AT and AIM in Maine Classrooms:
What’s that?

Description

Many students in Maine classrooms use Assistive Technology (AT) and Accessible Instructional Materials (AIM) to learn, communicate, navigate and access their schools. From children with physical disabilities to children with learning disabilities, many of these students needAT devices and services to be able to fully participate in their education. In this clinic, we will discuss some of the common types of AT being used in Maine classrooms and review some of the free and easy-to-acquire AIM available for students.

Presenter

John E. Brandt, Training Coordinator
Maine CITE Coordinating Center
Augusta, ME
mainecite.org
maine-aim.org

Welcome and Introductions

  • Who is John?John E Brandt, MS.Ed, Training Coordinator, Maine CITE – Worn a lot of hats from college professor to school psychologist to NYC cab driver. Have been a technology consultant to Maine CITE since 1999, full time since last December.

Goals and Objectives

  • What is Assistive Technology?
  • What are Accessible Instructional Materials?
  • Why you should care?

What is Assistive Technology (AT)?

  • An AT Device is any item, piece of equipment, or product--whether acquired commercially or customized--that is used to increase, maintain or improve the functional capabilities of a person with a disability.
  • Can be low tech or high tech…
  • Wheel chairs and ramps to computers software and equipment.

Examples of AT in School

  • Mobility devices - wheelchairs
  • Augmentative Communications devices (ACC)
  • Cochlear Implants and Hearing Aids
  • Screen reader software
  • Enhanced literacy software for e-book readers.
  • Apps including specialized instructional materials, organizers, timers and feedback systems.

What is Maine CITE?

  • Maine’s State AT Program
  • Created in 1989 by the Federal AT Act
  • There are AT Act Programs in every state
  • Visit mainecite.org
  • Training & Webinars
  • Partner with direct service providers (AT Consortia)

AT Consortia

  • ACTEM – Tech in schools – cooperative purchase
  • SpurwinkALLTECH – Demos, Equipment Loans, TA
  • Alpha One – Information & Referral
  • CARES, Inc. - Demos, Equipment Loans
  • mPower Loan Program – Flexible Term Loans
  • Pine Tree Society - Demos, Equipment Loans
  • University of Maine at Farmington - Demos, Equipment Loans

What is AIM?

  • Accessible Instructional Materials are specialized formats of instructional materials (Braille, Large Print, Audio, or Digital text) for students with “print disabilities.”
  • These students must receive their instructional materials in “specialized formats” in a “timely manner” (same as every other student)

Students with a Print Disability

  • These may be students who have a disability based uponblindness or low vision (sensory), aphysical disorder (sensory-motor or mobility), or a Specific Learning Disability/Dyslexia (neurological) who cannot access traditional print-based materials and need Accessible Instructional Materials.

What is Maine AIM Program?

A program funded through the DOE and US DOE to provide training and technical assistance to schools to:

  • Learn how to Identify students with print disabilities.
  • Learn how to Select the right kind(s) of AIM.
  • Learn how to Acquire AIM from various sources or create their own.
  • Learn how to Use AIM and AT with students in school and at home.

What’s the Legal Stuff?

  • Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Amended (IDEA) 2004
  • Rehabilitation Act of 1973 – Sections 501, 504, 505, 508
  • Elementary and Secondary School Improvement Act of 1987 – Amended (ESEA – NCLB)
  • Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) - Amended 2008

Individualized Education Plan (IEP)

When the disability prevents the student from being able to learn from printed instructional materials (e.g., standard print textbooks, trade books, and handouts), schools {may} identify the student as having a “print disability” and provide the student with the appropriate Accessible Instructional Materials (AIM) and assistive technology (AT).

IEP Guidance Document – December 2015: “For all children, determine if the child has a print disability (an individual who experiences barriers to accessing standard printed instructional materials in nonspecialized formats due to blindness, visual disability, physical limitations, organic dysfunction or dyslexia) that requires Accessible Instructional Materials (AIM) to access the curriculum.”

Parts of the IEP that related to AIM and AT

•Evaluation Results

•Present Levels of Performance

•Special Factors (Special Education & Related Services, Supplementary Aids & Services, Program Modifications, and Supports)

•Annual Goals

•Statewide Assessment Participation

•Postsecondary Goals and Transition Services

Students with Section 504 Plans

  • Some of these students may also be identified as having a “print disability” and may need AIM.
  • Some students with physical disabilities or visual disabilities may be able to function at grade level or higher and only need the Assistive Technology equipment and services.
  • Decisions about these students are made by the local school (section 504) team.

Selection and Acquisition of AIM

  • Some students will need more than one form of AIM (e.g., digital text and audio). Decision on what the needs and are made in the IEP Team (or Section 504 team) meeting – which includes parent/family and should, when appropriate, include the student.
  • Acquisition of AIM is the responsibility of the local school. Fortunately, there are some low cost options.

Bookshare

Bookshare is an online resource that includes a library of many digital textbooks (nearly 369,000) for people with print disabilities. A grant from the US Department of Education allows Bookshare to offer FREE organizational memberships for U.S. institutions serving qualifying students, and FREE individual memberships for qualifying U.S. students of any age. When your school signs up for a free membership, you can easily acquire these books in accessible formats for your students who need AIM. Bookshare also provides a service to its members where they can submit a book to be scanned and converted into an accessible digitized format (includes DAISY, ASCII, HTML, and Braille Digital Format). For member schools and individuals, there is no cost to request and download the books in Digital Format. Bookshare has also been designated as a NIMAC Authorized User.bookshare.org

Learning Ally

Formerly Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic - RFB&D, Learning Ally provides human-narrated textbooks, as well as thousands of other books for individuals with qualifying print disabilities. Learning Ally is the only resource for school textbooks in human-recorded Audio format.

Acquisition of AIM from Learning Ally requires a School Membership which is fee-based; individual memberships for qualified students are free. Learning Ally has also been designated by Maine as a NIMAC Authorized User.

Visit the Membership Section of the Learning Ally website to learn more about school membership and how to acquire AIM in Audio format.Learningally.org

Education Services for Blind and Visually Impaired Children (ESBVIC) – Catholic Charities

Maine students with disabilities due to blindness or visual impairment and who are eligible, are likely being provided services from Education Services for Blind and Visually Impaired Children (ESBVIC), a service of Catholic Charities of Maine. Typically, ESBVIC assigns a Teacher of the Visually Impaired (TVI) to work directly with these eligible students, their teachers and their families. The Instructional Materials Center (IMC) at ESBVIC is a repository of some Braille and large print textbooks available to students who are eligible. The IMC is also able to research other repositories and order AIM for schools. For more information about this program, please contact:

Nancy Moulton
Program Director, ESBVIC
P.O. Box 645
Biddeford ME 04005

Tel: (207) 592-4760
Toll Free: 1-888-941-2855 x 5416
e-mail:

How do schools get AT?

  • In many cases, the student will come with their own (pre-school), but often we will see these devices first in the youngest of our students. Students with significant disabilities, may have been identified by the Early Childhood intervention teams (Child Development Services) and are receiving therapeutic services from speech pathologists, occupational therapists and other specialist.
  • In some cases, the students are identified through “child find” activities in the schools and enter into the pupil evaluation team process.
  • In either case, sometimes the cost of the AT is the responsibility of the school to provide. Sometimes other agencies or insurance will pay for.
  • In some cases, the AT equipment may already be available – CDS is now employing a recycle/reuse system that allows them to share AT equipment between regional centers. We have encouraged K-12 to do likewise.

AIM vs AEM

New term Accessible Educational Materials is being introduced to note an expansion of the mission:

maine-aim.org/content/it-aim-or-aem

Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) of the federal Department of Education has expanded the definition of educational materials to include both print and digital technology-based learning materials. "Accessible educational materials means print and technology-based materials, including printed and electronic textbooks and related core materials that are required by SEAs and LEAs for use by all students, produced or rendered in accessible media, written and published primarily for use in early learning programs, elementary, or secondary schools to support teaching and learning." (Footnote 10, Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 90 / Friday, May 9, 2014 / Notices, page 26728).

In addition, recent Dear Colleague Letters from the Secretary of Education “remind” schools that they must “ensure that communication with students with hearing, vision, or speech disabilities is as effective as communication with all other students.”

And while I have your attention…

Schools and universities are obligated to ensure that all communications to the public (including parents) are fully accessible. This includes all websites, announcements, e-mails, newsletters, video and audio recordings or broadcasts!

Information about Laws and Policies regarding AT:

mainecite.org/laws-and-policies/

Information about Law and Policies regarding AIM:

maine-aim.org/legal