AT Policy

Most school districts already have a Special Education Handbook or Policy & Procedures Manual. Each school district needs to include guidelines for providing assistive technology services and directions for accessing information and help. Wherever it is placed, there should be something that a staff member could turn to for direction if a parent requests an assessment or s specific assistive technology service. Many due process hearings or lawsuits could have been prevented if the teacher who was first asked a question by a parent had a resource to which to turn for help. School districts often look to their State Education Departments to provide guidance in the development of education programs and policies as well as to other districts that have successfully implemented AT.

Suggested AT Policies that may be included:

• Assistive Technology definitions and intent of use for students with disabilities
• School district responsibility in providing AT
• Criteria in establishing student need for AT
• Qualifications of personnel to provide AT services
• AT assessment, selection of AT devices/services and effectiveness measures
• Identification of types of AT services
• AT service reimbursement
• Funding and AT ownership identification
• Use of AT in settings outside of school building
• Transfer of AT devices between schools, school and home, preschool to elementary school, and school to adult systems
• Availability and use of accessible instructional materials
• School district responsibility for non-public schools
• Available AT technical assistance and training
• Software installation and review; copyright issues

AT Policy Guideline Examples

State AT Policy Guidance

Check to see if your state has developed such guidelines in the use of AT with students with disabilities. They may be helpful as your district develops its own AT policy and procedures manuals. The following state guidelines may be of assistance:

Connecticut Tech Act Project (CTTAP)
AT Guide to Providing Devices and Services for People with Special Needs.

Kentucky
AT Guidelines for Kentucky Schools

New York State
NYS AT Guidelines
Instructional Materials to be Provided in Alternate Formats (2002)
This amendment requires that alternate formats are available at the same time that instructional materials are available to students.

California
Special Education Assistive Technology Program

Utah
Interagency AT Implementation and Reference Guide

Technology Plans

Another place to include policies on the use of AT is within the school district's Technology Plan which identifies how the district will address the integration and use of technology into various systems.

Example: The Williamsville Central School District in Western New York has incorporated AT into their Technology Plan. Check out Appendix B in this document for their AT Rationale and Definitions.

Developing AT Policy

There are several resources available to assist in the development of more specific AT policy and procedures for an individual school district. Several areas should be considered in the development of the document.

Kentucky has developed an Assistive Technology Policy Checklist that suggests that thirteen elements should be considered when analyzing or developing school policies concerning the use of assistive technology. They can be used as general criteria to guide policy development.

The QIAT (Quality Indicators for Assistive Technology) Consortium of AT practitioners has developed a list of indicators for school districts as they strive to develop and provide quality assistive technology services aligned to federal, state and local mandates. We have provided a Working Guide to drive the process.