As part of school technology planning, you need to ensure that you have fully considered the needs of all students including those with disabilities. Also, to be used effectively, technology must be readily accessible in a way that meets the needs of all learners.

The resources in this section will help technology planners to address questions such as:

• What are our legal responsibilities in terms of technology for students with disabilities?
• How can technology planning for students with disabilities be made more cost effective?
• How can we make the technology planning process more inclusive?
• What assistive technologies are we already using?

Links for Assistive Technology
Alliance for Technology Access
The Alliance for Technology Access regional centers assist parents, teachers, individuals with disabilities, and others to access technology, mainly through computer resources. This part of the ATA web site provides a wide range of information and resources on what assistive technology is and how to use it in the K-12 setting. Resources include AT Mini-Assessment tool.

District Technology Planning for All Students: Helping to Meet the IDEA '97 Mandate
School districts today are faced with multiple needs generated by standards-based reform, the implementation of technology, and the mandates of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). With the collaboration of general and special education in its technology planning, the Concord, New Hampshire school district talks about their continuing commitment to the integration of technology in their classrooms to meet the future needs of all students.

Education Tech Points: A Framework for Assistive Technology Planning
The Education Tech Points Manual was written to help school districts meet the assistive technology needs of individual students and to evaluate and improve their assistive technology services. These materials can be purchased. At each "Education Tech Point", key questions to be asked about an individual child are highlighted and action items for school districts are discussed. The Education Tech Points Framework offers strategies for the development of general program policies and procedures which provide support to existing education teams so that they can effectively select assistive technology for students and implement assistive technology programs.

Project Meet
This is a 5 year federally funded grant program provides technology professional development to Massachusetts teachers. A three-tiered approach, consisting of teaching, support, and policy, promotes the use of online technology for teaching and learning. Included as part of the project are evaluation reports of the professional development efforts as well as showcase examples from thirty-six school teams on technology projects they created as Project MEET teams.
View the PDF

Technology for Students with Disabilities: A Decision Maker's Resource Guide
The guide discusses how technology applications can help (a) children participate in classroom activities, master basic skills and learn complex material, and (b) educators assess and evaluate student progress and instructional programs.

The University of Kentucky Assistive Technology (UKAT) Toolkit
The UKAT is a product of six years of assistive technology (AT) research conducted at the University of Kentucky in collaboration with six school districts in Kentucky.
(Note: Requires Adobe Reader)

The Wisconsin Assistive Technology Initiative (WATI)
WATI is a statewide training and technical assistance project. Its focus is on helping school districts increase their capacity to provide efficient, effective assistive technology services. They have developed several manuals and other training materials that can help school districts as they implement the assistive technology requirements of IDEA. Tools include the WATI Assistive Technology Assessment tool.

Quality Indicators for Assistive Technology
The QIAT is a national, grassroots consortium providing input into the ongoing process of developing and implementing a set of quality indicators for assistive technology service. This indicators offer guidelines to districts wishing to improve their services. Resources include the “Critical Areas to Consider When Making Informed Assistive Technology Decisions," a framework widely used when assessing the need for assistive technology.