What+is+Assistive+Technology?

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Just to de-mystify this 'Assistive Technology' label right from the start:
It's tools. Just tools. And techniques. We humans like to define ourselves as tool-users (and makers). We're not the only species to use and make tools - more than a hundred other species (so far) have been observed using tools, and many of the tool-using species also make or modify the tools.

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Humans use a wide variety of tools in all settings. In schools, some tools that we take for granted today, like paper and pencil, were considered to be harmful or unfair when they were first introduced. When we treat some tools as "special" - as the Assistive Technology laws do - things get complicated. Ira Socol, a PhD student at Michigan State, theorizes that definitions of "disablilty" and "assistive technology" are cultural and class-based: []

But what's the legal definition?
This will be on the test! [|The Family Center on Technology and Disability] defines AT as "any kind of technology that can be used to enhance the functional independence of a person with a disability" which is a good summary of the several legal definitions. District administrators and teachers may not be familiar with the disability laws governing Assistive Technology. Knowing the law will help you to be a better advocate for your students, and also will keep you and your district out of trouble. A civil rights lawsuit is only fun for the lawyers.

[|Assistive Technology Laws]

It's useful for educators to see special education from 'the other side of the table' - the parent's point of view. These are a few links to websites: [|Special Education Lawyer] [|WrightsLaw]