Assistive Technology Services

An assistive technology specialist may provide assistive technology services, but so can many other service providers including special education teachers, teachers of the visually impaired, teachers of the deaf/hard of hearing, augmentative communication specialists and occupational therapists.

According to IDEA, assistive technology service means any service that directly assists a child with a disability in the selection, acquisition, or use of an assistive technology device. The term includes—

• The evaluation of the needs of a child with a disability, including a functional evaluation of the child in the child’s customary environment;

• Purchasing, leasing, or otherwise providing for the acquisition of assistive technology devices by children with disabilities;

• Selecting, designing, fitting, customizing, adapting, applying, maintaining, repairing, or replacing assistive technology devices;

• Coordinating and using other therapies, interventions, or services with assistive technology devices, such as those associated with existing education and rehabilitation plans and programs;

• Training or technical assistance for a child with a disability or, if appropriate, that child’s family; and

• Training or technical assistance for professionals (including individuals providing education or rehabilitation services), employers, or other individuals who provide services to, employ, or are otherwise substantially involved in the major life functions of that child.

So What Does That Mean?

• Assistive technology devices and services must be related to what the individual student needs, as dictated in their IEP or 504 Plan. This must be related to what the student needs in order to have a Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE).

• Assistive technology is typically listed as an accommodation in the Present Levels of Educational Performance (PLEP) pages of the IEP. It is not the goal to use assistive technology, but rather, assistive technology should support existing academic goals.