AT Supports for School AND Home

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Written By Janice Reese

So, you had your classrooms all set up with every kind of imaginable accommodation and support for the diversity of student needs and they were all doing so well…and then this happened. Now you’re “working from home”, still in pajamas, weighing the merits of a shower (hey, nobody is going to see you up close!) and trying to figure out what day it is, all while trying to teach yourself how to use virtual conferencing software. To compound matters, your students don’t have access to those great assistive technologies that allowed them to participate fully with the curriculum at school. Don’t know how to help them? We do!!

 
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Assistive technologies can and should be used in all environments to support learning and this crisis has opened Pandora’s box of opportunity to allow educators and parents to implement currently used tools (and explore new ones) while at home. The performance demands incurred in the classroom don’t exist in the ‘homeschool’ environment, making it a golden time to introduce new ideas and strategies without pressure. We have compiled a great list of AT tools, programs, and resources that can be used at both home and school to support your students with disabilities. Most vendors are offering free access to educators and also for in-home use during the period of school closures… another great reason to reach out and give students the chance to trial a new program or tool!

Janice Reese

My name is Janice Reese and I LOVE assistive technology! I worked as an Occupational Therapist for more than 15 years, earned a Master’s degree in Education Technology, and I’m RESNA certified as an Assistive Technology Profession (ATP). I have worked in the school system for many years now and I love using technology to enhance the lives of children with disabilities. Since my first love is teaching, I’ve spent just as much time training wonderful teachers everywhere to use these tools in their classrooms. AT4Kids, llc was founded in 2008 in an effort to provide quality instruction and resources for teachers, therapists, student users and parents who wanted to know more about using AT.

I currently serve as Director of the Center for Assistive Technology, a state-supported program of the Little TN Valley Educational Cooperative. LTVEC is a non-profit agency whose goal is to provide rehabilitation services and accessibility supports for students with special needs in east Tennessee. My AT4Kids blog is designed to be as a one-stop resource for ideas and information for those wanting to learn more about the use of AT with children in the special education setting.

I hope to offer helpful hints, program and product reviews, AT recommendations, links to great new finds on the web, and lists of resources for “all things AT”.

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