AT Intake Form Provides Good Guidance

I was recently at an IEP meeting where the main topic was AT or Assistive Technology. The district is part of an educational cooperative in the Chicago area (LADSE). While the district has lots to learn about AT the intake form is a useful, albeit general, guidance for the types of technologies that are commonly in use in school districts. Too often when the subject of AT comes up I get a lot of blank stares or excuses based upon lack of educational relevance. This form could be one basis to educate school personnel about the types of AT in use, and rebut the latter ill-informed justification. Here is the form in pdf format Download 2755_0001

Comments

[Julia Trygstad]

I definitely agree with this process. AT is not spread widely enough. Not enough educators or people in general are aware of the effects of AT. No matter if a student has a disability or not, Assistive Technology can further their education and make it less confusing or difficult for the student to understand and complete. The IEP teams need to collaborate and decide what the most effective AT would improve a student's learning experience and work for their specific situation. If all IEP teams performed this effectively, our students would comprehend lessons and achieve their goals and objectives with much more ease. Providing a positive plan to give a student a chance to understand problematic areas through a different process is the point or reason for these IEP teams. This is the work they should be doing and the results they should be seeing.