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What constitutes administrative support? We all know when we feel
supported, but exactly what is it that creates that support. Certainly
one of the most significant aspects of support is an administrator
who expresses an interest in the area of concern. In this case that
would be assistive technology.
Efforts to become knowledgeable about the laws related to assistive
technology. So, one aspect of administrative support is having
an administrator who has put forth the effort to become knowledgeable
about the laws related to assistive technology and to require the
special education staff to become knowledgeable also. While we wouldn't
expect the administrator to know how to prescribe or operate specific
devices, a supportive administrator will know the general range
of assistive technology that exists for students served in the district.
Establishing clear expectations that all children with disabilities
in the district are considered for AT. By stating this new policy,
the administrator identifies a district-wide goal for all district
staff. This statement of course, must then be supported with defined
procedures, forms, training and ongoing assistance.
Allocating staff time to address assistive technology needs.
A supportive administrator has designated or recruited someone to
be responsible for assistive technology and gone to bat with the
school board to justify designating staff time for assistive technology.
In a small district that may mean shifting some caseload to another
service provider. In a larger district it means developing a job
description and hiring one or more full time staff to focus on acquiring
assistive technology devices and training others to use them.
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