website, Cabrini's DRC believes that "success in life should not be restrained by individual limitations" and we are "firmly committed to offering support and appropriate accommodations to qualified students with disabilities."  Students Cabrini's DRC serves are those who have "an impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities (e.g., walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning, working)."

Students with disabilities considering Cabrini often meet with the DRC to discuss how their needs will be met as part of their college search process.  Students with disabilities who have not met with the DRC during their college search are made aware of the DRC through academic advisers, professors, and our website. Students enrolled at Cabrini University must self-identify with Kathy Johnson, Director of the Disability Resource Center, and provide necessary documentation to secure a "VISA."  The student's VISA, or Verified Individualized Services and Accommodations, document outlines specific accommodations recommended for the student based upon the student's documentation and an analysis of the student's needs. 

Cabrini provides a variety of AT to make programs and services accessible to students.  For note-taking, the DRC provides Live Scribe pens, recorders, and the Sonocent software program.  For students with reading and attention disabilities, the DRC offers Read and Write Gold software. Students can use this software for text-to-speech access with textbooks we provide for them in PDF form. We also provide audio format of texts through Learning Ally and Book Share.  For assignments and testing, students can use calculators, word processing, spell checkers, and reading software. 

Differences Between IDEA for P-12 and ADA for Higher Education

The rights and requirements for students with disabilities differ in the P-12 and higher education settings. In P-12 rights and responsibilities are based on the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and in higher education rights and responsibilities stem from the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).  In this post, I will outline these differences.

Under IDEA, in P-12 all students are guaranteed by law a free appropriate public education. In higher education,  ADA prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability.  While IDEA covers every child from P-12, ADA only cover students who are "otherwise qualified" meaning only students able to meet specified academic qualifications.  In P-12, school districts must identify students with disabilities, evaluate them, and cover all costs while colleges do not have any of those obligations. In college, students must self-identify and provide documentation of their disability.  Under IDEA in P-12, schools must develop IEP plans for students and modify curriculum if necessary whereas in college, under ADA, reasonable accommodations must be requested by the student. Colleges must make adjustments to equalize opportunities for participation  but they are not under obligation to modify the curriculum or lower standards. In P-12, personal devices and services are provided by the district but colleges do not have this requirement. In P-12, parents must be included in decision making while in college students over 18 are considered adults so parents are not involved. Finally, under IDEA, students have a right to due process described in the law.  In higher education, under ADA, students must follow the college grievance procedure and then file a complaint with the US Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights.

Dell, A., Newton, D., & Petroff, J. (2012). Assistive technology in the classroom. Boston:  
       MA: Pearson.

Assistive Technology as a Reasonable Accommodation in College

Based on Section 504 and ADA, colleges must provide free reasonable accommodations to make programs accessible for students with disabilities.  Providing AT is often considered a reasonable accommodation in keeping with Section 504, Title II of the ADA which states that "a public entity shall furnish appropriate aids and services where necessary to afford an individual with a disability an equal opportunity to participate in a service, program, or activity." Of note, the term "equal opportunity" does not guarantee a certain level of success but rather an equal opportunity to achieve the same result as someone without a disability. Additionally, colleges are not required to provide the most sophisticated technology available. Colleges have flexibility in choosing the specific aid or service as long as it achieves the goal of equalizing opportunity for students with disabilities. Although the term "reasonable" is under debate, it is usually agreed that a "reasonable accommodation" would not cause undue financial burden for a college.  Based on most colleges' technology budgets, the cost many assistive technology devices is considered reasonable. Therefore, under Section 504 and the ADA, college students with disabilities find that AT is an important accommodation.

At Cabrini University's Disability Resource Center, we provide a variety of AT devices for students with learning disabilities. For example, we provide recorders and smart pens for students with note taking accommodations.  For students with test taking accommodations, we provide word processing applications, calculators, and text-to-speech reading software. Alternative format books, audio books, and reading software are examples of AT which Cabrini regularly provides DRC students with reading disabilities. For completing papers and assignments, our students use alternative format books, reading software, word processing, online graphic organizers, and voice recognition applications. Over the last few years, Cabrini and other colleges have found that there is a significant increase in the number of students with disabilities and that effective use of AT offers these students the opportunity for greater access to college success.

Dell, A., Newton, D., & Petroff, J. (2012). Assistive technology in the classroom. Boston:

      MA:  Pearson.

University of Kentucky Assistive Technology Project

The University of Kentucky's Assistive Technology (UKAT) website offers vast array of information regarding  AT including the following definitions.  I have been discussing AT on my "All About Assistive Technology" blog since September and I have included UKAT's clear, targeted definitions as a reminder of the importance of the AT for students with disabilities.  Additionally, this post will provide information about AT laws and the AT implementation process.



The UKAT website also provides an overview of the public laws which regulate the use of AT and provides specific information about each law.  I have included the overview and the specific section of the 1990 IDEA act that requires consideration and use of AT if needed for the student to perform a given task.






Similar to the tools shown on my prior OTAP post, UKAT provides a link (below) with an AT implementation worksheet which addresses critical questions such as AT device recommended, cost of device, locations to purchase device, uses of device, training, locations in which device will be used, set up and maintenance of device, device repairs, and evaluation of the usefulness of the selected device. 
http://edsrc.coe.uky.edu/www/ukatii/toolkit/AT_Implementation.pdf

Using an AT implementation plan ensures that AT implementation proceeds through a collaboratively developed process (Quality Indicator #1) in which training needs are clearly defined (Quality Indicator #2) and that a follow up procedure is in place (Quality Indicator #6).  Follow up procedures will determine if assessment data has been used successfully to identify appropriate AT devices and that any necessary AT adjustments based on performance data are made (Dell, A., Newton, D. & Petroff, J., 2012).

http://edsrc.coe.uky.edu/www/ukatii/toolkit/index.html

Dell, A., Newton, D., & Petroff, J. (2012). Assistive technology in the classroom. Boston:

      MA:  Pearson.