Assistive Technology and Transition: Implications for Teams and for Students who are Deaf-Blind

Transcription

1 Assistive Technology and Transition: Implications for Teams and for Students who are Deaf-Blind Scott A. Dougherty February 18, 2015 Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network PaTTAN s Mission The mission of the Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network (PaTTAN) is to support the efforts and initiatives of the Bureau of Special Education, and to build the capacity of local educational agencies to serve students who receive special education services. 2 1

2 Essential Points Individuals who are deaf-blind vary considerably from each other Individualized assistive technology (AT) is an important component of education, transition, independence, and community involvement Effective assistive technology decision-making is multifaceted and team-based Planning is critical for success in AT and transitions 3 IDEA Part B Enrollment by Disability Children 3 to 21 years old served under IDEA, Part B in Total Students with Disabilities % of children who receive Part B services % of total Pre-K to 12 student enrollment All disabilities 6,419, Deaf-blindness 1,000 # # Visual impairments 28, Hearing impairments 78, Multiple disabilities 130, Intellectual disability 447, Autism 417, Source: Digest of Education Statistics 2012 (NCES,2013) 4 2

3 2013 Deaf-Blind Count Nearly 90% of the children and youth on the National Deaf-Blind Child Count have one or more additional disabilities OSEP s Special Education Child Count only identifies a child as such if deafblindness is the lone disability Deaf-blind children identified in the 3-21 age range National Deaf-Blind Child Count OSEP s Special Education Child Count 8,847 1,539 Discrepancy (7,308) Source: The 2013 National Child Count of Children and Youth who are Deaf- Blind (NCDB,2014) 5 Critical Elements for Identification Recognize deaf-blindness as a disability unique from vision, hearing, etc. Improve understanding of deaf-blindness for accurate diagnosis and appropriate intervention Cease providing interventions that are based on labels 6 3

4 Assistive Technology (AT) 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 individuals with disabilities. Any services that directly assist in the selection, acquisition, or use of an assistive technology device. 7 AT Decision Making: Where Is It? Where is it? Section 504 Service Agreement Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) Individualized Education Program (IEP) Treatment plans Individual Support Plan (ISP) Person-centered plans What is it called? AT Considerations Present Levels of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance Program Modifications and Specially Designed Instruction Communication Plan Transition Plan Statement of need Accommodation 8 4

5 AT is Effective When It s Easily accessed when it s needed Easily accessed where it s needed Available at the user s discretion Used frequently Used fluently Age appropriate Embraced by the user Matched to tasks Matched to the environment(s) Supported by training and technical When AT is effective, the likelihood of AT abandonment is reduced 9 AT Decision Making: Aided By Whom? Local Education Agency (LEA) Regional Education Service Agency (RESA) Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) agencies State Assistive Technology Act programs Agencies serving individuals with sensory disabilities Centers for Independent Living (CILs) Student Support Service offices Assistive Technology Specialists 10 5

6 AT Decision Making: Using What? Feature Match Student, Environments, Tasks, and Tools (SETT Framework) Human Activity-Assistive Technology (HAAT) International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) Matching Person and Technology (MPT) 11 AT Decision-Making: Non-Negotiables Multidisciplinary input Student and family input Consideration of student, task, and environments BEFORE products Timeliness Trials when available Training and technical assistance Data collection and team review 12 6

7 Resources to Use or Consider Protocols and forms prescribed by an LEA or their partner agencies Learning Media Assessment, 2 nd Edition Assessing Communication and Learning in Young Children Who are Deafblind or Who Have Multiple Disabilities Assessing Students' Needs for Assistive Technology (ASNAT) 5th Edition 13 AT Determination: By Whom? Birth 2 Family IDEA Part C child s Early Intervention providers Ages 3-21* Family Student IDEA Part B student s multidisciplinary team Ages 21+ The individual Employer Postsecondary institution Other agency 14 7

8 AT as an Initial Process Consider as a team Plan and share action Empower the student Collect and review data Document decisions Select, acquire, and implement the AT Look ahead to coming transitions Record the tools and funding sources Establish relationships with postsecondary supports 15 AT as an Ongoing Process Consider as a team Plan and share action Empower the student Collect and review data Document decisions Select, acquire, and implement the AT Look ahead to coming transitions Record the tools and funding sources Establish relationships with postsecondary supports 16 8

9 Effective Postsecondary Transition Education & Training Employment Independent Living 17 Five Essential Steps in AT Transition 1. Promote independent use of AT 2. Build self-advocacy 3. Prepare for systems change 4. Build relationships 5. Document AT devices and services Promote adequate support, ongoing training, and regular use to develop understanding and independent use of the AT 18 9

10 Five Essential Steps in AT Transition 1. Promote independent use of AT 2. Build self-advocacy 3. Prepare for systems change 4. Build relationships 5. Document AT devices and services Demonstrating or describing how AT works to others Performing or directing basic troubleshooting Selecting different tools to complete similar tasks Showing proper care and maintenance for AT Schedule appointments and services 19 Five Essential Steps in AT Transition: 3 & 4 1. Promote independent use of AT 2. Build self-advocacy 3. Prepare for systems change 4. Build relationships 5. Document AT devices and services Prepare students (and parents) for systems change that include: Entitlement vs. eligibility Shift in role from student to student/worker/citizen Shift from dependent of parents to independent adult 20 10

11 Employment Employment in the community cannot be viewed as an add on or something extra. It must be viewed by everyone as a core component of the service delivery system. David Hoff (2012) Institute for Community Inclusion University of Massachusetts, Boston 21 Employment First: A Social Model Employment as a social priority Employment as an expectation for all System-wide focus Funding Data Quality assurance Policies and procedures Training Procurement APSE Statement on Employment First Employment in the general workforce is the first and preferred outcome in the provision of publicly funded services for all working age citizens with disabilities, regardless of level of disability. (Hoff, 2012) 22 11

12 Employment should Occur in typical settings Utilize practices and settings that are accommodated for a worker s needs Include services that invest in the success of individuals with disabilities Maximize the use of natural and community supports Facilitate integration into mainstream society Assistive technology can serve an important and necessary role in the employability, independence, and quality of life of an individual Source: Hoff, D. (2012) 23 The Changing Landscape for Students Pre-K to 21 (IDEA & ADA) 13% of Pre-K to 12 students have a disability (NCES, 2013) Assistive technology must be considered for students with disabilities Districts are required to conduct Child Find activities All children have the right to a Free Appropriate Public Education Postsecondary (ADA) 11% of undergraduates report a disability (NCES, 2014) IEPs do not exist and AT does not need to be considered There is no requirement for agencies to identify individuals with disabilities College and employment are not a right/entitlement 24 12

13 Data: It s Déjà vu all over again? Data is still not collected on deafblindness as a disability (NCES, 2014) Undergraduates who reported some type of disability in Disability Type % of identifying students Visual 3.6 Hearing 7.0 Speech 0.2 Orthopedic 9.3 Specific learning disability 4.8 Attention deficit disorder 21.8 Mental illness/depression 30.8 Health impairments/problems 3.5 Other 19.0 Source: Profile of Undergraduate Students: Web Tables (NCES,2014) 25 Exiting the Pre-K to 12 System Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 Applies to colleges, universities, and other programs receiving Federal funds The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 Extends 504 standards to public (Title II) and private (Title III) entities Disability is not a grounds for exclusion if a person otherwise qualifies for the program or job Equal opportunity to compete with nondisabled peers is the benchmark for compliance 26 13

14 Requirements under Section 504 & ADA Reasonable accommodations at no cost to the individual, such as Accessible locations Services of interpreters Access to Support Service Providers Extended time on tests Effective assistive technology Provision of auxiliary aids and services Effectiveness is gauged by the standard of equal opportunity to participate No requirement to provide the most sophisticated aids or services No requirement to provide the exact tool that an individual requests 27 Differences in Postsecondary Settings Institutions, businesses, and community agencies: are NOT required to pay for evaluations to determine a disability do NOT (and are not allowed to) consult parents are NOT required to provide personal aids and services Due process protections are not automatically guaranteed 28 14

15 Differences in Postsecondary Settings Institutions of higher learning are NOT required to: change the content or structure of assessments provide specialized tutoring beyond what it provides to any other student Institutions, businesses, and community agencies are NOT required to provide accommodations that present an undue economic or administrative hardship 29 Responsibilities in Postsecondary Settings Individual with a disability Provide documentation of his/her disability in accordance with the institution s established policies and procedures Request accommodations from the institution Adhere to agreed-upon procedures for use of provided accommodations Institutions, businesses, and community agencies Ensure access to programs by qualified applicants or students Provide reasonable accommodations for documented disabilities Demonstrate good faith in providing access to the individual 30 15

16 Five Essential Steps in AT Transition: 3 & 4 1. Promote independent use of AT 2. Build self-advocacy 3. Prepare for systems change 4. Build relationships 5. Document AT devices and services Build relationships Invite the players Learn the timelines Prepare the paperwork 31 Five Essential Steps in AT Transition: 5 1. Promote independent use of AT 2. Build self-advocacy 3. Prepare for systems change 4. Build relationships 5. Document AT devices and services Document. Document! DOCUMENT!! 32 16

17 Transition Documentation by Team Student Name: AT Device CCTV Who owns It? Intermediate Unit How was it paid for? Intermediate Unit property long-term loan AT Device and Ownership Log Age of Device Likely to be replaced? Can the device transfer to new environment? Will the current provider change? Date: Who pays for this device/service at present? Fall 2004 No No Yes All CCTVs are owned by the IU for use in K-12 settings No Will access to this funding source continue? Are there new funding sources to explore? Vocational Rehab Makrolux Lighted Dome Magnifier Student Rotary Club Grant Spring 2006 Yes N/A/ N/A No Cane Student Intermediate Unit A new one is provided annually until graduation Yes Yes, if appropriate size Yes Talking Calculator 12 th Grade classroom teacher Personal purchase Fall 2009 Yes Yes the teacher has agreed to let student keep it N/A The AMIGO Desktop Portable Magnifier Student Long-term loan from state DOE Spring 2006 No, this Device was loaned in as-is condition No No SEA requires the No device to stay in the possession of the LEA College Disability Office is initiating a purchase Source: Author (permission is granted to use or adapt) 33 Led to Documentation by Student Current list of Assistive Technology Updated on 09/01/2014 Device/software Ownership Need/desire to use in postsecondary setting Assistive Technology devices/software approved for purchase through BBVS Magic software Acrobat LCD School District Yes Magic keyboard Pebble School District No Kurzweil 3000 software Amigo Student No Hovercam (scanner) Smartlux Student Yes BrailleNote Monocular Telescope Student Yes Co:Writer software Dome Magnifier Student No Victor Reader Large Screen Monitor School District Yes 24-inch monitor Zoom Text 10 School District No Transformer Victor Stream with CD burner School District Yes Kurzweil 3000 Verison 11 School District Yes Scanner School District Yes Source: Author (permission is granted to use or adapt) 34 17

18 Team Application Activity Assignment 1. Inventory and document existing assistive technology in use by the student 2. Generate a list of possible AT tools and supports for the postsecondary setting based on list 1 3. List the local, state, and regional resources that are available to potentially provide those supports Possible Documentation Action planning resource in use by team (e.g., SETT framework, transition plan) AT and Transition in Deaf- Blindness folder AT Devices and Ownership Log template AT Ownership Tracking template 35 Citations Hoff, D. (2012, June 27). Employment First: A national update. Session presented at the 23 rd Annual National Conference of the Association of People Supporting EmploymentFirst, Arlington, VA. National Center for Education Statistics. (2013). Digest of Education Statistics: 2012 (Report No. NCES ). Retrieved from

19 Citations National Center for Education Statistics. (2014). Profile of Undergraduate Students: Web Tables. (Report No. NCES ). Retrieved from National Center on Deaf-Blindness. (2014). The 2013 National Child Count of Children and Youth who are Deaf- Blind. Retrieved from 37 Resources Association of Assistive Technology Act Programs. (2015). Get help in your state [listing by state]. Retrieved from Helen Keller National Center. (2015). Signs for technology: An ASL resource [video file]. Retrieved from Gierach, J. (Ed.). (2009). Assessing Students Needs for Assistive Technology (ASNAT): A resource manual for school district teams (5 th edition). Milton, WI: Wisconsin Assistive Technology Initiative/CESA #2. Retrieved from

20 Resources Koenig, A. J., & Holbrook, M. C. (1995). Learning Media Assessment A resource guide for teachers (2 nd. ed.). Austin, TX: Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired. Retrieved from learning-meadia-assessment-a-resource-guide-for-teachers- 2nd-ed Rowland, C. (Ed.). (2009). Assessing communication and learning in young children who are deafblind or who have multiple disabilites. Portland, OR: Design to Learn. Retrieved from mentguide.pdf 39 Resources U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights. (2011). Students with disabilities preparing for postsecondary education: Know your rights and responsibilities. Retrieved from

21 Contact Information Scott A. Dougherty Educational Consultant Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Tom Wolf, Governor Pennsylvania Department of Education Pedro A. Rivera, Acting Secretary Bureau of Special Education Patricia Hozella, Director 41 21