Overview

Authors: Joy Zabala & Penny Reed

Assistive technology (AT) devices and strategies have proven successful in giving students with disabilities access to the general curriculum. Before AT can be used, a thorough review of the student needs, abilities, environmental factors and required tasks must take place. Identifying solutions that best address student outcomes is an ongoing process.

Information in this module addresses the following topics:

Using AT in Schools

Assistive Technology are tools that serve a set of educational goals, making it easier and more efficient for students to achieve. There is now AT for virtually all disabling conditions and every possible task.

When used by students with disabilities, AT

• facilitates the use of classroom materials and technology so that all students (both identified and non-identified) can better access the general curriculum.
• offers alternate ways to participate in activities for all students, to move throughout the environment and to access and communicate information.
• provides the means to modify classroom tasks for students with varying abilities,
• can change a child's life by increasing learning opportunities and making it possible to demonstrate knowledge and skills

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) includes the definition of AT devices and services and specifically outlines the school district's responsibility to provide AT. As a public agency, the school district must ensure that both AT devices or services are provided if "required" for the student to receive a free appropriate public education (FAPE). Often, the greatest challenge for schools is to determine whether or not the AT is, in fact, required. Given the growing success of technology to provide access to education, the reauthorization of IDEA in 1997 added a specific requirement for IEP teams to "consider" the AT needs of all students with disabilities:

Consideration of Special Factors:

"The IEP Team shall...consider whether the child requires
assistive technology devices and services".

Section 614(3)(B)(v)

Within this general statement, it seems reasonable to assume that each and every IEP team needs to be able to "consider" the child's need for assistive technology. In order to do so, at least one person on the team will need to have some knowledge about AT devices and services that might be appropriate and applicable for the student they discuss.

AT Considerations

Determining whether a student is a candidate for AT devices or services starts with just a few practical questions. Consider using the forms on the sidebar as tools to help with the initial consideration process. For AT considerations, It is essential for a student's IEP team to consider:

1. What task do we want this student to do, that s/he is unable to do at a level that reflects his/her skills/abilities (writing, reading, communicating, seeing, hearing)? Be very specific.

2. Is the student currently able to independently complete tasks with current strategies or accommodations? If so, AT is most likely not indicated.

3. Is a form of AT (either devices, tools, hardware, or software) currently used to address this task? How successful is it?

4. Would the use of AT help the student perform this task more easily or efficiently, in the least restrictive environment, or perform successfully with less personal assistance?

Results of AT Consideration

Outcomes of this "AT consideration" process may indicate one of the following:

• Current interventions are fine and nothing new is needed.
• AT is already being used and is working.
• New, specified AT should be tried to address a new or changed need.
• The team needs more information (about resources, the student, etc.) An AT Assessment is indicated.

An AT Assessment is required when the team decides that new or additional information is needed ("this is something we don't know") to make a decision.

AT Assessment Process
When, What and Who?

The request for an AT Assessment may originate at any time, by any member of the IEP team (including parents) during the development if the IEP or in the provision of services to a student with disabilities. It may be a formal request for an "Assistive Technology Assessment" or simply a realization that current interventions are not sufficient and something more is needed. Remember, an AT Assessment can be requested at any time by any member of the IEP team!

Many questions remain in the forefront as to how school districts identify the procedures and practices used in arriving at decisions regarding the provision of AT.

Questions Include:

Which students need assistive technology?...those whose IEP teams determine that AT is indicated as a way to enable students to meet their educational goals. AT can be used in combination with other interventions and strategies in order for students to better access instruction and learning.

What kinds of technology are needed?.. this is determined on a case-by-case basis related directly to what is needed for a student to receive FAPE. Effective AT systems may contain no tech strategies, or low and high tech tools.

Who should be involved in making these decisions?... the student's IEP team is the actual decision-making body. Members include the student, family members and/or caregivers, and appropriate educational and related services professionals, based on the student's special needs. This team may also include other people who are significantly involved in the student's education and well-being such as medical personnel and peers.

All members of the IEP team (including the family) work together to collect information on the student, the environment and the tasks for active participation in the general curriculum. When decisions about AT solutions -devices and services - are to be made, school district personnel knowledgeable in the use of AT or an outside consultant can be called in to assist the team to make appropriate and useful decisions. This team process results in a clear understanding of how recommended tools and strategies were selected and what they will be used for.

The SETT Framework:
An Assessment Process

Knowing what to address in an AT Assessment is similar to other assessments that are done. We'd like to share with you a helpful framework for team-based AT assessment. It's called the SETT framework and is a guideline for gathering data to make effective AT decisions. You always begin by collecting information about the student.

S for the Student

E for the Environment

T for the Tasks

T for the Tools needed for the student to address the tasks.

Here's the rationale:

To get the best shot at putting together a system of "useable" tools, the team needs to explore the student, the environments in which the student is expected to use the tools, and the tasks which are an inherent part of communicating, participating and being productive in those environments! These are all considered before attempting to identify the features or components of the tools needed.

SETT's questions are designed to generate thoughts and discussion. They're intentionally broad in order to catch all ideas and possible solutions. The team will need to sort out the data that is pertinent and most helpful. The worksheet on the side will guide the process by helping you to find out what you know about the student, the environment, task and tools and what information you may need to find out to make the best decisions. This process can be used to identify any useful intervention, not only AT.

The SETT Framework- Joy Zabala:
Introducing the SETT Framework
The SETT Framework Revisited

SETT Step One:
Collecting & Sharing Information

After determining that an AT Assessment should be provided for an individual student, the school district must identify a procedure to collect information on the student, the environment, and the tasks required for participation in the activities of the environment. Before the IEP team meets they should gather information on the student using formal and informal measures and observation. Consider using the forms on the sidebar from the Wisconsin AT Initiative and the Georgia Project for Assistive Technology to assist with gathering information.

Tips for Planning: Before You Begin
At the team meeting, choose someone to write all topics where everyone participating can see them. We suggest large flip chart pages or individual posters with headers: Student, Environment, Tasks and Tools. The team will identify tasks the child needs to be able to do and the relationship of the child's abilities/difficulties and environment to the child's performance of the tasks.

The following questions and aids are designed to assist with this process.

The Student

When first considering what the student needs to be able to do, it is fine to be global. "Talk" or "write" may be appropriate answers, though some elaboration is desirable. This will be made more specific in the Tasks section. The primary goal is to begin to establish consensus among group members about what it is really important for this student to be able to do and the barriers that keep the student from doing whatever needs to be done.

What does the Student need to do? (main areas of concern) What are the Student's special needs? What are the Student's current abilities?

It must be kept in mind that ALL data on a student is not pertinent to choosing and using assistive technology. The objective is to share information on the student's abilities, preferences and barriers to learning and to work for group consensus Keep in mind that, no matter how great the needs, everyone has abilities and preferences that can be built upon and enhanced. For the Student, identify What We Know and What We Need To Know

The Environment

For every student, multiple environments must be considered, as no student exists in only one environment. When considering only school environments, the differences are profound among the classroom(s) at different hours of the day, the playground, the cafeteria, the hallway, the bus stop and a variety of other environments a student experiences. In each environment, there are factors to consider including arrangements, support, materials and equipment, and attitudes.

What are the instructional and physical arrangements? Are there special concerns? What materials and equipment are currently available in the environments? What supports are available to the student and the people working with the student on a daily basis? How are the attitudes and expectations of the people in the environment likely to affect the student's performance?

Don't overlook the anticipated arrangement of the environment. Think: ACCESSIBILITY! Who might be responsible for supporting the student? How much training may be needed? The physical environment isn't the only environment to examine. Perhaps the emotional environment (attitudes and expectations of people) needs some adjustments too! For the Environment, identify What We Know and What We Need To Know.

The Tasks

The purpose of identifying tasks is to determine which current opportunities will enable the student to move toward mastery of his/her goals. If the answer is "None," then AT tools will not solve the problem, as they are just a means to participate in activities that build knowledge and skills. If there are no tasks that provide meaningful practice, mastery cannot possibly be expected.

What activities occur in the student's natural environments which enable progress toward mastery of identified goals? What is everyone else doing? What are the critical elements of the activities?

Start with "what everybody else is doing", but recognize that participating in the same activities doesn't always to lead to the same results for all students. Find a good balance. Consider activity modifications that can increase participation for students with disabilities while not changing the critical components of the activity. Activities generally call for clusters of skills, not single, isolated skills A simplified task analysis may be helpful to determine what elements of a task would be difficult or impossible for a student to do without significant assistance. For the Tasks, identify What We Know and What We Need To Know

Decision-Making Process

The WATI Planning Guide is a single page form that leads the team through a five-step decision making process. After the information above is shared, the team will begin to focus on identifying problems and then generate solutions. Select one or two critical tasks and ask "What does the students need to be able to do"? Solutions that address these tasks will be generated.

Team begins to complete the Problem Identification Portion of AT Planning Guide

Using an effective decision making process requires team members to acquire and use a variety of skills that are separate from the technical skills they may have needed during the data gathering stage. These include communication skills and group process skills. The Tips document helps to focus on these elements.

SETT Step Two:
Generating Solutions

Considering what AT can be used is the fun part! Most people would like to begin here, but you will be off to a very poor start if you skip the important information collection of Step One. It is hoped that a group who has used the SETT Framework to arrive at this point, does so with a clearer understanding of what Tools should be sought and how those tools would be used.

From this information. the team should select 1-2 critical student tasks for which to generate solutions. All possible solutions should be "brainstormed" by the team. Remember that AT tools range from the simplest, everyday devices to the most complex technology innovations. There are also "no tech" materials and strategies to be used with low and high tech devices and supports. All are considered as part of a system of tools working in combination to assist a student in moving forward. Keep in mind that communication among the team members should be open and honest.

Identifying the AT Tools & Strategies

What a difference it makes to begin seeking tools with a clear idea of who is going to use them, where, and for what! Teams may want to use some of the resources on the sidebar to assist with generating AT Solutions.

Selecting The Tools

The team now moves toward consensus on the outcomes the tools will be used for and the features of those tools. As environments and tasks are explored, the links between assessment and intervention become strong and clear. Solutions are generated as they relate to individual tasks, one at a time. With this approach, members of the team can see the relevancy of the technology and can be more active and persistent in encouraging and supporting the student's achievement through its use.

Is a system of AT tools and strategies required for a student with these needs and abilities to do these tasks in these environments? What no tech, low tech, and high tech options should be considered? How might the student's special needs be accommodated without changing the critical elements of the activities? Will modifications be necessary? What strategies might be used?

Brainstorm all possible AT options (no, low and high-tech) for each student task. Discuss features that are needed if you don't know specific products. Discuss options to be used in more than one environment. There may be student homework issues. Don't forget strategies of how and when the AT options might be used. Discuss the solutions listed, thinking about which are most effective for the student. It may help to identify solutions in three categories: those that can be implemented immediately, those that can be started in the next few months after acquiring new equipment or software, and those things that may be kept in reserve to try in the future. For the Tools, identify What We Know and What We Need To Know.

Team completes the Solution Generations + Selection Portions of AT Planning Guide

SETT Step Three:
AT Trial + Implementing the AT Plan

The team now begins to develop an Implementation Plan that includes AT services to support trials with equipment - how long, when, and the person(s) responsible. A date is set to meet again to review the results of the trial in the Follow Up section. After this planning session is complete, a written plan begins to take shape specifying what the team plans to do. The team now determines how the student and others will try out the proposed system of tools in the customary environments in which they will be used. The last part of the AT Planning Guide is to trial the identified AT to see what "works" in the student's learning environments.

AT Trials

Specific devices, both hardware and software, and their vendors are identified and prioritized from the list generated in Step Two. If part of the plan is a series of trials with a variety of hardware or software, they will need to be scheduled as the assistive technology is purchased, borrowed, or rented for trial use.

Identify how a student might be able to try out some of the solutions in the natural environment. Look for loan/lease possibilities:

• Check with your State Education Department for loan programs
• Websites can provide additional information about the device or may offer free software demos.
• Community resources such as lending libraries may have AT to loan for short-term use.
• Vendors and evaluators often have leasing rates or short-term free loan programs.

Using the AT Extended Assessment Planner, identify the overall goals and specific tasks for the AT device trial. This form can help teams plan and implement well designed trial periods with devices. Trials are the only truly effective way to determine what will work for a specific child and are integral to the assessment and consideration processes.

Data Collection

Try to get to the specific learning task that the trial AT will be used for -- the problem you want to be solved. Will the AT make a difference? How will you know? Is there more than one tool you could try?

The team works together to measure student performance with the trial devices by collecting data that is observable and measurable. How and when should the information be collected? How long should the student's performance be documented before a decision is made?

Data collection systems are designed for individual student performance changes. Baseline information should indicate what is currently happening without the AT tool. Data taken while using AT interventions can analyze the impact of the device -- does one device work better for this student than another? Does AT improve the functional capabilities of a student? To find out, adapt one of the forms below to collect student data when using a device for a particular task.

Forms

The following data collection forms have been adapted from examples found in How Do You Know It? How Can You Show It? (Reed, Bowser & Korsten, 2002):

Comparing 3 AT Solutions (MS Word)

Worksheet Answers (MS Word)

Initiating Communications (MS Word)

Keyboard Comparisons (MS Word)

Response Time (MS Word)

Be sure to include in your trial AT plan expected task outcome, current student level of performance, data method, person responsible and AT solutions to be observed and measured.

AT assessment and use must be ongoing as it relates to the tasks and achievements of the student. The team assigns specific names of people who are responsible to complete tasks and the dates by which they need to be completed. The plan becomes a record of the team's efforts to determine, organize, analyze, revise, and act upon data obtained.

AT Implementation Plan. The team sets a date to meet again and review their progress after the AT trials are completed. The follow-up meeting will involve a review of all actions to date, including specific data collected, and a discussion of whether or not the assistive technology being used is working. If it is, the tool must be purchased and added to the IEP. If not, the team may need to return to the decision-making process to discuss other AT solutions as more information is gathered through trial use.

Use the AT Implementation Plan to identify the tasks within the student's schedule where the AT will be used. This will also help you to discuss student and staff training needs as well as equipment considerations.

Re-SETT As the student begins to use the AT to more independently participate in learning activities, this will impact aspects of the SETT process. As the use of technology is a dynamic process -- changing as the student's needs change, you will need to address the new factors that result from the student's AT use.

SETT Step 4:
Integrating AT Into the IEP

After an Implementation Plan has been identified - AT tools and supports that will be used to address specific tasks - they must be added to the IEP as interventions used to meet specific student outcomes. Many schools do not write the brand name of the AT device but use general descriptive terms on the features of the device and how it will be used to address a particular objective/outcome.

Where on the IEP?

According to regulations included in IDEA, assistive technology should be considered for every student with a disability when the technology can help to compensate for the limitations that the disability presents to support the student in making reasonable educational progress in the least restrictive educational setting.

As designated in IDEA, assistive technology can be incorporated into the student's IEP in one or more of three areas:

• As part of Special Education (in the annual goals and short term objectives),
• Related service or
• Supplemental aid or service needed to support the student in the least restrictive educational environment

How assistive technology tools will be used to address educational outcomes should be clearly described. The student's IEP must indicate the specific type of assistive technology device required and/or the nature and extent of assistive technology services necessary to achieve IEP goals.

Developing IEP goals for assistive technology use should be as specific as possible as to the type of AT and its functional use by the student in the environment. Goals should be measurable, student-centered, age appropriate and be clear about how the technology will be used to accomplish a particular goal. The short-term objectives leading to the goal include the development of skills that are necessary for using the AT. These objectives are designed to be met over a shorter time period and show a progression of skill development and use. They reflect the specific use of the AT for increased success -- how it will be used in specific situations.

Often AT devices are simply listed under "equipment needs" or "supplemental aids." Many students require more specific written information to adequately reflect the role of AT in the provision of the student's education (Bowser, 1998). This information can be included as part of the Implementation Plan.

IEP Development Resources

OSEP's Guide to the IEP

Facts About Assistive Technology and the IEP (LD Online)

Support For School Personnel

AT works best when students, family and educators (including teachers, therapists and instructional assistants) work as a team to select, obtain, implement and monitor AT. Each team member must be supported by training and ongoing assistance. One of the specific AT services specifically listed in IDEA is

training or technical assistance for professionals (including individuals providing education and rehabilitation services), employers or others(s) who provide services to employ, or are otherwise, substantially involved in the major life functions of children with disabilities.

References

Bowser, G. & Reed, P. (1998). Educational Tech Points. Winchester, OR: CATO.

Bowser, G. & Reed, P. (Oct-Nov, 1997). Navigating the Process: Educational Tech Points for Parents, Closing the Gap.

Cassatt-James, E.L. (1992). Technology in the Classroom: Applications and Strategies for the Education of Children with Severe Disabilities, Education Module. Rockville, Maryland: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.

Carl, D., Mataya, C. & Zabala, J. (1994). What's the Big IDEA?, Assistive Technology Issues for Teams in School Settings. Houston, TX: Region IV Education Center.

Reed, P. (Ed.). (1998). Assessing Student Need for Assistive Technology. Oshkosh, WI: Wisconsin Assistive Technology Initiative.

RESNA Technical Assistance Project (1992). Technology and the Individualized Education Program. Washington, DC: RESNA Press.

U.S. Congress, Office of Technology Assessment (1995). Teachers and Technology: Making the Connection, OTA-EHR-616. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.