Empowering Rural Students with Disabilities through Assistive Technology

A major area of technology that is producing a significant impact on rural education is that of the large and complex field of adaptive and assistive technology, which includes all those devices and services that help people with disabilities to improve, expand, and extend their capacity to interact with their environments and to function independently. One important challenge posed by the growing use of assistive technology is the need for educators to stay abreast of new developments. This issue of SEEDS will attempt to encapsulate for the rural educator an overall perspective on the field of adaptive and assistive technology and issues related to its use in rural schools. The discussion will address devices available for students, the legal mandates related to the use of assistive technology in schools, funding for assistive technology devices and services, existing support systems in the Southwest Region, implications for rural school administration, and resources to help educators who are planning and implementing assistive technology programs.