With new guidance, the U.S. Department of Education is pushing schools to ensure that all students with disabilities have the assistive technology they need and the supports to use it effectively.
The agency issued a “Dear Colleague” letter and a 24-page “myths and facts” document in January aimed at clarifying schools’ responsibilities to provide various aids.
Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the agency said that every time an Individualized Education Program team meets to develop, review, or revise a student’s IEP, they are required to factor whether the child needs assistive technology devices and services.
This can include electronic options like text-to-speech software, word prediction devices, and augmentative and alternative communication devices, as well as more basic tools including visual schedules and timers, pencil grips, binder clips, squishy balls, and stickers.
Assistive technology can be used for infants and toddlers served under IDEA Part C as well as school-age kids served under Part B with all types of disabilities, the letter indicates. It should also be factored when children move from early intervention to school and again when they transition to postsecondary life.
Not only must schools provide and fully fund any assistive technology necessary for a child to receive a Free Appropriate Public Education, but they are also obligated under the law to ensure that children, families, teachers, and related service providers are trained to use the devices so that they can be implemented correctly at home and at school, according to the guidance.
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