Using tools such as Quality Indicators of Assistive Technolo- gy (QIAT) and the SETT process (Student - Environment - Task - Tool) can help guide your team in decision making. Using these correctly encourages and allows all team members to provide input as to how a person completes tasks. With the task break down narrowed, it helps people to understand where the gaps are for the user to be independent. Team Needs: During the evaluation assessing the needs of the team may provide valuable insight into whether those needs match the needs of the AT user. Everyone on the team needs to be reflected in the decision-making process and have a voice, and remember you cannot have a team without considering the needs of the AT user as mentioned above. Building Capacity with the Team: As part of a school team/ care team: • Training with accountability leads to awareness, under- standing, and improved practices. As part of the imple- mentation plan, write down assignments such as who is responsible for charging a device or moving a device from location to location. • Team communication aids in collaboration. School team, medical team and family should all be in communication and understand the goals. • Short, consistent training leads to greater understanding. Provide information in written, audio or visual mediums to accommodate different learning styles. • Modeling helps generate ideas for new opportunities to use the AT • Training the entire team makes a difference in the use and team support of AT. Consider starting a community group that plans events for AAC users to meet up • In public places. • Encourage participation in Miracle League or camps for children who use Assistive Technology • If you work in the education setting, º start a school-wide core word program º Increased student usage throughout the schools leads to greater acceptance º Lobby or talk to the school board to create inclusive playgrounds º Educate your district through the parent and teacher newsletters º Educate in schools by placing informational messages in strategic places such as main hallways or by the cafeteria and gym. º Create an AT passport º Establish AT team meetings and evaluate how you are doing using the QIAT
º Train your AT Team; ongoing training is a must! º Create a position of AT Assistant for eye gaze students º Add an AT Implementation Coach º Offer multiple means of team trainings º Offer 2-5 minute classroom team training º Offer AAC Minute Clinics º Take advantage of AT vendor training and certificate programs º Develop an AT Website as a source for AT tips º Train a person in each school to troubleshoot AT º Propose including more AT in district professional devel- opment
COMMUNITY
Community Perception: Think about what you consider your “community''. Is it your workplace, children’s sports teams, your neighborhood or is it an online space? Do you regularly see and interact with people who use AT or AAC? Possibly some people are using AT and you don’t know it! Community Involvement: Creating more awareness of AT/AAC in all of our “commu- nities” helps everyone! Forward thinking leads to community awareness and change. An AT user, family member, care team, or professional can all give input that can create a difference in their respective communities. Whether the input is given to a store manager, a school principal or a city council, your input is valuable. Just think, if you or a loved one suddenly needed to use a wheelchair - how much change would be required to include them in regular day to day events? Is your workplace accessi- ble for someone who might need a wheelchair? Do you have the ability to provide materials to a student or employee who is blind or has low vision? Do you know where an accessible play- ground is in your neighborhood? During our It Takes a Village presentation at Closing the Gap in 2021, we shared a story from Japan, specifically about the Av- atar Robot Cafe. The creators of this cafe have created the most inclusive and accessible restaurant we’ve ever heard of. It is a demonstration of universal design at its best. The physical space is accessible for anyone with mobility differences. The servers (who might have physical, cognitive or speech differences) con- trol robots from their homes. Who created this amazing space? A person who experienced loneliness and feelings of isolation after repeated hospitalizations. He wanted to make a change and he succeeded! More and more we are seeing AT users in mainstream media. This is beneficial because it helps to make devices appear as typ- ical and accepted. Actors with physical, cognitive and speech differences have starred in programs such as Speechless (actor with speech and movement differences due to Cerebral Palsy),
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