Overview

Teachers, AT consultants related service providers and school administrators work with families of students with disabilities when assessing, acquiring, and using assistive technology. Each group emphasizes the importance of families’ participation in AT processes. Yet the information shared with families is most often focused on technology operation and function with little attention given to the agency’s process for planning a program of AT use. In this session, we will describe a three-part training series that encourages parent involvement and leadership in AT consideration, assessment and implementation.

Learning Objectives

1. Use provided resources to define AT in family friendly terms, share information about IDEA requirements of schools to consider and provide AT, and help families identify actions they can take to request AT if they think their child needs it.
2. List three essential roles families can play in AT Assessment processes to contribute to the development of a plan for an AT assessment.
3. Use four aspects of Re-SETT with a child’s IEP team to develop an implementation plan.

Strand(s)

Education & Learning: Early Intervention – 12/Higher Education; Leadership

Target Audience

Administrators; AT Specialists; Communication Specialist; Consumers/Individuals with Disabilities; Consultants/Trainers; Educators; Faculty/Instructors - Higher Education; Family Members; Occupational Therapists; Paraprofessionals; Physical Therapists; Rehabilitation Counselor; Speech-Language Pathologists; Special Education Educators; Teachers of the Visually Impaired; Teachers of the Deaf/Hard of Hearing; Visual Impairment Specialists

Experience Level

Introductory; Intermediate; Advanced

Primary Life Cycle Addressed

Birth – Pre K; Elementary - Secondary (K-12); Higher Education

Session Delivery Format

In-person presentation with live-stream

Course Schedule

This course was given at the ATIA 2024 Conference on Friday, January 26 from 9:45 AM - 10:45 AM (EST)

Continuing Education Credits

For Satisfactory Completion and Continuing Education information, please visit: ATIA Online Education CEUs

This course is offered for the following CE Provider Credits:
ACVREP; AOTA; ASHA; CRC; IACET
For: 0.10 CEU Units or 1.0 CEU Hours

Speaker/s:

Gayl Bowser, MS Ed.

Assistive Technology Collaborations, Independent Consultant

Biography

Gayl Bowser, M.Ed., works as an independent consultant with a focus on the creation of effective, legal, and high-quality service systems that encourage the integration of technology into educational programs for students with disabilities. Formerly the Coordinator of the Oregon Technology Access Program (OTAP) and the State of Oregon’s Specialist in Assistive Technology, Gayl is a teacher by training, She provides AT consultation, Professional Learning, and technical assistance in the United States and internationally. Gayl is a founding member of the Quality Indicators for Assistive Technology (QIAT) Consortium and serves on the QIAT Leadership Team. She has co-authored numerous publications about assistive technology including Leading the Way to Excellence in AT Services: A guide for school administrators; Quality Indicators for Assistive Technology: A comprehensive guide to assistive technology services; and The QIAT Companion. Her work with Penny Reed on Education Tech Points: A Framework for Assistive Technology; and Assistive Technology Pointers for Parents is the basis for many other derivative works.

Relevant Financial Relationship: Yes
I receive the following: I receive consulting fees as an independent contractor from several state departments of education and school districts. The fees are based on a statement of work developed between me as a contractor and the contracting agency. As a part of other independent contracts, I receive fees from speaking/teaching to a variety of groups of educators about topics relating to assistive technology service delivery. These classes are both in-person and offered virtually. I receive publishing royalties as an author from CAST Publishing from three books mentioned in my biography. I also receive royalties from Attainment Inc for the Best Practices in Assistive Technology series.

Relevant Non-Financial Relationship: Yes
I am a member of the Board of Directors of Douglas Education Service District in Roseburg, Oregon. I am the volunteer secretary/treasurer of the National Assistive Technology in Education (NATE) Network which is the fiscal sponsor of the Quality Indicators in Assistive Technology (QIAT). I am also the volunteer secretary/treasurer of the Coalition for Assistive Technology in Oregon (CATO) which is the fiscal sponsor for Educationtechpoints.org and the Education Tech Points publications. I do not receive any financial reimbursement or benefit from any of these activities.