FAQs

== =Who is eligible for Assistive Technology services?=
 * === Any student with an IEP or a 504 plan is eligible. The IEP/504 team must consider whether the strategies, accommodations, and modifications that are currently in place to support the student are meeting the student's educational needs, or if the student may need other supports. ===

=Do only AT/AAC specialists from Special Education Department provide the services?=
 * === No. We can provide training and support to ensure that AT/AAC services are effectively integrated into the student's educational program. ===

=Is an Assistive Technology/Alternative Augmentative Communication evaluation required for every student who receives special education services?=
 * === No. An AT/AAC evaluation may be needed when the student is struggling to meet IEP goals or objectives, and the current educational supports and accommodations are not sufficient to help that student meet his/her goals. ===

=How do I make a request for an individual or classroom evaluation?=
 * === Contact Lindsay Slater and she will send you an evaluation referral form using Google Docs to fill out and send back. Contact Lindsay when form is completed and submitted. ===

=Who are the Assistive Technology/ Alternative Augmentative Communication contacts?=
 * === Lindsay Slater 330-761-3018 or lgerhart@akron.k12.oh.us ===
 * === Tish Kwiatkowski 330-761-3068 or lkwiatko@akron.k12.oh.us ===

=Should I write IEP goals and objectives for Assistive Technology?= =What about Assistive Technology on a 504 plan?=
 * === No. AT should be embedded within the IEP. Remember, AT tools are used by students to help meet IEP goals and objectives. Example: Johnny will learn to spell 5 new vocabulary words per week. The goal is learning to spell. How he accomplishes it is an accommodation, such as a computer, portable word processor; expanded keyboard, software, and so on. ===
 * === If the 504 team determines that a student needs AT to support his/her educational needs, it is then documented on the 504 plan. ===

=Who will be responsible for Assistive Technology implementation?=
 * === The IEP/504 team and the AT consultant will be responsible for making sure that the AT is used appropriately. The AT consultant will in training school staff, students, and parents. The Direct Service Providers will be responsible for learning how to use and maintain the AT. Once an AT device has been selected and acquired, the law also requires that, if necessary, the device be designed, fitted, customized, or adapted to the specific needs of the student. The school district is responsible for making sure that a device that is required for educational purposes is maintained, repaired, or replaced as needed to ensure that it will be available and in good working order when it is needed by the student. ===

=If the Assistive Technology that is required is already available on the schools' networked computers, is Assistive Technology training necessary?=
 * === It may be. While AT options that are built into the schools' computers and networked software may not be difficult to utilize, knowledge is still required to use the AT features successfully, thus AT training and support may be required. ===

=Is it sufficient for a student to use an Assistive Technology device or strategy in therapy sessions, and not in other educational activities?=
 * === No. The IEP team should ensure that a plan exists for instructing the student on how to use the device or strategy in the student's customary educational environment(s) in which the AT is expected to be used, in order to support development of the student's functional skills and the integration of AT into the student's daily activities. ===

=Can a student take Assistive Technology equipment home?=
 * === Decisions about where AT is provided are based on the needs of the individual student. The IEP/504 team will determine the locations where the AT equipment needs to be provided. If the AT equipment is needed at home for the student to access his/her educational program, then the parent or guardian of the student will need to sign a Request for use of School Property form before the student can bring the AT equipment home. ===

Cited from Loudoun County Public Schools Assistive Technology