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The National Assistive Technology Technical Assistive Partnership (NATTAP) is an organization based in Virginia. It works to provide assistive technology and information about assistive technology to people with disabilities. The programs provided by NATTAP "develop and disseminate training materials, conduct training, facilitate access to AT [(Assistive Technology)], and provide technical assistance to assist school children with disabilities transitioning to work or postsecondary education and adults with disabilities who are maintaining or transitioning to community living." The website provides information about training to use some assistive technology programs, as well as information about IDEA in terms of assistive technology and transition. As a special educator, I would use this site to find trainings for certain assistive technology programs. Being trained in the use of multiple assistive technology programs is incredibly beneficial because it gives the educator more knowledge about which programs would work best for students. In terms of transition and career development, I would use this website to help my students learn about new and different programs that will help them both in college and the working world.

This resource was very informative. I can definitely see myself using this as an educator to research assistive technology programs.

"The Institute on Disability is pursuing the expansion and further development of Assistive Technology (AT) services and training in the state of New Hampshire. Assistive Technology is integral to the daily lives of many New Hampshire residents. Awareness of and the ability to try assistive technology devices are important aspects to making a decision whether a particular technology is "the right fit." The IOD is actively involved in partnerships on campus, throughout the state, and on a national level to promote access to assistive technology services." This site is full of great information about assistive technology. The resources tab is where you want to direct most of your attention as many of the documents and resources that are identified are very practical and geared toward use by special education service providers, students, and parents. Of particular interest to schools is instructions for how to create a low cost case for the iPad for use in schools. Check it out! Application to Transition Practice The information provided on this site will help to support transition practices in the classroom (direct teaching of transition skills), in work-based learning experiences, and living. There are many suggestions for how to physically adapt assistive technology hardware to meet an individual's need in the workplace. Also, in the resources there is a resource list of "reviewed" iPad apps for use to assist individuals with disabilities to become more independent is environments both within and outside the classroom. For example, the dragon app is free and it can be used to dictate and transcribe text. Various apps used for study skills and time management and organization could be very useful for students with LD and ADD in a variety of environments. It would be important to introduce individuals to some of these apps while they are in high school so they can learn about how they might help them in college, daily living, or employment settings.

The Institute on Disability is part of the University Center for Excellence on Disability at the University of New Hampshire. "The Institute on Disability is pursuing the expansion and further development of Assistive Technology (AT) services and training in the state of New Hampshire. " This department at the University of New Hampshire provides information about disability services that are provided for their current students as well as information concerning training programs for professionals. Professionals can register to attend the assistive technology workshops to learn about the newest programs that will help students with disabilities in their education. As a special educator, I would use this website to attend workshops on the most current assistive technology resources. This would keep my knowledge up to date and give me the opportunity to experience new and different programs. Then, when I have new students who may need different assistive technology both in high school and transitioning to college, I will be better equipped to tech them how to use the program.

This website provides very helpful information for families regarding the different assistive technology systems that are available to children with disabilities. It provides resource reviews about hundreds of technology resources that are available to help families chose the one that works best for their student. It also provides a search engine based on state to help families locate organizations in their area who work with students with certain disabilities. This site has a link to discussion forums where families can talk and connect with others who have students with similar disabilities. The Family Center on Technology and Disability has created this site to be helpful and informative for families. It is very easy to navigate and user friendly. As a special educator, I would use this website as a way to help families connect with organizations and other families in the area who have students with similar disabilities. Disabilities can be very challenging not only for the student but also for the families who are supporting them. Having someone else to talk to about any possible struggles they may be having and having someone else to relate to can be very helpful.

This website provides many different links about different types of assistance technology. Each link has a short summary about the tool which gives a person in need of assistance an idea if the type of technology is necessary or not. Each resource provides a wide range of topics such as introductory fact sheets and CEU's for practitioners and educators. This resource is also important for families who are new to the transition phase of a child's life. These tools can support children who are very young as well which means it can provide assistance to a wide range of families.

"Knowing where to begin and how to proceed can be daunting though. We're here to help. Funded by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs, the Family Center on Technology and Disability provides a wide range of resources on assistive technology, from introductory fact sheets and training materials to in-depth discussion of best practices and emerging research. Try setting aside 30 minutes a day to review an FCTD resource. Before you know it, you'll know a lot more about assistive technology and the ways in which it can improve the lives of the children and youth with disabilities. Of course, we're here for your just-in-time information needs as well. We hope you'll visit our site often!"

The ATTO: Assistive Technology Resources website offers resources about assistive technology. There are six categories that the information is broken down into: Government, Education, Organizations, AT Products, Web Design, and AT Guides. It is a very user-friendly website and offers families, students, and educators a wealth of information about the latest news and uses of assistive technology. As a special educator I am particularly interested in assistive technology in the schools. Clicking on the Education link it takes you to a page that offers curriculum design for teachers and parents on using assistive technology in the classroom, as well as how to provide educational activities at home to encourage self-determination with children and adults with special learning needs. I could definitely use this when designing unit plans in the classroom for my students.

This blogger uses assistive technology to read and write to post about the latest assistive technology products. The products reviewed are the newest assistive technology devices on the market. You can listen to podcasts about the products, as well as send an email requesting that a new product or app be reviewed. Coming from the point of view of someone who does not require assistive technology, I think it would be good to hear the opinion of someone who does use it. As a special educator I don't want to miss something, and risk setting a student up to fail because I didn't take something into account.

"FCTD Fact Sheets: Assistive Technology Solutions Assistive Technology Solutions Assistive technology (AT) is any item, piece of equipment or product that can be used to help someone with a disability successfully function at home, in school, at work, and in the community. AT can be anything from a simple, low-tech device such as a magnifying glass, to a complex, high-tech device such as a computerized communication system. It can be big - an automated van lift for a wheelchair - or small - a Velcro grip attached to a book for easier page turning. Assistive technology can strengthen a person's abilities where needed or substitute for them entirely - such as a picture board with sound output that helps a child who cannot communicate with her voice."

Hi Andrea---Great resource, assistive technology helps to support growth in a student's self-determination....please tag all of your technology resources as mcst-assistive-tech. Looking forward to your summary and written connection to transition.

This article reminds people that children and people with disabilities are people too. They can participate just like anyone else they just need tools to help them succeed. Through technology we can help people with disabilities feel more independent and empowered. This a great article and connection to resources for my upcoming career in special education. Not only does the article offer some great ideas but also who/where you could contact to learn more.

Great posts Andrea....can you make sure to tag mcst-Assistive-tech. Thanks

Summary:
This article tells the story of a young girl with Cerebral Palsy and how assistive technology became part of her transition plan. It starts by explaining her high school experience, describing what the transition planning was like, and then closes with a description of how she is using the technology in high school.

Professional Practice:
This article is great for those who like examples. This article clearly depicts how a school successfully planned for this girl's transtition with assistive technology. This article helps us to focus on the big picture and how all of the pieces of the puzzle fit together. This resource can be a source of inspiration for how assistive technology can be used with different students.

This resource gives and excellent example of how assistive technology can support a student with disabilities with a transition plan.

Having articles that have real life stories or a personal touch are not only an easier read, they help make the connection. Great choice!

The Center for Assistive Technology (CAT) was created by the School of Public Health and Health Professions at the University of Buffalo. It is a center that "conducts research, education, and service to increase knowledge about assistive devices for persons with functional impairments of all ages." The center focuses on four main areas, (1) "Research, Development, Transfer, and Commercialization," (2) "Education Programs," (3) "Client Assessment & Training Services," and (4) "Dissemination." These four areas include faculty members from approximately thirteen departments at the University of Buffalo. The website created by CAT provides information about the program as a whole, current research, educational programs and services that they provide, as well as current projects and past projects. As a special educator, I would use this website to learn about new assistive technology programs that would be beneficial for my students. I would also use this site to learn about workshops for educators that teach about new assistive technology. This information would be very beneficial during transition and career development time because it would provide me with the most recent information to give to my students.

The New England Assistive Technology (NEAT) Center provides opportunities to learn about new assistive technology products and services, as well as the experience of learning how to use the assistive technology at their facility. It works to find solutions, excellent services, and advocates for people with disabilities. NEAT is located in Hartford, CT. As a special educator I would want to take advantage of the professional development that they offer: product demonstrations, vendor days, speakers and seminars. Since they offer specialized workshops, it might be something to suggest to a special ed. department about setting up and visiting as a group.

"Assistive technologies have become commonplace in consumer electronics-in fact, they make up a $30.5 billion industry that's expected to grow fast, as baby boomers' vision and hearing begin to fail. But those bells and whistles are byproducts of the efforts made by educational technology developers to design and refine assistive technology tools that remove barriers to learning for children suffering from a range of disabilities."

"For years, tens of thousands of educators, parents, and school leaders used the original Assistive Technology Wheel developed by the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) to select appropriate resources for Individualized Education Plans. CAST is pleased to provide an all new AT Wheel with updated content and resources. Created by CEC's Innovations in Special Education Technology (CEC-ISET) membership group, the AT Wheel is a handy, compact tool that maps student needs in a variety of areas to dozens of potential assistive technology solutions."

This resource provides assistive technology training and help using a computer. Each topic has a link connected which gives a few paragraphs describing the area of interest. There are more links provided after you click on "assistive technology training" or "help using a computer". Some of these links are occupational therapy, youth services, scholarship& award programs and social services. Since there are so many topics covered on this website, it can assist many different families and individuals in need of a variety of support services. This resource could be useful in my life as a special educator by allowing secondary students to explore it and learn step by step how to use a computer if they don't know how to already. It can also be useful to parent who are in need of special services for their families. Many students are not aware of the services that are available to assist them, therefore, by reviewing this website, they can become more aware.

Description: The Agrability Project offers assistive technology and resources to farmers, their families and their communities, which allows agricultural workers with disabilities to be successful and live independently.  Those eligible for services may have blindness, deafness, developmental disabilities, cerebral palsy, amputations, arthritis, stroke, or spinal cord injuries. The Agrability Project works with groups like 4-H clubs to encouraged students to participate in making modifications to farms, and eliminating accessibility barriers, etc. It currently serves 24 states.From the Home Page, if you click on "Communities of Interest" it will list different groups that discuss the latest issues about disability in agriculture. Topics include: Arthritis and Agriculture, Assistive Technology, Ergonomics, Mental/Behavior Health, Peer Support, and Vocational Rehabilitation. From the Resources Page you can click on "Youth" and be taken to a page that offers lesson plans about assistive technology and Inclusive 4-H resource materials. As a special educator it is important to be able to think "outside-the-box" sometimes when it comes to helping a student meet their goal. Knowing the area that we live in and the interests of my students, there is definitely a pull to the agriculture industry. This website is a good resource to use when trying to assist the students with this particular career interest in mind for the future.

Closing the Gap was started by a family who raised a child who was deaf. Because of their experience of being parents of a child with learning disabilities, they wanted to share their knowledge and insight with others. "Closing The Gap, Inc. provides assistive technology resources and training opportunities through its bimonthly (print and online) magazine, Webinars and annual international conference." As I was researching assitive technology, Closing the Gap came up a few times. They hold international conference and provide information to educators, parents and professionals from around the world. I would like to subscribe to their magazine to read about the latest developments in assistive technology.

Learning what your college has to offer is so important! Keene State has wonderful resources but not all colleges do. Students really need to do their research to be sure they are getting what they need and take their education into their own hands.

It is crucial to know what your college offers! Learning this prior to starting school is so incrediably important and will help the student be successful in school. Schools have so much to offer typically you just have to seek it out.

This is great for students who are planning on going to college to read. I know of some students who don't even want to research/contact any colleges regarding assistive technology or other assistance they might be able to provide. I hope that students do consider what resources are available at the school of their choice and that they've developed the self-advocacy confidence to seek out help when they need it.

Summary: Learning Disabilities Online features this excellent article describing the ways that assistive technology is used for students with learning disabilities going directly to work. The article cites that around 85% of students with learning disabilities will transition directly to work after high school. The article describes common assisstive technology options available, ways to identify needs, and descriptions of who is responsible for providing assistive technology in the workplace. Professional Practice: This resource is very thorough and helpful for the special educator who needs to brush up on their understanding of assistive technology and transition. This article reminds us that it is important to realize that most students will be transitioning to the workforce after school, rather than to college. This article reminds us to focus on this transition just as much as the transition the college. Because this article is concise yet thorough, it is a good resource to refer back to regularly to keep things in perspective and remind teachers of the technology available to students.

The laws affecting college students with disabilities and the process of obtaining assistive technology in college are completely different from the K-12 world. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is not in effect in higher education. Summary: This article is located on the webiste for the University of New Jersey. The article describes how IEPs are not in effect in college and that it is the student's repsonsibility to request the assistance that they need. The article also describes that although college's are required to provide assistive technology for students, they are not required to provide the most sophisticated technology available. Professional Practice: In order to prepare our students for college, we need to understand what services college provides. This article helps us to see how asstitive technology is addressed at the college level. We can use this knowledge to teach students how to ask for the assitance that they need. We can also work with the students to identify what services their particular college may provide and help them to get in contact with the neccessary people.

This article was written by Amy G. Dell from The College of New Jersey. It discusses the difference between IEP's and assistive technology in the K-12 world versus the college world, and the laws that surround them. Dell states that "Colleges have no legal responsibility to identify students with disabilities or involve parents in decision making. Parents are often surprised to learn that there are no IEP's in college." Instead of an IEP, the law that protects students with disabilities is a civil rights law. The article continues by discussing reasonable accommodations that students with disabilities can receive in college and how to obtain them. If I were a special educator working on transition and career development, I would use this information to educate my students about the difference between K-12 school and college. I would teach them the difference between having an IEP and using the civil rights law in college. The student needs to learn that they must advocate for themselves in college to receive the academic assistance to help them succeed.

This article briefly discusses the laws under the IDEA and the transition process. It covers the transition process during school with the IEP and the transition process after graduation. It also discusses the importance of assistive technology in the transition process. This article can be useful to understand how assistive technology can play a role in the transition process. I could see myself referring to this article for guidance.