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Good afternoon. My name is Jill Lewis-Flood.
I am a former secondary education teacher and a parent of a child with disabilities.
My son's school has provided Assistive Technology, such as a laptop and software, for the last
four years. He is YET to receive any instruction in it's use however, and there is no timeline
for the implementation of such instruction. I am here today to ask you to require CSE
teams to develop an Assistive Technology Implementation Plan.
Assistive Technology, also known as A.T., allows children with disabilities the opportunity
to learn with less frustration and less time on a task. It enables them to do things more
independently, be more self-directed, experience school like their peers, discover their strengths,
become more social, be productive members of their community and be more employable.
In 1997, IDEA required IEP Teams to consider A. T. devices for all students with a disability.
However, A.T. continues to be under-utilized by many children with disabilities because
there is no regulation mandating that an A. T. Implementation Plan be developed.
Considering A. T. needs of a child is just the first step towards the intentions of IDEA.
Under current regulations, my school district is not required to develop an Implementation
Plan even though the IEP team determined A.T. was needed. In fact, they refused to create
a plan and when I asked questions to understand how the technology would be implemented I
was told by the Special Education Chairperson, “Don't worry about that. It is my job to
handle those details.” The meeting ended and the team walked out the door. But wait,
who decides what technology my son needs, who acquires the technology, who will instruct
my son, his teachers, and me in the use of the technology, and who will repair the technology?
These are questions I continue to ask my school district.
Compare AT to the process when CSEs consider a child's behavior. The State requires two
parts, a Functional Behavioral Assessment and a Behavior Intervention Plan. The child
is evaluated and an intervention plan is developed and then IMPLEMENTED. It is that written plan
that provides the clarity for collaboration and success of the child. I am only asking
to apply the same working model for a child's Assistive Technology needs.
The success of a child who needs assistive technology is unrealized when there is no
Implementation Plan. I know this firsthand. Each day my son comes home frustrated and
defeated. He has incomplete classwork because he doesn't know how to accomplish the tasks
using his laptop. He asks me “Mom when am I going to get trained? I know I am smart
but I just can't keep up.”
Requiring an Assistive Technology Implementation Plan be included in the IEP, for children
who have been appropriately screened and approved for AT, is crucial to meeting the educational
needs of the child.
Thank you, and if there is any way I can be of more help on this issue, please contact
me.