Connecticut State Department of Education

Connecticut Assistive Technology Guidelines - Section 1: For Ages 3-22


Resources


Chapter contents

The resources included in these guidelines are to be used as examples for administrators, families, and educators. Although not an exhaustive list, these are the most up-to-date documents, publications, and materials that professionals in the AT field are using.

All attached appendices may be printed and used with permission. Regular updates and reviews should be completed to ensure that the most recent information, technologies, and devices are used.

Assistive Technology Funding Resources

  • Disability Resources.org — The DRM Web Watcher provides links to a wealth of resources for the funding of AT.
  • Financing Assistive Technology — Website with resources for funding assistive technology.
  • Disability: National Assistive Technology Project — A federally funded project that “supports the advocacy efforts of attorneys, advocates, service agencies, persons with disabilities and their families as they seek funding for AT services and devices.” Its Web site includes a series of booklets on funding AT, a compendium of court and hearing decisions relating to AT, articles, legal rulings, and the like.

General Resources

  • Alliance for Technology Access — This Facebook page provides information and resources on AT that can facilitate children with disabilities to live, learn, work, define their futures, and achieve their dreams.
  • Assistive Technology Resources for Parents and Families — This site provides a free pdf.
  • Autism at-a-Glance: Using Technology to Increase Independence - This resource from the Frank Porter Graham Child Institute provides information to support high school staff and family members in promoting independence in daily living skills for adolescents and young adults on the autism spectrum.
  • Center on Technology and Disability — The US Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs provides information about AT to organizations that work with families of students with disabilities. Included is a family information guide to AT, which is a comprehensive resource for parents and guardians on funding for AT, AT in the IEP, as well as many links to other resources on AT. The site has a resource guide titled Family Information Guide on Assistive Technology available to download.
  • Great Schools.org — Links to articles about family support geared towards children with learning disabilities.
  • LD Online — This Web site has a variety of resources for families, teachers, and individuals with learning disabilities.
  • National Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center (NECTAC) — NECTAC has extensive resources for states about using AT with children, abstracted bibliographies, links to federally funded projects about AT with infants, toddlers, and children. Copies of state resource materials may be accessed by using the pull-down topical menu and selecting AT.
  • National Resources for Parents of Children and Youth with Disabilities —This Web site includes a variety of links to resources (not AT specific).
  • Pacer Center (Parent Advocacy Coalition for Educational Rights) — Simons Technology Center includes links to free downloads as well as information resources that can be purchased from the center.
  • Project Participate — This site provides families, educators, administrators, and therapists with simple strategies to increase the active participation of children with disabilities. There are several pages on “Gadgets & Gizmos” that present inexpensive, do-it-yourself solutions for reading (e.g., turning pages), writing (e.g., drawing with markers), play, and home.
  • Disability Resources — This is a comprehensive online resource managed by the US Department of Labor Office on Disability Employment Policy that provides links to AT information that can be helpful for parents.

Assistive Technology and Transition Resources

Assistive Technology Web Resources

  • Apple and iOS Devices - All Apple and iOS devices have built-in assistive technology features.
  • Association of Assistive Technology Act Programs — The Association of Assistive Technology Act Programs (ATAP) is a national, member-based organization, composed of state Assistive Technology Act programs funded under the Assistive Technology Act. ATAP provides support to state AT program members to enhance the effectiveness of AT programs on the state and local levels and promote the national network of AT programs. ATAP represents the needs and interests of the state AT programs and is the national voice of the AT programs.
  • Book Builder — Book Builder is a free online tool that lets kids create, publish, share, and read digital books. The tool is designed around Universal Design for Learning (UDL), an educational framework meant to support diverse learning needs. Here teachers can create, edit, and save universally designed texts that support diverse learners.
  • Bookshare — Bookshare has e-books available for individuals with print disabilities. This service is now free to public schools.
  • The Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST) — CAST is the developer of the Universal Design for Learning framework. This site includes free books, web-based software applications, and training materials.
  • Clicker - Clicker is a literacy support software that helps users of all ages and abilities to develop their reading and writing skills.
  • Closing the Gap — This Website provides parents and educators with information that enables them to locate, compare, review, and implement AT.
  • Council for Exceptional Children — This Website provides information on AT, educational technology, technology for administration and record-keeping, universal design, research, current issues on technology, and resources.
  • Center on Technology and Disability — The site provides a wide range of assistive and instructional technologies resources, from introductory fact sheets through CEUs, for practitioners and educators.
  • Chrome Assistive Technology Support - The Chrome Browser has many AT tools to support Reading, Writing, Organization, and other functions.
  • Clusive - Clusive is a free, flexible, adaptive, and customizable digital learning environment.
  • CommonLit - This website provides teachers with the resources they need to set their students up for success while also encouraging best practices in the classroom. The website has over 2,000 high-quality free accessible reading passages for grades 3-12.
  • Don Johnston Webinars and video training — The Web site provides training in Don Johnston products such as Co: Writer, Read: OutLoud, Write: OutLoud, etc.
  • Early Intervention for Young Children with Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Down Syndrome, and other Disabilities — This Web site provides guidelines for early intervention to maximize the language and communication development of young children with special needs.
  • Georgia Project for Assistive Technology (GPAT)— This Web site provides information regarding AT with the aim to improve student achievement, productivity, independence, and inclusion.
  • Learning Ally - Learning Ally provides services for individuals with print disabilities such as dyslexia and visual impairments. This website provides consultations, webinars, support networks and information on specialists and tutors, and services for teachers such as classroom management tools and professional development workshops for educators and parents.
  • LibriVox — LibriVox is a collection of free public domain audiobooks in MP3 format narrated by volunteers.
  • Microsoft Accessibility - This website provides information on the assistive technology tools and accessibility features in Microsoft products
  • NIMAS — This Web site serves as a resource to state- and district-level educators, parents, publishers, conversion houses, accessible media producers, and others interested in learning more about and implementing AEM and NIMAS.
  • Office 365 - This website provided information on the assistive technology tools and accessibility features within Office 365
  • Pennsylvania Training and Assistive Technology Project — This Web site provides resources and videos for training.
  • Project Gutenberg — Searchable database for free public domain ebooks in various formats.
  • Quality Indicators of Assistive Technology Consortium (QIAT) — This site offers an email listserv allowing individuals to network with AT leaders throughout the U.S. The listserv provides a forum to ask questions regarding AT, UDL, and instructional technology.
  • RERConAAC— Augmentative and Alternative Communication Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center functions as a collaborative research group dedicated to the development of effective AAC technology. This Web site includes a variety of research-based information, including handouts of presentations and webcasts.
  • Special Education British Columbia The Learning Center — This Website provides software and hardware AT resources that support participation, communication, and learning of students with disabilities.
  • Standards.Gov— This site provides background materials and valuable links for locating information about using standards in government for regulatory and procurement purposes.
  • TeacherTube — This is an educational site featuring lesson plan videos and teacher/student-made videos.
  • TechMatrix — TechMatrix is a free tool for finding assistive and learning technology products for students. Users can generate a matrix based on subject and type of learning support. 
  • Tobii Dynavox: Assistive Technology — This Website provides information and training documents for Tobii Dynavox products.
  • WordTalk — This is a free text-to-speech program for the PC that works within WORD and Outlook.

Assistive Technology Resources for Implementation

Assistive Technology Resources for Administrators

Resources for Training in Connecticut

  • Area Cooperative Educational Services (ACES) — The AT program at ACES focuses on the evaluation and needs assessment of the student within the educational setting; assistance with the selection of assistive devices; assisting the team with implementing and integrating the use of the AT within the student’s educational program; and education, training, and technical assistance to the student and team.
  • Bureau of Education and Services for the Blind (BESB) — BESB is responsible for the confidential registry of people who are blind in Connecticut and provides, within available resources, comprehensive low-vision services, specialized education services, life-skills training, case management, and vocational services to individuals of all ages who are legally blind and to children who are visually impaired. The agency assists them in acquiring the skills and support services necessary to be independent.
  • Capitol Region Education Council (CREC) — CREC provides districts with customized and flexible support for AT to meet the needs of students. CREC’s AT services include AT technical assistance and training to build capacity within the district; AT and augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) evaluations; membership in CREC’s AT Consortium; and RESC Alliance newsletter.
  • Connect-Ability — Connect-Ability offers information, tools, and technical assistance to job seekers and employers rather than direct job placement services.
  • Connecticut Association of Centers for Independent Living (CACIL) — CACIL provides information, counseling, and support to people with disabilities who are developing a housing plan that will enable them to live independently.
  • Connecticut Tech Act — The Connecticut Tech Act Project is a statewide program that helps to increase access to AT for individuals with disabilities of all ages.
  • Cooperative Educational Services (CES) — CES identifies and provides quality educational opportunities for educators, students, families, and communities in coastal Fairfield County. CES’s AT services include evaluation and consultation and technical assistance services to assist school districts in determining the technology needs of disabled students on an individual basis.
  • Department of Aging and Disability Services (ADS) - ADS programs, policies, and practices are designed to deliver integrated aging and disability services responsive to the needs of Connecticut citizens, provide leadership on aging and disability issues statewide, provide and coordinate aging and disability programs and services in the areas of employment, education, independent living, accessibility and advocacy, advocate for the rights of Connecticut residents with disabilities and older adults, and serve as a resource on aging and disability issues at the state level.
  • Department of Developmental Services (DDS) — The purpose of DDS is to create the conditions under which individuals with developmental disabilities and their families experience presence and participation in Connecticut town life; opportunities to develop and exercise competence; opportunities to make choices in the pursuit of a personal future; good relationships with family members and friends; and respect and dignity.
  • EASTCONN — EASTCONN is one of the RESCs in Connecticut and serves the educational needs of schools, organizations, communities, and individuals of all ages in northeastern Connecticut. The AT program at EASTCONN includes a) AT consortium; b) AT consultation; c) AT demonstration and lending library; d) AT student assessment; and e) AT training.
  • Education Connection — Education Connection, the regional educational service center in western Connecticut, promotes the success of school districts and their communities. Education Connection provides educational and related services.
  • LEARN — LEARN initiates, supports, and provides a wide range of programs and services that expand opportunities and enhance the quality of learning in the educational community. LEARN promotes regional and statewide cooperation and provides a framework for districts to achieve their goals through its leadership, resources, and work with schools, students, families, and other community agencies.
  • New England Assistive Technology (NEAT) Resources and Education Center — NEAT provides information and services and access to equipment and devices that can change the lives of people of all ages with all types of disabilities.
  • Office of Protection and Advocacy for People with Disabilities (PandA) — PandA is an independent state agency created to safeguard and advance the civil and human rights of people with disabilities in Connecticut.
  • State Education Resource Center (SERC) — SERC provides professional development and information dissemination in the latest research and best practices to educators, service providers, and families throughout the state and job-embedded technical assistance and training within schools, programs, and districts. SERC’s Technology In Education (TIE) initiative provides training, technical assistance, and materials dissemination to general and special education teachers and administrators, student support services personnel, paraprofessionals, and family members regarding educational technologies (learning tools) that may facilitate the teaching and learning process and lead to greater student achievement.