Overview
Providing an appropriate education to students with disabilities across settings requires collaboration between all stakeholders. To assist with collaboration and expanding educators’ capacity to implement AT, it is supportive if school staff share a common vocabulary and resources. To that end, each candidate will develop an AT Portfolio that will be designed as a resource for general education staff, parents, related service providers, and new special education teachers or paraprofessionals. Evaluation will be based on completeness of each component of the portfolio using a scoring rubric.
The AT portfolio will address the following areas:
- Purpose of AT,
- AT Devices: Low-tech, Mid-tech, and High-tech,
- AT Services. Provide in text citations and end references.
Note, this is not required, yet very beneficial: Work towards observing a student in your setting utilizing each type of the AT across the AT continuum, to better understand the diverse benefits.
Organization of Portfolio and PURPOSE - Section 1: Introduction that provides the purpose of the AT Portfolio and introduces the legal foundations and socially responsible understandings of disability that influence AT service delivery to students with disabilities. Provide a brief description and rationale for the use of person-first language and types of access issues emphasizing a neutral and respectful understanding of disability. Incorporate at least 2 accessibility features learned in this course into the portfolio.
LOW-TECH AT - Section 2a: This section will specifically describe what type of tasks or instructional activities that may be difficult for a student, possible strengths based on a disability, and strategies for supporting students who could benefit from low-tech AT. List 5 related resources for staff, volunteers, or parents that will assist them in understanding the AT item, and the delivery of low-tech AT to students with disabilities. Each resource should include a link to a video demonstration, and/or a photo of the tool, and a 2-sentence summary of how the tool assists students to complete a type of tasks they could not do otherwise without the AT. Include AT that may support all curricular areas (i.e., (a) General Curriculum—Reading/Literature, Written Language, Speaking and Listening, Math, Sciences, and Social Sciences and Fine Arts, Music, and Physical Education, and/or (b) Independence Curriculum—Daily Living, Vocational/Occupational, Social Skills, Home Living, Community Living, and Advocacy).
MID-TECH AT - Section 2b: This section will specifically describe what type of tasks or instructional activities that may be difficult for a student, possible strengths based on the disability, and strategies for supporting students who could benefit from mid-tech AT. List 5 related resources for staff, volunteers, or parents that will assist them in understanding the AT item, and the delivery of low-tech AT to students with disabilities. Each resource should include the link to a video demonstration, and/or a photo of the tool, and a 2-sentence summary of how the tool assists students to complete a type of tasks they could not do otherwise without the AT. Include At that may support all curricular areas (i.e., (a) General Curriculum—Reading/Literature, Written Language, Speaking and Listening, Math, Sciences, and Social Sciences and Fine Arts, Music, and Physical Education, and/or (b) Independence Curriculum—Daily Living, Vocational/Occupational, Social Skills, Home Living, Community Living, and Advocacy).
HIGH TECH AT - Section 2c: This section will specifically describe what type of tasks or instructional activities that may be difficult for a student, possible strengths based on the disability, and strategies for supporting students who could benefit from high-tech AT. List 5 related resources for staff, volunteers, or parents that will assist them in understanding the AT item, and the delivery of low-tech AT to students with disabilities. Each resource should include the link to a video demonstration, and/or a photo of the tool, and a 2-sentence summary of how the tool assists students to complete a type of tasks they could not do otherwise without the AT. Include At that may support all curricular areas (i.e., (a) General Curriculum—Reading/Literature, Written Language, Speaking and Listening, Math, Sciences, and Social Sciences and Fine Arts, Music, and Physical Education, and/or (b) Independence Curriculum—Daily Living, Vocational/Occupational, Social Skills, Home Living, Community Living, and Advocacy).
AT SERVICES-Section 3: This section will specifically briefly describe examples of AT services (such as a specialized training tutorial; professional organization that provides specialized trainings relevant to AT; parent and paraprofessional coaching to program a device with relevant vocabulary; teaching the student to access video-modeling for vocational instruction, etc). List 2 related and rationale for resources for staff, volunteers, or parents that will promote the AT services needs of learners with disabilities who access AT. Specify the value of collaboration regarding AT. Note that AT is not to be assessed, determined, or implemented in isolation; all team members would be involved in the discussion. AT specialists emphasize the importance of collaboration in the AT process.
There is flexibility in the format of this project. Choose from one of the following:
- APA style paper
- PowerPoint slides
- Prezi presentation
- Webpage
- SMART Sheets
- Alternative presentation upon approval of instructor