This is a recording of the monthly Oregon AT and AEM Cohort meeting from September 26, 2024. Guest speakers Daniel Cochrane and Sayard Bass join us to discuss the use of AT in Post-Secondary settings and transitions.

6.811: Principles and Practice of Assistive Technology (PPAT) is an interdisciplinary, project-based course, centered around a design project in which small teams of students work closely with a person with a disability in the Cambridge area to design a device, piece of equipment, app, or other solution that helps them live more independently.

This workshop, offered by the AEM Center, will explore the challenges and opportunities of transition and programmatic accessibility for workforce developmen...

Students participate in a variety of activities modeling different disabilities. They gain a better understanding of physical limitations while performing tasks at workstations without the use of their thumbs (taped down), impaired vision (various glasses) and impaired mobility (using crutches and wheelchairs). After discussing their experiences, they work in teams to create or improve on an adaptive device. Like biomedical engineers, students are challenged to design with the purpose of helping make a particular task easier for another person.

This module gives a comprehensive review of sensory disabilities and related assistive technologies.

This unit describes a general approach to guiding students to complete service-based engineering design projects, with specific examples provided in detail as associated activities. With your class, brainstorm ideas for engineering designs that benefit your community or a specific person in your community. Then, guided by the steps of the engineering design process, have students research to understand background science and math, meet their client to understand the problem, and create, test and improve prototype devices. Note that service-based projects often take more time to prepare, especially if you arrange for a real client. However, the authors notice that students of both genders and all ethnicities tend to respond with more enthusiasm and interest to altruistic projects.

Resources to help educators enhance and enrich their teaching with accessible videos that include captions and/or audio description.

This resource is a website highlighting technology for creating flexible inclusive learning opportunities for students across all learning environments. The following areas are represented on this website: Communication, Reading, Writing, STEM, Social Emotional Learning, and Executive Functioning.

This website encourages adult learners to explore in a self-paced and self-directed manner and apply what they learn to their current classroom, caseload or course of study.

This resource may be useful to teachers, parents, therapists and anyone else supporting student learning.

Created by the Special Education Technology Center
https://specialedtechcenter.com/
Contact Kristin.Leslie@cwu.edu with questions or ideas for additions to this site.

The UDL Guidelines are a tool used in the implementation of Universal Design for Learning, a framework to improve and optimize teaching and learning for all people based on scientific insights into how humans learn. Learn more about the Universal Design for Learning framework from CAST. The UDL Guidelines can be used by educators, curriculum developers, researchers, parents, and anyone else who wants to implement the UDL framework in a learning environment. These guidelines offer a set of concrete suggestions that can be applied to any discipline or domain to ensure that all learners can access and participate in meaningful, challenging learning opportunities.

A set of questions that can be used to evaluate the accessibility of materials considered for procurement.

This google doc has links to videos and other resources organized by Topic. Many are only a few minutes long, and tightly focused on helping educators solve common assistive technology issues.

Web accessibility refers to the design and development of websites, tools, and technologies in
a manner that enables individuals with disabilities to utilize them.
By the end of this course, you should be able to:
― Describe the guiding principles of web Accessibility
― Identify major features of HTML Accessibility
― Review the essential components of web Accessibility
― Discuss approaches towards ensuring Web Accessibility

Material access is a topic that both school library staff and assistive technologists are deeply connected with and passionate about. However, there are often times in which professionals in these fields are disconnected. In this session, Kasey Fernandez, MEd shares policy and practice changes the Tigard-Tualatin School District has made as a result of collaboration between the assistive technology and school library leads.

AEM for Inclusion session #2 with Jennifer SouthSession Description: This AEM session will review the meaning of accessibility, and look at why standard formats can create barriers for certain learners. In contrast, we will outline and explore the basic accessible formats. Ideally, educators would provide materials that their students can access, but when that doesn’t happen, learners need a solution. Additionally, some accessible formats may require the use of an assistive technology tool to allow the student to fully interact with the materials being presented. This session will focus on free or low-cost accessible technology tools available on a variety of devices and platforms. Having the right tool for the task can mean the difference in a student’s meaningful and successful participation in their education!

AEM Across the Lifespan session #6 | Gayl Bowser, M.Ed.Independent Consultant | Session Description: When students with disabilities are provided with print based educational materials in accessible formats, their ability to succeed in inclusive educational settings increases significantly. One-to-one technology options for students have resulted in environments where most of the needed resources to provide AEM are available. Yet without administrative support and agency guidelines, it is unlikely that Oregon’s classrooms will be able to provide the accessible learning environments that are mandated by federal and state laws. This presentation will discuss specific roles and actions that school administrators can take to ensure accessible learning environments for students who need accessible educational materials.

When the team has assessed a student's need for AEM, chosen formats and acquired them, it is only the beginning of the effective use of AEM. In this session we will explore ideas about how teachers and students use AEM in real classroom settings. We will share ideas about questions like "How do students develop skills to use AEM independently?" and "What do teachers need to know about teaching in classroom groups where some students require accessible formats?" When you join this session you will have the opportunity to explore basic concepts of classroom management for AEM and apply them to real students and educators in your own practice.

Rebecca Arce, Inclusion and Equity Specialist | HECC-Higher Ed Coordinating Commission | Felicia Arce, Disabilities Coordinator | Disability Resource Center (DRC) | Clackamas Community College

AEM for Inclusion session #5, originally recorded 2.20.24Wendy Burkhardt, MS ATACP | High Desert ESDOnce your team has determined and documented that a student requires Accessible Educational Materials, it is time to search for and acquire the materials in the format(s) the student needs to meet their goals. This session reviews the types of accessible formats and the technologies they are compatible with. We will discuss best practices to provide alternative formats in a timely manner, including resources at a district, state and national level. Best practice incorporates accessibility into curriculum purchasing for universal access to all students. We will share AEM repositories such as the well-known Bookshare and Learning Ally to acquire accessible materials not currently available at the district level.

AEM Across the Lifespan session #3Michelle Soriano, M.Ed. | Technical Assistance Specialist | National Center on Accessible Educational MaterialsKelli Suding, M.Ed. | Technical Assistance Specialist | National Center on Accessible Educational MaterialsSession Description: Are you looking for a systematic way to ensure that all students have access to high-quality accessible educational materials (AEM) that meet their individual needs? Do you want to learn how to apply the four-step AEM decision-making process from the National AEM Center in your state or district? If so, join us for this interactive session where we will share practical tools and strategies to help you make effective AEM decisions.By the end of this session, you will have a clear understanding of the four-step AEM decision-making process and how to use it to improve outcomes for students with disabilities.Learning Objectives:- Identify the need for AEM and related services- Select and acquire appropriate AEM and related services- Understand how AEM and AT work together- Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of AEM and related services