DEVELOPING AN ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY INTAKE EVALUATION Wink Harner Texas AHEAD 2019

INTRODUCTION – Who are you? Who are you? What office do you work in? What is your career path? Why are you here? Specifically, in this workshop?!* What do you hope to gain from this workshop? Do you love/are you afraid of technology? Can you think of a situation where access to assistive technology would’ve made all the difference?

WHAT IS ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY? Definition Assistive Technology is any item, piece of equipment or product system, whether acquired commercially, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve the functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities. Simply stated, Assistive Technology is tools and resources used by individuals with disabilities to help improve their quality of life and increase their independence. SOURCE: https://techaccess.edb.utexas.edu

IS THERE A “ONE SIZE FITS ALL” SOLUTION? - All students who need text-to-speech will use Kurzweil or Read & Write (because that’s what we have). All students will use Natural Reader with Paul’s voice (because that’s what we have) All students with a TTS accommodation get a print-to-file alt text in Kurzweil Because it’s easy (for us) Because no one’s asked for a better file structure All students get a PDF publisher image file Because it’s electronic, therefore “accessible” NO, there is no one size fits all!

TYPES OF ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY HIGH TECH: Juliet Braille embosser CCTV CART equipment set up for remote transcriptions open site license for Dragon NaturallySpeaking learning system software packages such as Kurzweil, Read & Write, Wynn Wizard. Portable document cameras Assistive listening devices Can you think of others? LOW TECH: What about "there's an app for that" solution? Is there equivalent open source software? Example: JAWS / NVDA EQUIVALENT = provides the same or the same level of access Example: using screen color overlays through the accessibility settings vs. providing colored transparency sheets Browse through a dollar store, an office supply or a hardware store and think about several items which could be utilized as a low tech solution.

Assistive Technology Categories Mind Map Reading Writing Notetaking Dictation/Speech-to- Text/Speech Recognition Mind Mapping/Brainstorming, Organization/Task Management Time Management/Distraction Free Research Tools Study Skills/Aids Vision Hearing, Communication Built-In Accessibility SOURCE: http://www.augsburg.edu/class/groves/assistive-technology/everyone/

FREE & LOW COST TECHNOLOGY FOR EVERYONE Augsburg College http://web.augsburg.edu/classprogram/Free%20or%20Low%20Cost%20Assistive%20Technology%20for%20Everyone

CHOOSING HIGH TECH vs. LOW TECH The purpose of AT is to remove or reduce the effects of functional limitation. When discussing AT, the conversation often centers on the most recent, most complicated, and most expensive technologies. Such discussions often neglect low tech AT options that could be a better fit.

BENEFITS OF HIGH TECH vs BENEFITS OF HIGH TECH vs. LOW TECH most recent, most complicated, most expensive vs. low tech + a better fit HIGH TECH LOW TECH High brand name recognition Costly Require extensive training Depends on individual needs and abilities Readily available Do not require extensive training Depends on individual needs and abilities SOURCE: http://www.continuetolearn.uiowa.edu/nas1/07c187/Module%203/module_3_p4.html

CASE STUDY - Choosing Low Tech vs High Tech Case Study: Mary has a disability that inhibits her ability to grasp small items, such as pencils, due to their diameter. She has no other physical or cognitive disabilities that effect her ability to write. To help Mary compose papers, one AT solution to consider is voice recognition software. This would allow Mary to write by dictating text into the computer without having to grasp a pencil. Although this would be an effective solution, accommodation could be achieved with a low tech solution. A more practical accommodation would be to put a pencil grip on a pencil, which would increase the diameter of the pencil to a size, allowing Mary to better grasp it, and allow her to write. This is a better solution for Mary because it would allow her to use her abilities, cost significantly less than voice recognition software, and would not require training. SOURCE: http://www.continuetolearn.uiowa.edu/nas1/07c187/Module%203/module_3_p4.html

CASE STUDY - Choosing High Tech vs Low Tech William is a student with multiple disabilities. He has a physical disability that prevents him from grasping a pencil due to the pencil's small diameter. This disability also causes him to fatigue quickly when writing. William also has dyslexia, making writing a difficult and taxing cognitive task. Providing William with a pencil grip alleviates the problem of not being able to grip a pencil, however it does not address his physical fatigue when writing or his cognitive disability. In this case, William should be provided with a high tech option such as voice recognition software. This software will allow William to write without physically using his arms, thus preventing fatigue. By automatically spelling words correctly, it will also help William increase writing speed and quality. Also, the playback function of this software will provide an audio means of double checking his work without having to rely on his reading skills. In this case, the added expense and training benefits the user. SOURCE: http://www.continuetolearn.uiowa.edu/nas1/07c187/Module%203/module_3_p4.html

REMEMBER: ONE SIZE DOES NOT FIT ALL! When determining someone's AT needs: Low tech options may work for some while others require high tech solutions. Recommending a high-tech technology when low tech would be sufficient is not cost-effective, and does not tap into the user's abilities. Conversely, providing someone with low-tech technology when high tech is necessary may save money, but it does not provide the individual with the tools necessary to reduce his or her functional limitation(s). People with disabilities are individuals and have individual needs, even if they have the similar disabilities. Each individual user's needs, abilities, and limitations determines which type of technology is most appropriate, not their disability category.  SOURCE: http://www.continuetolearn.uiowa.edu/nas1/07c187/Module%203/module_3_p4.html

Low Tech Organizational Strategies Color: Many people with LD are very visual, and color-coding notes, homework, or text to be read (with highlighters or other colored pens or markers) can help decode a monotonous visual field.  Underlining and highlighting a passage of text can help make the process of reading more "active", and aid in retention.  You can also purchase highlight tape for marking important passages. The tape can be removed from the pages of a book when you are done with it. "Post-it“ colored notes:  useful for "tabbing“ relevant text in a book or notebook. Day Planner:  A good way to store names, addresses, appointments, and "to-do" lists.  Wall Calendar:  Pick one with large spaces to write in. Useful for seeing important deadlines in time to do something about them. Source: https://stuff.mit.edu/afs/athena/project/atic/www.saved/tools/lowtechlearn.html

RESOURCES IN YOUR STATE http://aem.cast.org/navigating/assistive-technology-resources.html%23state https://adata.org/topic/technology-accessible TEXAS ACCESS TECH: https://techaccess.edb.utexas.edu ACCESS CENTERS for tech demos: https://techaccess.edb.utexas.edu/demo3.html RESOURCES in Texas: https://techaccess.edb.utexas.edu/resources3.html

UNDERSTANDING THE AT EVALUATION PROCESS Understand the evaluation process for students that were evaluated in high school Learn about different types of AT assessments and evaluations Gain specific knowledge on the Lifespace Access Profile - http://www.texasat.net/Assets/eval-at-team-supp-hndts-2013.pdf Find the Right Tools: http://www.techpotential.net/assessment Evaluation Comparison Worksheet: http://www.texasat.net/ UKATII Assistive Technology Toolkit: http://edsrc.coe.uky.edu/www/ukatii/Toolkit_Overview.pdf  The SETT Framework Source: http://www.joyzabala.com QIAT – Quality Indicators for Assistive Technology - https://qiat.org/indicators.html

INDICATORS TO CONSIDER FOR EVALUATION Consideration of Student’s AT Needs Assessment of Student’sAT Needs Where is AT in the Student’s IEP? AT Implementation Evaluation of Effectiveness of AT Administrative Support for AT Support for AT Professional Development SOURCE: https://qiat.org/indicators.html

LAYING THE GROUNDWORK: CREATE 3 SHORT QUESTIONNAIRES A 5 question self-evaluation for students A 5 question evaluation for AT evaluators A 5 question evaluation for campus-wide access (example: JAWS, NVDA, PDF Power Converter, Dragon Naturally Speaking, Kurzweil, Read & Write, others?) Open site licenses? Open Portal Access?

LAYING THE GROUNDWORK: CREATE A LEARNING STYLE QUESTIONNAIRE The DVC Learning Style Survey Written by Catherine Jester, Counselor, Diablo Valley College Learning Styles Profile University of Arizona

What do the results suggest about assistive technology solutions? Visual learners prefer to learn by seeing graphs or text. Auditory learners prefer to learn by hearing or speaking. Kinesthetic learners prefer to learn by doing, touching, or moving. Learning Preferences are just that – Preferences. Everyone learns using some combination of ALL of these ways! SOURCE: University of Arizona

KEY QUESTIONS TO PURSUE What should the student ask themselves about their functional limitations and what technology/technology skills they might need? What key questions should assistive tech evaluators examine in determining appropriate software/hardware/apps for campus? For Disability Resources offices or AT labs? For instructional designers? What are some key questions to ask in addressing a campus-wide install: open site licenses open portal access campus server capacity Writing AT into the department’s Strategic Plan

INTAKE EVALUATION BASED ON Documentation Self-report from student Q&A on learning styles Observation

SET UP PRELIMINARY TECH EVAL Has the student used tech in the past? Is the student comfortable & knowledgeable with general computer & phone tech? Do they need specific additional training and support?

ASK ABOUT ENVIRONMENT WHERE AT WILL BE USED Where used? Dorm, bus, car, library? When? How often? Internet access needed? Other questions to ask?

SET UP TRAINING & FOLLOW UP SCHEDULE How is your campus set for AT training & support? Your office? An AT lab? Support and availability elsewhere on campus? Who is responsible for the training? The follow-up? - System set up for checking out & checking in loaned equipment? Do you have a schedule for follow up Q&A with the student? Use PLUS / DELTA format – What do you like? What would you change? * Example: PLUS: I like following along with the highlighted text while listening to the text to speech read aloud; DELTA: I prefer listening to a female/male voice.

LEARNING STYLES ASSESSMENT SOURCE: University of Arizona: https://thinktank.arizona.edu/sites/thinktank.arizona.edu/files/website- documents/Learning%20Styles%20Assessment%20and%20Scoring.p df Using the example from the University of Arizona, what do the results of the learning styles assessment suggest about assistive technology solutions? Visual learners prefer to learn by seeing graphs or text. Auditory learners prefer to learn by hearing or speaking. Kinesthetic learners prefer to learn by doing, touching, or moving. Learning Preferences are just that-Preferences. Everyone learns using some combination of ALL of these ways!

Take the parts apart. Adapt as needed. Credit your sources! Thank you! Wink Harner foreigntype@gmail.com 2209 SE 145th Avenue Portland OR 97233 480-984-0034