The information provided in this newsletter is for general informational purposes only and should not be considered as legal advice.

As we learned in our first newsletter, Assistive Technology (AT) can be beneficial to many children with disabilities. It can enable them to be more independent and productive and be included in everyday activities enjoyed by children without disabilities. AT can help children academically, as well as functionally. Not all children with disabilities will require AT, but for those who do, it can give them the ability to have greater control over their own lives.

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) 2004 defines an AT device as “any item, piece of equipment, or product system, whether acquired commercially off the shelf, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities of a child with a disability” (IDEA, 2004 300.6).

IDEA defines an AT service as “any service that directly assists a child with a disability in the selection, acquisition, or use of an assistive technology device” (IDEA, 2004). AT services may include evaluation of the child’s functional environment; selection, acquisition, and customization of appropriate technology tools; coordination of AT services between professionals; and the provision of training of technical assistance for school-based professionals or family members (IDEA, 2004). (Both paragraphs are from our Part 1 newsletter. To read the entire newsletter, click here.)

In January 2024, the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) issued a guidance document that clarified a great deal of information about AT.

If your child is under age 3 and has an Individual Family Service Plan (IFSP), you can talk with your service coordinator about assistive technology for your child. Assistive technology is considered for younger children “if interventions are required to aid in the developmental activities that support the child outcomes of social relationships, use of knowledge and skills, or acting to meet needs”. https://ohioearlyintervention.org/guidance-documents-and-memos/guidance-documents

The Individualized Education Program (IEP) team must determine whether an individual student needs an assistive technology device and/or service; and if so, the nature and extent it is to be provided. It is possible that an assistive technology evaluation could be necessary to determine if a child needs an assistive technology service and/or assistive technology device, but an assessment is not required. However, AT devices and services are required if they are necessary to achieve a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) for a student.

AT must be considered for every child with an IEP - Section 2 of the IEP reminds the team to review and discuss a child’s need for assistive technology devices and/or services. https://education.ohio.gov/Topics/Special-Education/Federal-and-State-Requirements/Ohio-Required-and-Optional-Forms-Updated

Selecting and implementing AT requires more than a “simple” evaluation. The IEP team, student, and parent/guardian must work collaboratively to identify the needs of the child and bring solutions that will aid in the identification of the desired goals. Assistive Technology (AT) needs for each student will vary. The criteria will also be unique to each student. Any educational evaluation process must begin with a data collection system that provides information on the student’s identified needs. During an AT assessment, information about the student, the learning environment, and the task are collected. The IEP team must analyze and thoughtfully consider the data before an appropriate recommendation of the type of tools/systems can be proposed.

The SETT Framework, developed by Joy Zabala, 2005, is a tool that has been used by many teams as a foundation for gathering and organizing information for good decision-making. https://exceptionalchildren.org/blog/sett-framework-and-evaluating-assistive-technology-remotely. This Framework helps to identify the “characteristics of a Student, the Environments in which the student learns and grows, and Tasks required to be an active learner in those environments before trying to identify a system of Tools that enables the student to actively engage in the tasks in the environments.” As a result, the Framework can be quite helpful to a team as part of the evaluative process. The IRIS center has more information about the consideration for AT evaluation process. https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/resources/iris-resource-locator/ click on the Assistive Technology tab for AT resources.

If your child has an Individualized Education Program (IEP), under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), every time your IEP team or the evaluation planning team meets to develop, review, or revise your student’s IEP or Evaluation Team Report (ETR), they are required to consider whether your child needs assistive technology devices and services and what assistive technology is needed. Schools must provide any assistive technology necessary for your child to receive a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE).

Some of the school district responsibilities are:

• Obtaining/acquiring the AT needed for the child to access FAPE
• Providing necessary modification and customization to the student: selecting, designing, fitting, customizing, adapting, and applying use of AT equipment.
• Training the student to use the device: Training or technical assistance for the student with a disability, or if appropriate, that student’s family if the AT needs to be implemented/used at home to access FAPE.
• Training for the teachers/providers to use the AT so that it can be implemented at school
• Maintenance, repair, and replacement as needed

https://sites.ed.gov/idea/idea-files/at-guidance/

For additional information about your child’s IEP, please consider reading OCECD’s parent friendly publication entitled What Is an IEP?
What is an IEP? - English
What is an IEP? - Spanish

Ohio Department of Education and Workforce IEP form PR-07-IEP-Form-1-1.pdf.aspx (ohio.gov), Section 7, lists Assistive Technology

Two federal civil rights laws, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504) and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), prohibit discrimination on the basis of disability. State Education Agencies (SEAs) and Local Education Agencies (LEAs) have an obligation under Section 504 and the ADA to ensure the timely provision of accessible materials and technologies to students with disabilities to increase their independence, participation, and progress in the general curriculum.

Under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1992 Assistive Technology (AT) is considered a reasonable accommodation, which ensures that children with disabilities have equal access to education. Schools are required to provide AT to students who need it, including those who are not eligible for special education services.

Please see the federal Parent’s Guide to Section 504 Plans for more information about Section 504 Plans. Parent and Educator Resource Guide to Section 504 in Public Elementary and Secondary Schools - 504-resource-guide-201612.pdf (ed.gov) It also includes documentation for the right to aids, benefits, or services, equal to, and as effective as, those provided to students without disabilities.

As parents or professionals, one of our greatest tasks is to help our children develop their own sense of independence and understanding of the world around them. What many parents or professionals may not know is there are a large number of available AT tools that can help children with disabilities of any age build skills they may be struggling to learn or master.

In our next newsletter, our Winter issue, we will be presenting information on AT tools, services, devices, and special considerations for bilingual students.

If you need one-on-one assistance regarding AT for your child, please contact the Ohio Coalition for the Education of Children with Disabilities (OCECD) at 844-382-5452, 740-382-5452, or [email protected]. OCECD also has a new mobile app:
Ohio Coalition for the Education of Children with Disabilities

is a centralized, responsive resource center that empowers individuals with disabilities by providing accessible education materials, access to assistive technologies and highly specialized technical assistance, and professional development support. The Ohio Department of Education, Office for Exceptional Children funds the AT & AEM Center to meet the federal requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA) and the National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standards (NIMAS). https://education.ohio.gov/Topics/Special-Education/Federal-and-State-Requirements/Operational-Standards-and-Guidance/Assistive-Technology-and-Accessible-Educational-Ma

Assistive Technology of Ohio (AT Ohio) is a federally funded nonprofit organization that is part of the College of Engineering at The Ohio State University. AT Ohio is the officially designated Tech Act program for Ohio. AT Ohio's mission is to help Ohioans with disabilities learn about or acquire assistive technology. AT Ohio offers several programs and services to achieve that goal, including a lending library for parents and schools to take AT “for a test drive.” For more information, please see Assistive Technology of Ohio (atohio.org)

This "Parent and Family Digital Learning Guide” will help you, as a parent or caregiver, understand important approaches for using assistive technology in a manner that focuses on the needs of your child. This guide provides resources that will help you as you work with your child, your child’s teachers, and school leaders to prepare your child for success in digital learning. This guide is built to help parents, including those who have limited experience with digital tools, those who are familiar with these tools, and others in between. This means that each section will start with foundational pieces and build from there.
SEE: Parent-and-Family-Digital-Learning-Guide.pdf (ed.gov)

OCALI on-demand modules for parents provide support to all parents, not just those with children diagnosed with autism or a low incidence disability.

The Assistive Technology Internet Modules (ATIM) are a valuable resource designed to enhance understanding and effective use of assistive technologies (AT). Here are more details:

1. Purpose and Audience:

• ATIM is intended for educators, professionals, families, individuals with disabilities, and people of all ages.

2. The modules cover a wide range of areas, including:

• AT assessment strategies
• AT implementation
• AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication)
• AT for independent living
• Workplace accommodations
• Driving and transportation
• Transitions from school-age to adult services

3. OCALI | ASD and Assistive Technology Video Collection

4. asd-and-at-video-collection-resource-list.pdf (ocali.org)

5. Introduction to Assistive Technology guide AT_Resource_Guide_1.pdf (ocali.org)

SIFTS | Home (ocali.org) SIFTS is a web-based tool designed to assist assistive technology (AT) decision-making teams in matching a person’s needs with AT features. SIFTS is also helpful for children and adults and can be used by parents, students, consumers, and professionals serving people with disabilities. It helps IEP and Section 504 teams who need assistance in matching your child’s needs and strengths to AT features. It has embedded text, picture, and video supports to assist teams in building their knowledge of assistive technologies, as well as their capacity to implement AT assessments.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

Questions about a person’s needs and abilities are presented, and the answers provided lead to suggestions of specific AT features for the identified domain.

Hosted by OCALI © OCALI 2012 Need help? [email protected] Toll Free 866.886.2254 Phone 614.410.0321 Funded in part through a grant from the Ohio Department of Education - Office for Exceptional Children