There appear to be a core of critical issues that deserve special consideration as we continue to define and refine the art of assisting our children to learn through the medium of assistive technology. Assessing a child's need and use of assistive technology is not an isolated event. It is a life long process that will need to be continually addressed as the child's needs, skills, and environments change. One or more team members need to receive additional training in assistive technology so that the selection of appropriate hardware and software can be made based on informed decisions in a field that continues to evolve at a rapid pace. Members of the team need to be identified to assume the responsibility of teaching the child AND the teacher how to use the assistive technology in the classroom and integrate it into the curriculum.
Time needs to be set aside to monitor the effectiveness of the assistive technology.
Questions such as, who is going to take the data, what type of data, and who is responsible for any necessary modifications, are important questions that need to be answered during the planning and implementation phase. The school district needs to provide a means by which the staff in each school building are aware of the training resources, assistive technology devices, and software that are currently available in their system and where they are located. It takes a team to educate a child. It takes a team to make assistive technology work. It takes a team to open the doors to knowledge and ultimately to self-confidence and independence as children with disabilities complete their educational journey and become contributing members of their community.