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This website was created by the Disability Rights organization in New Jersey. This organization aims to "advocat[e] and advanc[e] the human, civil and legal rights of persons with disabilities." The website for this organization provides a variety of information based around the law in New Jersey that covers people with disabilities, as well as provides numerous helpful resources. One of the major resources that this website provides is information about assistive technology resources. It provides information about the Assistive Technology Advocacy Center (ATAC) of Disability Rights New Jersey (DRNJ) which offers services to people with disabilities. As a special educator, I would use this website to learn about what the state of New Jersey does for people with disabilities. This would be helpful in terms of transition and career development because it would give me knowledge about what another state does for students if one of my students chooses to go to college in New Jersey.

Excellent resource Sarah! It is interesting to read about another state and I think it is important to be knowledgeable about other states, not just our own.

I found this website to be very interesting and could potentially be very beneficial to people in need of assistance. Not only does this website provide a list of different assistive technology tools, but it also gives links to tutorials about how to use the product and accessibility features. Some examples of assistive technology products are wands and joysticks, alternative keyboards, touch screens, braille displays and screen readers. These products can be useful for at home use as well as at school. There are also news articles about each product to let a person know what other companies have said about that particular product. I can see myself using this resource in my special education career by researching these products to see if it could assist one of the students I work with. By providing one of these resources to a student with a disability, it could make their life much easier either at school, home or both. There is a link on the website that helps a person identify which tool is the right fit for you. I could use this to help identify which one would best assist the students I work with.

FCTD is a national center that offers free information resources on the subject of assistive technology to support organizations and programs that work with families of children with disabilities. Summary: These family guides provide a very detailed explaination for technology and transition planning that is jargon free and easily accessible for parents. The guide features descriptions of transitions as well as the ways assistive technology can be used throughout this process. The guide is also offered in spanish. Professional Practice: This guide can be printed out and given to parents to help them understand the transition process. If the guide does not meet the needs of the particular school it can be used a model for creating a guide to keep parents informed. The more educated the parents are on assistive technology and transition, the more we can all work together to create the most beneficial plan for the student.

AT technology helps children with many disabilities. This article focuses on children with learning disabilities. Through AT children can focus on and celebrate their strengths. AT technology helps them "bypass" their challenges. AT can assist in all areas of school and life. Reading, Writing, Math, Organization, Etc... There are so many ways to assist students with AT such as alternative key boards, audio books, electronic worksheets, calculators that verbalize what you are typing, etc... I knew about some of these items but I have not had the oppurtunitity to work with any of them. At least now i have some background knowledge so if I ever need them or have the oppurtunitity to implement them into my classroom I will at least know a little. I also have this great resource to go to now if the situtation arises where I am looking for answers on AT.

I really like how this resource provides examples for how assistive technology is used with students at a variety of different age and education levels. It really serves to demonstrate the scope of assistive technology and how it can be used with such a wide variety of students.

This resource provides examples of AT all across the board from pencil grips to voice recognition software. Schools are now required because of FAPE to provide students with AT that are in need. The challenges for schools in that area are lack of training and funding. However, the article does provide many success stories that make AT worth it. AT can be as simple as having a student in a regular education classroom take notes on carbon paper so that the student with learning needs can focus there attention on listening and get a copy of the notes later. This resource makes AT reachable to all educators whether you have the funding and training or not. There is no excuse not to meet the AT needs of your students. I plan to use this resource in the future with my students.

Summary:
This web-article is from United Cerebral Palsy and is centered around transitioning from school to work and using assistive technology throughout. The article highlights some of the barriers associated with this transition. They talk about how often-times students transition from school to work and their assistive technology equipment does not follow them, or they are not taught how to utilize the technology for their jobs.The article also has a very useful list of suggestions for how to make this transition more successfull.

Professional Practice:
I think it is really easy for us to narrow our scope and only focus on students in school, or only at the age level that we are planning on working with. This article reminds us of some of the issues associated with transition that we may have not even begun to think about. Whenever anyone is working with students at the high school level they need to be thinking about how to make the transition to college or work as smooth as possible. This includes making plans for how to allow the student to keep using their assistive technology.

This site has a plethora of information about the transition process and how you can be successful in that process using assistive technology. It is broken into 5 sections that are written in a friendly-manner that is easy to follow, even if you are not familiar with the transition process or assistive technology.  I could see myself referring to this article for guidance when working in the transition stages of a students' education. It is helpful, like a textbook, but is not nearly as lengthy.

"FCTD Family Information Guide to Assistive Technology & Transition Planning This 50-page guide offers families information and resources to effectively prepare for and participate in periods of transition in their children's lives. In family-friendly language the guide discusses transition plans and the role of AT in them, offers checklists and suggestions. and provides a range of resources aimed at helping students make successful transitions to higher education, employment and independent living. The guide can be accessed online in both Spanish and English"

This document is an overview of a module that discusses how to support the transition process of individuals that use Assistive Technology. It has slides from a presentation that review the transition process, set up for someone who would be facilitating a workshop. The page is helpful because it breaks down the transition process, which is something that can be used as a refresher for those of us who are special educators in the lower grades that do not deal with transitions. The page also discusses how assistive technology is needed for individuals, and when it is appropriate to include in the transition process. I feel that I could refer to this site, although the set-up is strange, for guidance during my career.

This link offers a list of organizations that parents can contact in search of grant  money or other funding to help get the assistive technology that their child needs. It can be a place to start in to order to "improve a child's mobility and educational opportunities." As a special educator I want to be able to offer whatever support I can to the families I work with. If a family is struggling to help their child once they leave school, I hope to be able to point them in the right direction in improving their child's way of life.

This article focuses on children with autism. Children with autism typically have communication and social needs. Technology can assist in the communication needs but the author warns against using technology to teach social skills. This is due to the fact that a computer is not a real person. To teach social skills children need to be interacting with other people. It is all about creating a balance. This reitterates the fact that no child autism or not is the same. Not one thing is going to work for all. Through having this resource and using co-workers, parents, etc... as resources we can better meet the needs of all students. Not one particular learning experience will meet the needs of all students. We as teachers need to vary the methods we use to teach depending on our individual students.

This article focuses on children with learning disabilities. This is a great resource to recomend to parents. This will help them to better understand how the school is going to meet the needs of their child. The article describes how AT can meet the needs throughout the enture curriculum such as reading, writing, math, etc... The article not only provides great information in a simple way but resources where to get more information. I would use this article when talking to parents about AT.

This article is short, but sweet. It discusses the importance of proper transition planning and the laws that are involved. It also talks about how assistive technology is necessary to enable individuals to communicate and receive the accommodations they need.  This article is helpful to brush up on the laws of the IDEA and how they play an important role in the transition process. 

This is a great article to brush up on IDEA like you said. All those laws and regulations can be to much at times and it is always good to have a resource nearby to double check yourself.

The FCTD Family Information Guide to Assistive Technology and Transition Planning includes the following sections: We have included many website addresses throughout the guide. Whenever possible, we have listed the URL (the website address) that will take you to the precise page within an organization's website on which the relevant resource appears.

This website is very useful for families who are going through a time of transition and in need of assistive technology. The website is easy to follow and provides many links to the URL that will help assist someone who is interested. One thing that I thought was really interesting about this website is that it gives success stories and discussions for families in need to refer to. One other important factor about this website is that it has a link for a glossary of key transition terms. This will be helpful to families who are new to this process. As a special educator, this resource could come in handy when meeting with a family who has a child in middle or high school in need of transition services. I recommend this website to the family and explain to them how it is set up and what type of information is provided. If the family does not have internet access at home, I would give them an opportunity to explore the website at the school.

This was an article desribing how teachers can use AT in their classrooms. AT can be used to "develop, monitor, and provide instructions, and for students to access and engage in learning." AT is a way to reach students needs. Through AT it can assist in the following areas organization, note taking, writing, productivity, access to reference materials, cognitive assistance, and material modification. This article gave me some great ideas to use with my current and future students. Each student learns differently whether they have a disability or not we as educators need to provide them with the most developmentally appropriate learning experiences so that they can be successful. That maybe through AT. AT can enhance and engage students more than the traditional way of teaching.

"What assistive technology, adaptive software and portable tools do people with disabilities use to independently access information, activities and places in their daily lives? This will depend on the individual, his or her access to resources, and the design of the environment or information that is trying to be accessed. The following tipsheets share information by disability type and include portable or remote options for people with disabilities who travel internationally."

"ATIM is designed to provide high-quality information and professional development on assistive technology (AT) for educators, professionals, families, persons with disabilities, and others. Each module guides you through case studies, instructional videos, pre- and post-assessments, a glossary, and much more. ATIM modules are available at no cost. Fee-based professional development certificates and graduate credit hours are now available and continuing education credits are coming soon."

Technology blog for teachers offering free information and tools you can use!