ما باید از فکر کردن به فناوری به صورت اسم (مثلاً پاورپوینت، یوتیوب یا توییتر) دست برداریم و در عوض به آن به صورت فعل (ارائه، اشتراک‌گذاری، برقراری ارتباط) فکر کنیم.

The National Education Technology Plan (NETP, Office of Educational Technology, 2024) states, "Technology can be a powerful tool to help transform learning. It has the potential to empower students to expand their learning beyond the confines of the traditional classroom, support self-directed learning, help educators tailor learning experiences to individual student needs, and support students with disabilities. Technology also has the potential to allow students and educators to collaborate with peers and experts worldwide, engage with immersive learning simulations, and express their learning creatively. Furthermore, it has the potential to collect student performance and engagement data, providing insight into student progress and allowing educators to deploy targeted support".

 

Think about the quote at the top of this page. It’s not enough to provide teachers with a box of tools. Teachers need to understand how to leverage those tools using methodology that considers the variability of all learners, and how to strategically implement them to reduce the specific barriers to learning for the students they are teaching. By grounding the provision of assistive technology in the practices of universal design for learning, teachers can support the goal for students to be successful in inclusive settings. 

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What is the impact for our students with disabilities? 

 

The National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 looked at postsecondary outcomes for students nationally and found that students with high incidence disabilities who received assistive technology performed significantly better than those who did not receive assistive technology. 

 

Students who received AT graduated at a rate of 99.8% compared to 79.6% for students who did not receive assistive technology.

 

Students who received AT enrolled in postsecondary education programs at a rate of 80.9% compared to 40.1% for students who did not receive AT.

 

Students who received AT obtained a paying job at a rate of 80% compared to 50.8% for students who did not receive AT. 

 

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What are the mandates for providing assistive technology? 

 

Because AT is so important for students with disabilities, there exist specific mandates for providing tools, strategies and the services that support their use. Since 1990, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) has required AT devices and services be available to every student with a disability - if that student needs AT in order to receive a free and appropriate public education (FAPE). Needing AT to access an educational program can mean access to special instruction; access to the general curriculum; and/or access to extracurricular activities. In many cases, the provision of assistive technology can be the most meaningful way of ensuring students can meet more challenging objectives and experience an appropriately ambitious program. 

 

More than one federal law addresses the requirement that schools provide AT to students who benefit from it and have equal access to their educational programs. Others include the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, the Assistive Technology Act of 1998, and a fairly recent Seneate Bill from California called SB 605 which gives students greater access to assistive technology.

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The U.S. Department of Education has provided new guidance about AT. Myths & Facts About Assistive Technology and Services answers many questions surrounding AT and can be very useful to teams that support students with disabilities.

 

Dive deeper into AT with the “Legal Basis for Assistive Technology” which includes excerpts from Gayl Bowser and Penny R. Reed's book titled Leading the Way to Excellence in AT Services: A Guide for Administrators.

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References​

Bowser, Gayl and Reed, Penny, Leading the Way to Excellence in AT Services: A Guide for Administrators, 2020.

National Center for Special Education Research, National Longitudinal Transition Study-2

U.S. Department of Education, A Call to Action for Closing the Digital Access, Design, and Use Divides, National Educational Technology Plan, 2024.

U.S. Department of Education, Myths & Facts About Assistive Technology and Services, 2024.

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