AT Background
Eugene School District 4J provides robust and accessible technology options for all students. Typical examples are laptops/tablets, keyboards, headphones, spell/grammar check, text-to-speech, speech-to-text, and word prediction. All educators can request assistive technology (AT) staff consultation from a 4J assistive technology specialist (ATS) to support their students in accessing these universal supports/tools/accommodations. Staff consultation from the ATS does not require individualized student services to be listed on an IEP or 504 plan.
AT Staff Training
The ATS provides training and instructional resources to staff for making AT accessible to students in their educational settings. ATS staff can also help facilitate whole general education classroom activities and smaller group trainings with students and staff. If a SPED staff member would like ATS consultation to better support an individual student’s access to the AT, the ATS can meet with the staff upon request. Often educators only need training from the ATS on how to make the technology available to students. Following the Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) model, this support can apply to all tiers (UDL) but typically to tiers 2 and 3.
Adding AT Specialist Staff Consultation Services for a Student
When accessible technology is included on a 504 plan or IEP as an accommodation, it is considered assistive technology (AT). Students who use AT should have those tools listed as accommodations on their IEP. When AT is essential for students to access and participate in their education, the AT Special Factor box should be checked. This decision tree will help to clarify when this box should be checked.
AT specialist staff consultation services are not required in order for a student to use AT-related accommodations. However, in some cases, ATS staff consultation may be needed to problem-solve AT solutions for a student with more complex needs. In other cases, services may be necessary to address the needed staff training to support a student’s access to the AT. ATS staff consultation services can be added to an IEP without requiring an AT evaluation.
To add assistive technology consultation to an IEP/504, a 4J AT Specialist must approve and provide input to the team on the need for AT services. When an IEP/504 team adds AT services to a student’s plan, it should be listed as staff consultation. In an IEP, the consultation services should be listed under the “Supports for School Personnel” section as “Assistive Technology Specialist Consultation with Staff”
Assistive Technology Evaluations
For students with ATS staff consultation service time listed on the IEP, AT assessment is an ongoing process as a student’s environments and tasks change over time. The ATS evaluates a student’s current activity demands and matches AT tools and features to best support the student’s performance. Based on this information, the ATS recommends technology solutions to a student’s education team, and provides training and support for the team members to implement the recommended technology.
In some cases a more comprehensive evaluation, consisting of pulling a student from their classroom to gather more data, may be needed to determine a better match of AT tools to their current activity demands. This may be needed when a student is not benefiting from previously recommended technology. Most often this type of evaluation is not needed to determine a good match of AT tools to support a student. If staff consultation/training is needed to assist with giving a student access to AT tools, please reach out to the ATS for the needed consultation/training.
For a new referral for an assistive technology evaluation, please discuss this plan with the IEP team, including parents, to make sure that this is the direction you would like to take and determine what you would like to accomplish with technology. The “Consent for Additional Evaluation” and generic “Prior Written Notice” forms are located in the “Ad Hoc Documents” section of Synergy and require parent/guardian signature. For an AT evaluation, the case manager should fill out and sign an AT request form. The AT Request form is fillable (or you can print it off and write in the info). There is an optional Parent Survey. The parent survey is very helpful for input but not required, and if it does not come back quickly, we can start the process without it.
Please get the forms to us at the district office, SSD department, or send them via email and then we will contact the teacher to set up a time to meet with the student.
Assistive Technology Request form
Questions: contact
Kelley Moriarty at moriarty_k@4j.lane.edu
or
Jordan Gentzkow at gentzkow_j@4j.lane.edu