As educators serve increasingly diverse student populations who experience barriers to access, foundational knowledge of assistive technology (AT) is vital for pre-service education majors. This chapter reviews key legislation concerning assistive technology in school settings, current practices, and barriers to AT implementation rooted in both K-12 and pre-service teacher training. The author will highlight emerging practices to embed AT instruction into general and special education teacher preparation programs along with key topics to address. Armed with increased knowledge and comfort of assistive technology tools afforded at the pre-service level, informed educators can create a more inclusive classroom by removing or reducing barriers to accessing the learning environment.
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As educators serve increasingly diverse students that experience barriers to fully accessing education; foundational knowledge of assistive technology is vital for pre-service education majors. Consider a student reading below grade level or struggling to align math problems while showing their work. Think about a student whose spelling interferes with composing written responses or a child who has difficulty hearing directions in a noisy classroom. These are common barriers to learning students, with and without disabilities, face in the classroom. The benefits of assistive technology on improving student access to learning, curriculum, and participation in the least restrictive environments is well documented. With the rise of one-to-one technology and emerging accessible technologies, more students with disabilities qualify for Assistive Technology (AT) services. Assistive technology, as defined by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (2004) is
Any item, piece of equipment or product system, whether acquired commercially off the shelf, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve the functional capabilities of children with disabilities [and] . . . includes devices (i.e., any software or hardware technology items or equipment) and services (i.e., any training or technical assistance for the child, professionals, employers, teachers) that are used to increase, maintain, develop, or maximize functional abilities and skills of a child with a disability (20 U.S.C. § 1400, 2004).
Van Larrhoven and colleges (2012) recognized that traditionally views and perceptions of assistive technology led educators to believe assistive technology was for a limited number of students with complex needs including communication, mobility, and physical and sensory access. Use of assistive technology is seen across educational settings from specialized placements to the general education classroom for students receive services under all disability categories served under IDEA (Quinn et al., 2009). Many researchers have raised concerns over the limited access and use of assistive technology for students with high-incidence disabilities include learning disabilities, emotional and behavioral disorders, and speech/language-based disabilities (Bouck, 2016; Bouck & Long, 2021; Edyburn 2000, 2004).
Notably, more students with and without disabilities require assistive technology to access the general education curriculum and to enhance learning opportunities in inclusive and general education settings. Current educational frameworks and initiatives aimed at providing high quality instructions and support in inclusive settings have increased the focus of AT services. These include differentiated instruction/personalized learning, responsive to intervention (RTI)/multi-tiered support systems (MTSS) and Universal Design for Learning (Michels, 2017). Assistive Technology is a tool that can enable the success of these initiatives by providing access to meaningful participation in the classroom (Atanga et al., 2020).
Despite the rise in assistive technology needs, schools have primarily maintained an expert model of service delivery. Typically, an assistive technology specialist is assigned to evaluate a student, determine needs, identify tools if services are warranted, and train students, parents, and school personnel to implement the tools. By relying on referrals and advocacy of an IEP team to secure technology, this model vastly limits the number of students who are receiving assistive technology services, thus leading to inequitable access to vital tools. (Bowser & DeCoste, 2020; Decoste, 2013; Edyburn, 2003). The number of assistive technology specialists typically charged with evaluating students and developing plans vary. Decoste (2013) calculated the ratio of AT specialists to students in a large, county-wide school district. With a total of four AT specialists, the ratio is AT specialist per 2,857 students (Decoste, 2013). This situation is far from uncommon, with some districts having no AT specialists on staff. It is unlikely this ratio drastically improves with the rate of AT needs, thus requiring a new model for delivering services.