Program Profile: Assistive Technology Services
Details and data for the 2023-24 School Year
Program Overview
The Assistive Technology Services (ATS) section, Office of Special Education Instruction, Department of Special Services provides direct and indirect assistive technology (AT) support to approximately 26,000 students with disabilities attending Fairfax County Public Schools. For many of these students, AT allows them to meet appropriate FCPS Portrait of a Graduate educational goals outlined in the Program of Studies and the Standards of Learning in the least restrictive environment. Tools provided for these students can range from cloud based technology tools for writing and reading support to specialized Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) devices for students who are nonverbal.
The need to provide assistive technology support for FCPS students with disabilities is mandated by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004. IDEA includes a requirement for IEP teams to formally consider whether a child requires assistive technology devices and services. Assistive technology is defined as “any item, piece of equipment or product system, whether acquired commercially off the shelf, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities” IDEA (2004). The specific needs of an individual will determine what AT, if any, is appropriate. The law also indicates that the decision regarding whether a specific student requires AT or not should be made by a knowledgeable person or persons. Fairfax County Public Schools has identified the Assistive Technology Services (ATS) section of the Office of Special Education Instruction as a knowledgeable AT body who can support schools in determining the AT that a student might require.
Details
Assistive Technology Services administration is based out of Instructional Program Support Center (IPSC). There is an AT training location at Leis Center. Assistive Technology Coaches have offices at Leis Center, Virginia Hills Center and Bull Run Elementary School. AT equipment is distributed from the Instructional Program Support Center (IPSC). In addition to FCPS schools and centers, ATS also provides services to Fairfax students in multiagency schools. ATS provides support to more than 240 sites.
Assistive Technology Coaches also provide AT consultative support to staff serving Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) students with disabilities to ensure effective and consistent practices for addressing the AT needs of students with disabilities. Any student who has an active IEP or 504 plan is eligible to receive services from ATS. An ATS Referral is the process for requesting assistive technology support and should be considered after the school-based staff has developed and implemented inclusive accommodations and interventions. The referral is done through the IEP/504 process. More information about ATS can be found at: https://www.fcps.edu/academics/academic-overview/special-education-instruction/assistive-technology-services-ats
Assistive technology is provided to any student with an IEP or 504 plan who requires the use of technology to receive free appropriate public education (FAPE). As of October 2023, there are 2,893 students who are provided assistive technology as an IEP or 504 accommodation.
The FCPSOn instructional initiative provides wide availability of diverse technology tools to all students in FCPS, including assistive technology within the FCPS digital ecosystem. Through the FCPSOn initiative, Assistive Technology Coaches promote the use of assistive technology to all FCPS students, not only those with IEP or 504 plans. Assistive Technology Coaches collaborate with school based technology staff to provide inclusive technology training to school administrators, general education and special education faculty and students. They compose electronic resources that may serve as virtual training materials or other support resources.
Assessments
Assistive Technology Services Coaches reference resources provided by the Virginia Department of Education’s (VDOE) Virginia Assistive Technology Tools and Strategies (VATTS). They use an adapted version of the Wisconsin Assistive Technology Initiative (WATI) assessment forms including: fine motor, motor aspects of writing, composing written material, reading, math, pre-readiness, seating and positioning, mobility, vision, communication and auditory for assessment purposes.
Other informal assessments may include the Early Writing Profile (EWP) which analyzes beginning student writing, Written Productivity Profile (WPP) which analyzes student writing using technology and the Protocol for Accommodations in Reading (PAR) which helps to determine the most suitable technology accommodations in reading. The Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) Device planning form is used to gather information for matching communication devices to the needs of students. The AAC Genie application provides a benchmark for placement of communication devices and for monitoring progress with those devices. The Communication Matrix is used as an informal inventory to analyze very early communication behaviors.
Information gathered from students and the IEP teams helps Assistive Technology Coaches determine which assistive technology best meets the needs of individual students. Assistive technology recommendations are provided to school IEP teams to determine the most appropriate AT accommodations.
Approved Instructional Materials
Assistive technology encompasses a wide variety of cloud based technology tools, software and hardware to address the individual needs of students. Assistive Technology Services (ATS) uses specialized software, augmentative communication devices, and adaptive technology peripherals to maximize the potential of FCPS students with disabilities. Examples include: augmentative communication applications on iPads, switches, communication devices, eye gaze devices, Boardmaker, Texthelp Read&Write, and LessonPix. ATS works closely with the Department of Information Technology and Instructional Services to follow the process for approval of new software applications and hardware. A list of these technology tools are available in the FCPS digital ecosystem library.
Current and Future Areas of Focus
The overall focus of Assistive Technology Services (ATS) is to ensure that all students with disabilities or 504 plans who require assistive technology to access the curriculum and make progress have the technology tools needed and all staff who support those students understand how to facilitate the use of assistive technology. ATS has developed diverse training approaches towards student Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) implementation. In delivering this training, it is important to document FCPS staff who successfully complete training to support AAC users.
Assistive Technology Services will develop a system to identify FCPS staff who have successfully completed AAC Implementation training. This training could be delivered centrally, at school locations, virtually through synchronous or asynchronous means, or through direct individualized coaching. AT Coaches will verify successful completion of any training. This information can assist in determining future training needs.
Data Narrative
The start of the 2022-2023 school year had seen an influx of new teachers while schools continued to return to live classroom environments. These new teachers, as well as those who participated in virtual instruction through pandemic school closures, would benefit from a better understanding of student assistive technology evaluation processes. In acknowledgement of these circumstances, the following training goal was provided:
“Assistive Technology Services required that every FCPS school location receive a training overview of individualized assistive technology student evaluation procedures from their assigned Assistive Technology Coach. This training may take place according to the preference of the school site and be provided in either live, virtual synchronous or virtual asynchronous settings. Electronic training resources will be composed and shared to support this training focus.”
Every FCPS school location received a training overview of AT resources available as inclusive technology supports and Assistive Technology Services referral processes. Schools received this information prior to the start of the second quarter. Asynchronous training resources continue to be available on the ATS section of the FCPS Employee Hub and can be accessed any time. This training has repeated for the 2023-2024 school year and asynchronous training materials will continue to be updated and readily available.
Contact: Jeff Sisk, [email protected]