ERIC Number: ED473979
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 2003
Pages: 58
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
I Can Soar: How Technology Helps Students Take Off. A Resource Kit for Parents, Educators, and School Administrators Who Work with Students Who Have Disabilities.
Gruner, Allison; Fleming, Erin; Bradley, Carl; Diamond, Christina M.; Ruedel, Kristin L. A.; Saunders, Jessica; Paulsen, Christine; McInerney, Maurice
This resource kit includes the following: Executive Summary; Legal Fact Sheet; Resource Guide; 26-minute "I Can Soar" Videotape; Video User's Guide; and Stories of Students Featured in Video. The materials provide tips to hep guide consumers in better integrating assistive technology (AT) within effective programs and services for children with disabilities. The Fact Sheet focuses on AT requirements under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The Resource Guide includes an extensive list of resources that help children with disabilities access the chronological tools necessary to succeed in school. It is divided into six categories: government agencies; national organizations; Tech Act projects; Alliance for Technology Access Resource Centers; special education Regional Resource Centers; and researchers as resources. The 26-minute videotape, "Assistive Technology: I Can Soar," discusses real life challenges faced by students with disabilities, benefits to using AT, and strategies for integrating AT into daily routines. It includes footage of assistive tools being incorporated into the students' lives at home, at school, and in the community. The Video User's Guide describes the components of the kit, provides basic information about AT, and offers suggestions on how to use the kit. Seven recommended best practice principles, reflecting lessons learned on implementing effective strategies and reducing barriers in the selection and use of AT are recurring themes in the stories of the children featured in the video and in the vignettes in the last section of the resource kit. The seven principles are: (1) providing leadership; (2) supporting stakeholder collaboration; (3) monitoring impact; (4) building capacity; (5) reducing fear and becoming comfortable with technology; (6) acknowledging diversity; and (7) focusing on supporting student learning. The materials in this kit can be used by family members, teachers, and administrators, as well as by teacher trainers and policymakers to raise awareness, initiate discussion, and provide guidance on the most effective ways to implement assistive technology in schools and classrooms. (CR)
Descriptors: Appropriate Technology, Assistive Technology, Cultural Awareness, Disabilities, Educational Resources, Educational Technology, Elementary Secondary Education, Organizations (Groups), Student Attitudes, Teamwork, Technology Integration, Technology Uses in Education, Videotape Recordings
Council for Exceptional Children, 1110 North Glebe Rd., Arlington, VA 22201-5704 (CEC members, $24.95; Non-Members, $29.95). Tel: 703-620-3660; Fax: 703-264-1637; Web site: http://www.cec.sped.org.
Publication Type: Guides - Non-Classroom; Non-Print Media; Reference Materials - Directories/Catalogs
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Special Education Programs (ED/OSERS), Washington, DC.
Authoring Institution: Council for Exceptional Children, Arlington, VA.
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Note: Accompanying "Assistive Technology: I Can Soar" 26-minute videotape not available from ERIC.