Candy Tavernier, Transition Specialist
Capital Region/North Country Regional Special
Ed Technical Assistance Support Center (RSETASC)
What is Assistive Technology (AT)?
• “Any item, piece of equipment, or
product system, whether acquired
commercially or off the shelf, modified,
or customized, that is used to maintain,
or improve functional capabilities of
individuals with disabilities”
-IDEA 2004 (§ 602)
Transition Planning
Federal Guidelines
Transition Requirements
•
Measurable post-secondary goals and recommendations for transition
services and activities must be included in each student's IEP beginning not
later than the first IEP to be in effect when the student is age 15 (and at a
younger age, if determined appropriate), and updated annually. The IEP
must include:
•
measurable post-secondary goals in the areas of training, education,
employment and, where appropriate, independent living skills. These
goals must be based on age-appropriate transition assessments1;
•
the student’s needs as they relate to transition from school to post-school
activities, including the courses of study to be provided to the student to
reach those goals;
•
annual goals that document the knowledge/skills the student is expected
to achieve that will incrementally prepare him/her to meet the postsecondary goals; and
•
transition services/activities the student will need to facilitate his/her
movement from school to post-school activities. Transition services are a
coordinated set of activities developed for a student with a disability,
designed to improve his/her academic and functional achievement in order
to facilitate the student's movement from school to post-school
activities. Coordinated means the CSE has recommended a combination of
activities that will lead the student to reach his/her post-secondary goals,
including instruction, related services, community experiences,
development of employment and other post-school adult living objectives
and, when appropriate, acquisition of daily living skills and a functional
vocational evaluation.
•
Students must be invited to CSE meetings when transition goals and
services will be discussed. If a student does not attend, the district must
take steps to ensure the student’s preferences and interests are
considered. The school district must also invite a representative of a
participating agency that is likely to be responsible for providing or paying
for transition services. Parental consent (or the consent of the student
who is age 18 or older) must be obtained prior to inviting other agency
representatives. If the invited agency does not attend, the school must
take steps to involve the agency in the planning of any transition services.
•
•
•
•
•
In short
Individualized process
Increased focus at 15
Based on Measurable PostSecondary determined
through age-appropriate
assessment
Student Voice evident
Activities that move the
student toward their
Measurable Post-Secondary
Goals.
Truth or Myth?
1. AT provides a
substitute for
classroom instruction
2. AT teaches a basic skill
3. AT provides an unfair
advantage
4. AT does all of the work
for the student
5. All AT is expensive
Stachowiak, University of Iowa
6. AT use is the goal
7. AT can be chosen
based strictly on
disability
8. Once AT is chosen, the
student is all set
9. Student will always
use AT
10. The newest AT is
always the best
BIGGEST MYTH
If AT worked for the Transition Age Student, they
would have it by now.
• Around the ages of 12-14, technology
interventions in schools tend to stop
• Need to consider
– What technology was available 12-14 years ago
– How available was AT training/ education to those working in the
school districts (service providers) in the past and what is their
knowledge/ comfort level with AT
– What NEW technology is there to try
– General funding/ policy issues
– Student and family comfort level/ readiness
Cathy Bodine, PhD. (2009) Based on a study in Colorado Schools
AT = Independence
• Many Americans with disabilities rely on
assistive technology, and 35% say they would
lose their independence without this
technology
– 2004 N.O.D./Harris Survey
–Slide developed by Cornell ADA Trainer Network
Do we continue to focus on skills(reading,
math, writing) that the student has been
unable to master in the past...
OR
Do we focus on allowing individuals to begin to
use assistive technology to compensate for their
disability and become a more independent
adult?
At and Transition Planning
Measurable Post Secondary Goals
should be driving the process
Transition and AT Consideration….
• Where does the student see themselves in the
future?
– Education/ Training
– Employment
– Independent Living
• What are the requirements of the setting?
– What will the student need to be able to do?
• Current skills/ abilities vs. requirements
• How available is the AT?
Measurable Post-Secondary Goals should be driving the process….
The SETT Framework
Step 1
Student’s
(Zabala, 1995)
present levels of academic and
functional performance and evaluation data
Step 2
Environment
where the student will make
progress toward goals and objectives
Step 3
Step 4
Tasks
and objectives that address the student’s
needs
Tools/
AT devices and services required for the
student to make progress toward the objectives
SETT Process Tool
Student
• What does the student need to be able to do?
• What are the student’s current abilities and
skills?
• What are the student’s functional limitations?
• What are the student’s special needs?
• What is the student’s comfort level with
technology?
• How does the student perform with and
without a piece of assistive technology?
(DATA!!!)
Environment
• What materials and equipment are currently
available in the environment?
• What resources and equipment will be available
to the student in their future, chosen
environment?
• What is the physical arrangement? Are there
special concerns?
• What is the instructional arrangement? Are there
likely to be changes?
• What supports are available to the student?
• What resources are available to the people
supporting the student?
Entitlement
Eligibility
Adult Services
School-aged Services
Entitlement
• Based on IDEA
• Guarantees access to
education
• Services/supports
determined by CSE
Eligibility
•
•
•
Based on ADA
Must apply for
services/supports
Determinations
made on case by
case basis
Tasks
• What activities take place in the environment? (future or
current)
• What activities support the student’s curriculum or postsecondary goals?
• How might these activities be modified to meet the student’s
needs?
• How might technology support the student’s active
participation in this activity?
• Is technology already available in the environment they are
going into?
• Will the technology be considered a reasonable
accommodation?
• How do you advocate for reasonable accommodations in
this/these setting(s)?
Tools
• What tools might be used to invite increased
student performance?
• What tools might be considered when
developing a system with special needs to
carry out tasks?
• How might these tools be tried in the
customary environment?
• What tools will the student need to learn to
use to enter into the adult world of living,
learning, and earning.
http://askjan.org/soar/disabilities.html
Quality Indicators for Assistive Technology
http://www.qiat.org/index.html
Tech Matrix
http://techmatrix.org/
At Resource Guides
IEP
Overarching planning tool for the school year.
Assistive Technology should be
included in an IEP when:
• It enables students to perform functions that can be achieved
by no other means
• It enables students to approximate normal fluency, rate, or
standards--a level of accomplishment which could not be
achieved by any other means
• It provides access for participation in programs or activities
which otherwise would be closed to the individual
• It increases endurance or ability to persevere and complete
tasks that otherwise are too laborious to be attempted on a
routine basis
• It enables students to concentrate on learning tasks, rather
than mechanical tasks
• It provides greater access to information
• It supports normal social interactions with peers and adults
• It supports participation in the least restrictive educational
environment
Stachowiak, University of Iowa
Where does AT fit in Transition
Planning Process?
• Measurable Post-Secondary Goals
• Present Levels of Academic Performance
–
–
–
–
–
Evaluation Results
Academic Achievement, Functional Performance and Learning Characteristics
Social Development
Physical Development
Special Considerations
• Transition Needs
• Annual Goals
• Programs and Services
• Coordinated Set of Activities
IEP and AT Quality Indicators
Adult Services
• Students who will be accessing
adult services (ACCES-VR, OPWDD,
College Accommodative Support
Services) should have clear support
in their IEP for WHY ASSISTIVE
TECHNOLOGY WORKS for them.
– Helps ensure continuation of services
– Helps agencies assist students in
advocating for accommodations
Remember
Assessment is the key to this process.
Foster as much independence as possible!
Coordinate the effort so the device usage is
maximized.
Do not assume that the student will have help
when they exit. Develop a relationship with the
agencies or assist the student with learning how
to navigate the adult world.
Contact me!
Candy Tavernier
23 Huskie Lane
Malone, NY 12953
ctaverni@mail.fehb.org