IEP TEAM CONSIDERATION OF ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY
IDEA '97 requires that IEP teams "consider whether the child requires assistive technology devices and services." This means that all teams need to address whether assistive technology is required for the child to benefit from FAPE. It goes on to suggest that the team needs to determine what type of device(s) and/or service( s) is required to benefit from FAPE. If Assistive Technology is determined by the team to be necessary to provide the child FAPE, it must be provided at no cost to parents. Districts must provide AT necessary to provide FAPE, not necessarily the "best" AT.
However, it is not realistic to assume that IEP teams will consider the 20,000 plus assistive technology devices available for every student. But such considerations should also not be restricted to a handful of assistive technology devices known to the IEP team members. IDEA '97 defines assistive technology devices and services as follows:
ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY DEVICE: The term "assistive technology device" means 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 functional capabilities of a child with a disability.
ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY SERVICE: The term "assistive technology service" means any service that directly assists a child with a disability in the selection, acquisition, or use of an assistive technology device. Such term includes:
A) the evaluation of the needs of such child, including a functional evaluation of the child in the child's customary environment;
B) purchasing, leasing, or otherwise providing for the acquisition of assistive technology devices by such child;
C) selecting, designing, fitting, customizing, adapting, applying, maintaining, repairing, or replacing of assistive technology devices;
D) coordinating and using other therapies, interventions, or services with assistive technology devices, such as those associated with exisiting education and rehabilitation plans and programs;
E) training or technical assistance for such child, or, where appropriate, the family of such child, and
F) training or technical assistance for professionals (including individuals providing education and rehabilitation services), employers or other individuals who provide services to employ or are otherwise substantially involved in the major life functions of such child.
Ideally, IEP teams should consider a full range of assistive technology devices and services that are available to address the developmental, instructional and access needs of students.
The following forms are designed to provide IEP teams with a conceptual framework for assistive technology considerations that will be neither too expansive or restrictive. In addition, the forms provide an option for documenting assistive technology considerations to satisfy the IEP requirements of IDEA. The forms are organized into the areas of:
If a student has instructional, developmental or access needs in one or more of these areas, the IEP team can use the corresponding form( s) to assist in their consideration of a variety of assistive technology devices and services to address that area. The forms provide space to document both affirmative and negative decisions about the need for assistive technology by area. The team can use the forms to indicate that a general type of assistive technology is included in the IEP and then specify more detail in the IEP. The team can also use the forms to document that assistive technology is not needed by noting that other interventions and/ or adaptations are to be used to address the student needs in that area. For students whose IEP only addresses one problem (such as speech), the form for that area could simply be attached to the IEP as documentation of the special factor consideration. For students with an IEP that addresses many areas, the documentation will be more lengthy, but the appropriate forms could still be attached to the IEP.
While the forms do not provide an all-inclusive list of assistive technology for an area, they do provide IEP teams with an idea of the range of AT that can and should be considered to address various needs. The lists do not include instructional software or other similar electronic media and materials that might be used to teach skills or remediate skill deficits in an area. Such technology is far too expansive to include in a list and is typically considered to be part of general instructional media, like textbooks and other materials that all students use to learn.
These forms can and should be used in conjunction with a structured decision-making process, for example, the SETT framework describes team consideration of the Student (S), Environment (E), Tasks (T), and finally Tools (T) in making decisions about assistive technology. The tools include assistive technology along with non-technology tools that could be used to address needs. These lists could be used within a SETT decision-making process to assist teams to consider an appropriate range of assistive technology tools, especially if their own experience with assistive technology is somewhat limited.
While these lists are not meant to be inclusive of every possible assistive technology device a student might need, when used with a good decision-making process, they can encourage appropriate depth and breadth of considerations along with a consistent procedure for documentation.