Empowering Rural Students with Disabilities Through Assistive Technology
Current Support Systems in the Southwest Region
Note: Information was current at time of publication in 1994.
An informal survey of support systems available to school districts in the five states in the southwest region (Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas) reveals:
- an impressive array of innovative programs,
- ideal collaborative efforts between agencies, and
- striking differences among the systems that have evolved in each of the states.
There are, of course, commonalities across states due to federal initiatives such as the Tech Act. The various state education agencies and the state vocational rehabilitation agencies are all involved in providing services. And due to federal requirements, part of the Tech Act funds have gone to each state's designated Protection and Advocacy System agency to provide advocacy services.
Arkansas
In Arkansas, the Increasing Capabilities Access Network (ICAN), a program sponsored by the State Department of Human Services, is the major coordinating agency for assistive technology services. The Arkansas Department of Education funds the Easter Seal Outreach Project to assist school districts with evaluations of students with orthopedic impairments for assistive technology needs. ICAN and the Easter Seal Outreach Project collaborate to provide a network of support that reportedly covers the state. The Outreach Project sends teams of professionals to any school district that requests their assistance. Headed by Brian Ayers, the Outreach Project also provides consultation and training for school districts.
The ICAN program provides services related to assistive technology for any person regardless of age or disability. According to Barbara Gullet, resource systems specialist, ICAN services include the following:
- funding information
- an equipment exchange database, which lists devices available for sale, loan, exchange, or trade
- conferences for training and networking
- a quarterly newsletter, ICAN Update
- six technology assistance centers, each of which specializes in a certain aspect of assistive technology services: blind and visually impaired, speech and audiology, life styles, independent living, independent case management, or resources
- Technology Outreach Programs, which serve communities through mobile units
Louisiana
Louisiana's State Department of Education establishes policies and procedures addressing assistive technology services for school districts. It also provides an assistive technology equipment loan program for its districts. The director of the Assistive Devices Center, Renard Compton, says that the center has just recently begun operation. School districts and nonprofit organizations can check out the equipment and try it with their students or clients before making purchases. The Center is establishing 15 to 20 work stations where district staff will receive hands-on training with assistive devices. A conference to inform districts about the center's services is scheduled for next year.
The Louisiana Assistive Technology Access Network (LATAN) is a nonprofit organization that receives Tech Act funds to promote equitable access to assistive devices and services. Like its counterparts in other states, its major responsibilities are to encourage interagency collaboration and to advocate for statewide reform. The central office for LATAN is in Baton Rouge, and regional offices are in New Orleans and Baton Rouge. Another office is being planned for northern Louisiana. LATAN is holding a series of town meetings to promote assistive technology awareness in the state beginning in the fall of 1995. LATAN collaborated with the State Department of Education to provide a statewide training session in June 1995.
The state is calling together a taskforce on assistive technology to give direction to the Department of Special Education and the Assistive Devices Center. This on-going advisory group will have representatives from different regions of the state.
New Mexico
In New Mexico, the State Department of Vocational Rehabilitation develops the state plan for the delivery of assistive technology services. The State Department of Education reviews the plan and provides discretionary grants to school districts for assistive technology devices and services. The Department of Education also monitors school districts for compliance with state and federal regulations and provides technical assistance to districts when needed to implement an IEP. The Department of Vocational Rehabilitation provides assistance to school districts through an equipment loan program and a computerized information retrieval system that gives information on funding sources and eligibility requirements.
The Adaptive Bank of Loanable Equipment (ABLE), housed in Santa Fe, has an impressive array of assistive devices. New Mexico's Departments of Vocational Rehabilitation and Special Education cooperated to purchase the equipment. The Apple and IBM Corporations also made generous donations to the loan program. Andy Winegar, assistant director of the Vocational Rehabilitation assistive technology program, says that as new equipment needs arise, the two departments will form new cooperative agreements for the purchase of the new equipment.
The Funding Information System for Tech Act States (FIESTAS), a software program maintained on a microcomputer at the Department of Vocational Rehabilitation, provides information on eligibility for coverage of devices and services under Medicaid, Medicare, Special Education, Vocational Rehabilitation, and Veterans' Affairs funding. When a stu-dent's name, demographic information, and assistive technology need are entered, the system tells whether Medicaid funds can be used to cover all or part of the cost. This program is an operating shell that can be adapted as coverage changes. Free copies of the software are available to other states.
Oklahoma
Assistive technology services are provided primarily by the Oklahoma Assistive Technology Center (OATC) operated by the Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in Oklahoma City. The OATC has satellite sites in Enid in the north-central part of the state and Pauls Valley to the south. In addition to Tech Act funding, the OATC receives funds from five major state agencies: the Department of Health, the Department of Rehabilitation Services, the Department of Education, the Department of Human Services (Medicaid), and the Department of Developmental Disabilities Services.
The services provided by the OATC include the following:
- assessment by occupational and physical therapists specializing in wheelchair seating and mobility
- assessments by speech and language pathologists specializing in augmentative and alternative communication
- assessment for computer access and electronic environmental control
- construction of customized furniture
- assistance with identifying financial resources
- training for people with disabilities, families, professionals, employers, colleges, universities, and public and private agencies
The OATC is reportedly inundated by requests for services from all over the state. According to Chief Operating Officer Martha Wooden, most referrals come through the agencies that fund the OATC. She attributes the success of the operation to the up-front collaboration of the major agencies involved in providing services to persons with disabilities. Furthermore, since these state agencies provide funding to the OATC, clients receive the assistive services free of charge.
School districts may also contact their state supported education service centers for guidance and assistance. These centers provide special education assessment services and technical assistance to school districts. The State Department of Education provides grants of up to $30,000 to districts for assistive technology . These are available every six months, and competition is reported to be keen.
Texas
Texas makes use of its system of 20 education service centers (ESCs) to provide training, technical assistance, equipment review and loan, and referral services to the school districts in the state. Each ESC has an assistive technology specialist, although these staff people may have other responsibilities as well. Mary Cole coordinates the assistive technology project at the Texas Education Agency and provides leadership and networking to the service center assistive technology staff. The group meets regularly for collaboration and training.
The Texas Assistive Technology Partnership (TATP) is located at the University of Texas at Austin. According to the director, Brian Bryant, TATP's major focus, as directed by Congress, is to "engage in activities designed to remove barriers that inhibit the timely acquisition of assistive technology devices and services for Texans with disabilities." These activities essentially are centered around (a) legislation, (b) litigation, and (c) consumer empowerment. TATP is staffed by an assistive technology funding specialist, a community liaison worker, an information and referral specialist, and a training coordinator. TATP maintains a database that is accessible on the Internet to help consumers locate assistive technology equipment and services.
