AT Guidance (Special Education)
The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Educational Technology and the Office of Special Education Programs released a comprehensive guidance package designed to increase understanding of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act’s (IDEA’s) assistive technology (AT) requirements, dispel common misconceptions regarding AT, and provide examples of the use of AT devices and services for children with disabilities, as well as to highlight the different AT requirements under Part C and Part B of IDEA.
This package includes two parts:
- A joint Dear Colleague Letter from Glenna Wright-Gallo, Assistant Secretary of the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, and Roberto J. Rodríguez, Assistant Secretary of the Office of Planning, Evaluation, and Policy Development announcing the release of the guidance package, and
- A guidance document dispelling common misconceptions regarding AT titled, Myths and Facts Surrounding Assistive Technology Devices and Services.
The Department is also releasing the 2024 National Education Technology Plan (NETP) today. This flagship policy document provides actionable recommendations to address digital use, design, and access divides in education. In this document, you will see examples of early educators, school districts, and states creating more inclusive and accessible learning environments for all learners, including those with disabilities. The NETP also provides links to resources, such as the accessibility training modules developed by OSEP’s Accessible Educational Materials (AEM) Center.
SETT Framework
SETT is an acronym for Student, Environments, Tasks, and Tools was developed to help collaborative school-based teams create Student-centered, Environmentally useful, and Tasks-focused Tool systems.
CAST (Universal Design for Learning)
CAST leads, inspires, and convenes a global community to design equitable, inclusive learning experiences. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a framework to improve and optimize teaching and learning for all people based on scientific insights into how humans learn.
AT3 – Explore AT (Assistive Technology)
Explore AT (Assistive Technology) is a clearinghouse for information and resources on many different assistive technologies. You can find useful resources arranged by activity and disability.