2005 NCTI conference Breakout Session

Making Technology Support the Transition from School to Adulthood

How can innovative technology bridge the many gaps that loom for families and students with disabilities as they transition from secondary schools to adult lives? Experts in the field of special education technology will discuss and demonstrate how emerging technologies that are now more portable and unobtrusive can benefit students moving to postsecondary, independent living, and employment settings.

Sean Smith (Moderator), Associate Professor, Department of Special Education, University of Kansas

Panelists:

Richard Lueking, President, TransCen, Inc.

Dinah Cohen, Director, Department of Defense (DoD) Computer/Electronic Accommodations Program (CAP)

Ron Hu, President and Chief Technology Officer, Afforda Speech

Sheryl Burgstahler, Director, DO-IT and Accessible Technology Services, University of Washington

Points of Discussion

• Many students with disabilities experience only sporadic or episodic work experiences. Assistive technology can contribute to the work experiences of students in school and in the work environment.
• Factors that contribute to successful experiences transitioning into postsecondary work environments include: youth self-determination; paid work experience; support for employers as they accommodate students; employer-school district partnerships and other interagency collaboration.
• Assistive technology devices provided by schools to students may be used in the workplace while still enrolled in school. However, since the devices are the property of the school, they do not automatically go with the students once they graduate. Some school districts are willing to sell devices at fair market value to the graduating student, his employer, or a vocational rehabilitation center that is willing to assume the expense. However, schools and students are presented with a dilemma when students want to retain software for which a district owns a site license. This is especially problematic when the software has been customized to meet the particular needs of a student, and has little value for other students in the district, but greatly benefits the individual for which the device was customized.
• The U.S. government has an aggressive recruiting program for people with disabilities, which includes recruiting students on college campuses. The government also identifies and secures assistive technology and services to support people with disabilities who work for the federal government. Assistive technology provided by the federal government for employees with disabilities can travel with the employee as they change positions within the government. However, as property of the government, employees who use the equipment do not retain the equipment if they leave the government.
• The industry needs to consider technology for needs of servicemen, many of whom have who have recently acquired multiple debilitating conditions.
• A tension exists between those in the school environment and those in industry, in that people in the school environment tend to adopt traditional/safe practices and those in industry are more willing to take risks and explore unconventional solutions to meet the needs of students with disabilities by using technology.
• From a business perspective, teachers may maximize technology by selecting open source products to make customizations to meet specific needs; learn scripting languages for customization; and becoming Internet savvy.
• Technology impacts what people with disabilities do, how they do it, where they do it, and who they do it with.
• Barriers often accompany technology evolution. For example, in 1992, students with visual impairments could access most areas of electronic media because everything was text based. Now, access has become more challenging due to alternative forms of representation.
• Many students with disabilities are entering the university setting without the technology skills that they need. Not only can technology be used in instruction and learning for students with disabilities, it can be used to develop their self-advocacy skills (doing research on the Internet; writing letters, advocating for themselves and for a universal design for learning which benefits everyone).
• Placing accessible technology outside of general education technology labs is problematic for students with disabilities because it prohibits them from working side-by-side with their peers. Students with disabilities need access to every education option. Providing 24/7 access to appropriate technologies is a challenge. We need to consider how to maximize effective use of technology, and consider how to assure that how students use technology now will prepare them for how they will use it in the next transitional steps and life stages.

Discussion

Question: How can teachers learn a scripting language to enhance the effectiveness of technology, given all of their responsibilities?

Response: That solution would have to derive from a collaboration between the technology industry and the field of education due to the lack of expertise that industry has in education and education has in the technology industry.

Question: What is being done for students with serious cognitive disabilities with technology to help contribute to their employment?

Response: PDAs are too complicated. Some of the Kurzweil tools are being modified for students in the classroom, and Don Johnston’s organization is developing tools that may help. Using technology can be motivational for students with cognitive impairments.

Question: Is there any way to appropriately address off site licenses, since equipment can be transferred from one owner to another?

Response: No panelists or audience member knew of a way to transfer site licenses. When a school or agency owns a site license, it can be used by an individual as long as they are with the organization. However, it cannot be transferred out.

Question: How does TransCen, Inc. market their services to schools?

Response: The agency is unique, and does not necessarily offer services that would be purchased by schools. For example, it has helped the Marriott Foundation partner with school systems so that students with disabilities could have work experiences. In some cases, the school would pay for their services, but in most cases, funding is provided by another source.

Comment: We will grow as a group because we will become more dependent on technology. Collaboration between districts and AT centers can facilitate help for students with disabilities. This will require innovation and process, not products.

Comment: The “medical model” approach is problematic because it excludes the students from the decision-making process. Disability service providers need to work more collaboratively with the technology staff. On a systemic level, AT needs to be included with information technology people.

Question: Why hasn’t policy been written to promote education and rehab including technology to enable students to use technology in the classroom and the workplace?

Response: When employers recognize that this is what they need to do, policy will change. Technology use in education and school has to be streamlined. Legislation involving technology and employment of disabled veterans is on the Hill now.