Assistive Technology Update

1. Assistive Technology Update Policy That Should Guide Your Assistive Technology Decision Making Process

2. Outline • Purchasing • Disposing • FCAT Accommodations • Related Services • Private Schools

3. Purchasing Assistive Technology Personally Prescribed Technology Purchasing With Insurance

4. Purchasing Personally PrescribedThe Question X county called. Are school districts required to pay for hearing aids, ear molds, or braces/splints for students? I don’t think any of these things are any different than glasses. What’s your take? How should they respond to the parent? ??

5. Purchasing Personally PrescribedThe Response • Historically, not required to provide a personal device that a student would require whether or not in school e.g. glasses vs. spelling checker. • Definition of AT does not say this at all. • US Dept. of Ed. has changed its position…

6. Purchasing Personally PrescribedThe Response cont’d • Hearing Aids: 22 IDELR 373 (1/22/94) • North Dakota Code read “Parents will assume such cost for a child with disabilities as they would if the child was non disabled. Personal items, including hearing aids, eyeglasses, routine medical expenses, physical exams, medications, and all items necessary for a child who is non disabled, will be the financial responsibility of the parent.” …

7. Purchasing Personally PrescribedThe Response cont’d • U.S Department of Education • Add • “Unless otherwise specified in the IEP for educational purposes.” …

8. Purchasing Personally PrescribedThe Response cont’d • Eyeglasses: 22 IDELR 629 (1/13/95) • With a reminder that all suspect areas must be assessed 34 CFR 300.532(g)… • Individual with Disabilities Education Law Report (IDELR) • Code of Federal Regulations (CFR)…

9. Purchasing Personally PrescribedThe Response cont’d • Pulmonary Nebulizer: 24 IDELR 388 (1/23/96) • Oxygen Tank: 25 IDELR 1203 (3/26/97) • Wheelchair: 33 IDELR 246 (2000) …

10. Purchasing Personally PrescribedThe Response Cont’d. • Not in IEP do not provide: • 30 IDELR 451 (1999)./

11. Purchasing With InsuranceThe Question • The parents of J.R. have purchased a Dell laptop with a communication program to help J.R. communicate. I understand that their insurance they collected paid for the laptop. The parents have asked me to use the laptop during J.R.’s therapy. Can I use the parent’s equipment to meet J.R.’s therapy goals? ??

12. Purchasing with InsuranceThe Response • The school may use technology purchased by parent’s private insurance to meet IEP goals 34, CFR 300.142(f). • For equipment that is family owned but not necessary under IEP, the district is not responsible for maintaining. 27 IDELR 509 (97) …

13. Purchasing with InsuranceThe Response cont’d • If in the IEP and the parents choose to use their private insurance: • The district can pay for deductible or co-payments with Part B funds 34, CFR 300.142(g). • Parents must be made aware of any consequences of using private insurance./

14. Purchasing With InsuranceThe Question • I am an Assistive Technology Specialists in XX public schools. I have encountered the following situation several times in the past few years and wondered whether there is a policy regarding this issue…

15. Purchasing With InsuranceThe Question cont’d • A parent of a student obtained a communication aid on her own through Medicaid funding. • The parent did not wish to send the equipment to school and therefore the school system provided identical equipment through their funding sources…

16. Purchasing With InsuranceThe Question cont’d • The equipment provided by the school is available for home and school use, however the parent does not want to use the school’s equipment at home nor the Medicaid provided equipment at school…

17. Purchasing With InsuranceThe Question cont’d • Both pieces of equipment totaled in excess of $14,000 and although funded through different sources, both pieces of equipment were purchased with taxpayers dollars. • Is there any policy governing duplicate purchases of equipment for the same user? ??

18. Purchasing with InsuranceThe Response • There is no policy regarding duplicate purchases of equipment. Although it is not a good use of taxpayers dollars, the parents have the right to use the device purchased through Medicaid however they wish./

19. Purchasing With InsuranceThe Question cont’d • In order that the student will have a system that will be efficient, the home and school system should be programmed identically therefore the systems should be backed up to one another. • A backup card (approximately $180) would be needed to go from home to school…

20. Purchasing With InsuranceThe Question cont’d • Is the purchase of the individual backup card the responsibility of the school system? • Whose responsibility is it to back up the system? ??

21. Purchasing with InsuranceThe Response • Best practice dictates that the same vocabulary should be in both devices. • You have no legal responsibility to purchase the card or to back up the systems. • Legal responsibilities are not always in the best interest of the student./

22. Purchasing With InsuranceThe Question cont’d • The school system is aware that they are responsible for repair of equipment provided by the school or for repair of equipment obtained through other sources when used in school. • In this particular case, is the parent then responsible for the repair of the “home” system? ??

23. Purchasing with InsuranceThe Response • Definitely/

24. Disposing of Assistive Technology

25. Disposing of Assistive TechnologyThe Question • My ESE director wants me to gather up assistive technology that is not being used. She also wants me to determine why it is not being used in those cases where it is appropriate…

26. Disposing of Assistive TechnologyThe Question cont’d • This AT is mostly communication devices, and some head pointers and software. Have other assistive technology specialists been asked to do this? ??

27. Disposing of Assistive TechnologyThe Question cont’d. • How can I dispose of technology that is too old or too difficult to be useful? ??

28. Disposing of Assistive TechnologyThe Response • Florida Statutes allows a government unit to surplus property that serves no useful function and may “…offer surplus property to other governmental units in the county or district for sale or donation or may offer the property to private nonprofit agencies…” • Title XVIII, Chapter 274, Section 274.05, Florida Statutes (FS) …

29. Disposing of Assistive TechnologyThe Response cont’d • …property which serves no useful function …be disposed of for value to any person or government unit or if without commercial value, to be donated, Section 274.06, F.S. …

30. Disposing of Assistive TechnologyThe Response cont’d • The school district is responsible for tracking assistive technology equipment and maintaining accurate records of its location. • Transfer of assistive technology devices should be completed through applicable district procedures that are consistent with district record requirements./

31. Disposing of Assistive TechnologyThe Question • If a state project has obsolete equipment that they are no longer using, is it ok to permanently transfer the equipment to another district that can find a use? …

32. Disposing of Assistive TechnologyThe Question • For example, if an ATEN lab upgraded a few laptops and the old one were considered “obsolete”, could the project go ahead and give them to a school in one of the districts served by the project and mark them as permanently transferred? ??

33. Disposing of Assistive TechnologyThe Response cont’d • Equipment purchased with state or federal funds valued at less than $5,000 can be sold, given away, or surpluses with out any commitment to the funding agency-in this case DOE. • Check with your district for district procedures./

34. FCAT

35. FCATThe Question My son has C.P. and writes slowly and with difficulty. At his IEP meeting this year his teacher said the state will require him to take a state writing exam. She said he could get ready by learning to use a computer. I don’t see how a computer will help him and I think the test will make him feel again like he has failed. Who can help me excuse my son from this exam? ??

36. FCATThe Response • Can he be excused? IEP team decision • All students must take an FCAT or alternate assessment. • If take alternate assessment will not eligible for standard H.S. diploma. • Most must take FCAT • How can a computer help him?/

37. FCAT AccommodationsThe Question I am wondering if you have encountered this question yet about using the AlphaSmart for short and extended responses questions with the FCAT. Apparently there is a box for short and extended response on the FCAT. And, only what can “fit” in the box counts for points. …

38. FCAT AccommodationsThe Question cont’d The question is – “How do we know how much fits in the box compared to what is displayed on the AlphaSmart screen?’ I’m presuming we’d need to know how many lines of text on the AlphaSmart will fit in the various boxes on the FCAT. We have a student who needs this accommodation. ??

39. FCAT AccommodationsThe Response • Number of lines for short and long answers vary. • Short about 4-10 lines • Long about 15-20 • Written long hand 5-7 words on a line • AlphaSmart 5-7 words on a line • One line AlphaSmart = one line FCAT/ • http://firn.edu/doe/sas/fcat.htm

40. FCAT AccommodationsThe Question • I have a student who writes very large. How can he fit his response to the FCAT answer sheet? ??

41. FCAT AccommodationsThe Response • The student can respond on paper that will accommodate his writing needs. • The response will be transcribed into the test booklet./

42. FCAT AccommodationsThe Question • I have come across a link on the DOE website that outlines acceptable test accommodations for the FCAT. • As I read this, I see that text-to-speech software is an approved testing accommodation for students that use such accommodations in the course of their school day (with the exception of the reading portion of the test). …

43. FCAT AccommodationsThe Question cont’d • Our school district has purchased Kurzweil 3000 to support learning, studying and testing for students with reading and learning disabilities. • I would like to use this system to produce an FCAT on a CD for students with disabilities in our district. …

44. FCAT AccommodationsThe Question cont’d • I would proof the test in Kurzweil 3000 to ensure that everything is read correctly, and that only the items that the testing staff deem appropriate are actually “read” by Kurzweil 3000. …

45. FCAT AccommodationThe Question cont’d • With this in mind, individual teachers are not having to scan/prepare the test in advance (or the day of the test), or read out loud passages and items. • The .kes file can be pressed on to a CD and distributed the day the test booklets go out to schools, or it can be made available or the web through our district. …

46. FCAT AccommodationsThe Question cont’d • Who can I work with at DOE to accomplish this? ??

47. FCAT AccommodationThe Response • Text to speech is an approved FCAT accommodation. • The procedure is good. • Difficulty is obtaining a copy of the test to do the procedure. • Ask for unique accommodation for student who uses Kurzweill 3000 on regular basis. …

48. FCAT AccommodationThe Response cont’d • Questions about unique accommodations directed to victoria.wagner@fldoe.org. /

49. FCAT AccommodationsThe Question • I have students who are severely physically challenged who are learning Pathfinder with Unity 128. • In anticipation of the demands of the FCAT the teacher is requiring them to do all their work letter by letter. • Their writing skills are significantly poorer when restricted from using Unity 128. …

50. FCAT AccommodationsThe Question cont’d • This is also significantly undermining their progress in learning how to communicate. • I am asking for a special accommodation for these students. ??