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Delaware Assistive Technology Initiative

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AT Messenger Logo - Bringing Technology to You

Vol. 4, No. 2, March/April 1996

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NEAT Kick-off!

The NEAT (Network for Education and Assistive Technology) Project had its official kick-off on Tuesday, February 13. University of Delaware President David P. Roselle announced the grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce at a news conference and demonstration of assistive technology held at Buena Vista.

"Technology is such an important and integral part of our everyday lives," Roselle said. "That is why this grant is so special, because it helps DATI expand upon its ongoing efforts to insure access for persons with disabilities to the specialized technology that can improve the quality of their educations and their lives and allow them to participate fully in their schools and communities."

Calling the project "a good collaboration" with the University, the Department of Public Instruction, and the Office of Information Systems in the state, Delaware Governor Thomas R. Carper likened it to a stand of sequoia trees. These trees, which live to be about a thousand years old, have shallow roots. They survive the elements because each sequoia's roots are intertwined with the roots of the neighboring sequoias.

"In the end, sequoia trees are able to survive and thrive because they hold one another up; they support one another," Carper said. "And in the end, that's what we ought to be about, and because of this program we are."

"Today's technology allows our children to explore information and learn in ways that were inconceivable 10 years ago," NEAT project co-director Beth Mineo said. "But there's a danger here, too. The very thing that is carrying the majority of our children into the future may send a segment of our student population hurtling back into the past-a past of segregation and limited opportunity-a past we've worked very hard to eradicate here in Delaware," she said.

Under the grant, Mineo explained, NEAT will conduct training seminars over a 16-month period for educators from each of the state's school districts. Each district superintendent selected one or more individuals to participate in the Assistive Technology Specialist training. They will learn how to use assistive technology to help children with any sort of disability and, in turn, will train others in their schools. The grant also provides funds so that district designees will receive laptop computers.

The laptop computers, with Internet access, will mean that program participants can maintain their connections with each other across the state, as well as with the NEAT staff and others nationally. "The training and laptop computers are integral to the program," according to Mineo. "The grant lasts for 18 months. In that time, we can jumpstart the initiative, but it is the teachers who will have to sustain it. The laptops will keep the trainers working together and serving as resources for one another."

"We also plan to put some accessible worksites in schools throughout Delaware to help students with disabilities work right alongside their peers who don't have disabilities," Mineo said. "Several schools throughout the state will be selected to partner with NEAT in offering living demonstrations of equal access to computer-based experiences," she said. "One of the selection criteria that will be used in making these awards will be the number of students with disabilities who benefit directly from the collaboration. We also want to showcase a range of computer uses, from independent Internet exploration to networking to science, math, and literacy instruction."

Mineo noted that a DATI survey of educators throughout Delaware revealed some disturbing findings. "For example, most of our respondents knew very little about assistive technology...More than half the respondents cited insufficient information as the main reason that children were not getting access to the devices and services that they needed...

"If you want to impact an entire system, in this case the education system, you need to address the needs of all stakeholders," Mineo said. "In other words, to make meaningful changes that will outlast the 18-month duration of this project, we need to make sure that our activities involve educators, students and families. The NEAT project will increase awareness within all these groups of the powerful and positive impact that assistive technology can have on educational opportunity."

This grant is part of the Telecommunications and Information Infrastructure Assistance Program (TIIAP), administered by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). TIIAP is a highly competitive, merit-based grant program that provides seed money for innovative, practical technology projects throughout the U.S. It provides matching grants to nonprofit organizations to fund projects that improve the quality of and the public's access to education, health care, government services and economic development.

In addressing the 117 grant recipients last fall, Vice President Al Gore said: "I want to congratulate you all on the hard work, innovative thinking and creative partnerships you have formed with your communities to expand the National Information Infrastructure and bring information and technology to more people across the country. In partnership with the NTIA, you will bring forth new educational opportunities, improved health-care services, high-tech job training and other critical services to your communities nationwide."

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