Vol. 6, No. 5 Fall 1998	Previous Issues Subscribe to AT Messenger Download PDF Viewer
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Financing Assistive Technology:

Refining Funding Approaches for Educational Assistive Technology: Recommendations of the 1998 AT Education Task Force

by Ron Sibert

Public Education is a crucial AT funding source for children and youth with disabilities. Special education-related devices and services also are provided by other (non-educational) public agencies. It is important for responsible agencies and individual service providers to share policies that allow them to finance or provide AT in a coordinated fashion. In order to make such practices more commonplace, educators, families, and service providers can serve as change agents by becoming more aware of model approaches to AT application and funding, and advocating their use. Several such approaches have recently been submitted to the State Department of Education (DOE) for consideration.

The Assistive Technology Education Task Force for Children and Youth with Disabilities, a diverse group of educators, advocates, attorneys, clinicians and parents of children with disabilities, was originally formed in 1993. The group was established under the authority of the DOE and implemented by the DATI. Its purpose was to identify barriers to the use of AT in Delaware public schools and to recommend remedies. That group issued recommendations in August of 1994. The Task Force reconvened in 1997-98-again at the request of the DOE leadership-to assess the State's progress since the August '94 release and to offer follow-up recommendations.

The 1994 recommendations addressed two broad categories of needs: 1) AT-related personnel training and 2) establishment of a system or a policy structure that would support proper AT use in Delaware public schools. The 1998 Task Force noted some improvements in the first category through a DATI-sponsored training program. However, they also noted that these programs were rendered less effective by lack of progress in the second (policy-related) category. As a result, our educators are still not adequately prepared to meet the challenge of effective AT use.

Like its predecessor, the '98 Task Force identified barriers to public school AT implementation and offered feasible means of surmounting those barriers. However, the '98 Task Force went a step further by initiating systems enhancements before offering them as recommendations. The '98 members negotiated with various public entities and developed interagency policies and uniform school district procedures that would improve access to AT and funding for it.

For example, several entities-like school districts, Medicaid managed care organizations (MCOs), and the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR)-can play significant roles in financing or providing access to AT. There is sometimes confusion between (or within) agencies that share such financial responsibilities. The 1998 Task Force recommendations include each Medicaid MCO's approved equipment claim submission and appeal procedures as they apply to Delaware students with disabilities. Common access to such policies and a shared understanding of them will permit prompt device and service delivery. Next, the recommendations include an equipment buy-out policy endorsed by DVR that would enable the Division to purchase a school-owned device for a graduating student who was using it in school, but who needs it for work or continuing education. A standard formula determines a fair transfer price for the device(s) in question.

Even in school districts earnestly attempting to provide AT when it is needed, there are sometimes disputes or uncertainties between schools and parents. The parties' responsibilities relating to district-owned equipment that is loaned to students and families has remained unclear. However, the Task Force developed a model Equipment Loan Policy & Agreement Form that provides a mechanism for establishing shared responsibility and mutual understanding. While use of this form is not yet standard practice, parents and educators are encouraged to avail themselves of it as an effective means of addressing crucial issues before they become problems. The agreement form/policy provides fair protections for both schools and families.

While several of the Task Force's initiatives and recommendations were related to AT financing and device management, a larger portion of them dealt with the issues of training and implementation. Since the AT-related skill levels of educators and other service providers often determine the degree of access to devices and funding, the training-related recommendations warrant discussion as well. Following the 1994 Task Force recommendations, DATI's Director, Dr. Beth Mineo, established an extensive training program for AT Specialists-representatives designated by their school districts to receive (and to later provide) AT-related training. The project, called Network for Education and Assistive Technology (NEAT), was supported by a mobile computing and telecommunications network, and provided intensive conceptual and practical AT-related training. Its intent was to begin building capacity for AT training and effective use within each school district. Not surprisingly, the degree of success experienced by any given district was proportional to the district administration's commitment and support. In other words, districts that demonstrated a commitment to the program and adopted its recommended policies and practices made significant progress. Those whose AT specialists did not participate or were prevented from applying what they'd learned made little progress. The 1998 Task Force sought to formulate recommendations that would further improve the State's education-related AT training and application.

One such recommendation addressed the need for a standard model for consideration of AT-a framework for decision-making that would enable educational teams to orient their thinking around students' educational tasks and environments. The model, called SETT, 1 considers the Student, the Environments where Tasks are performed, and the Tools the student needs to accomplish them. In short, the SETT framework provides what is often missing-the context within which AT should be considered and implemented. Another recommendation supports the notion of establishing a statewide AT credential with policy and training incentives. A variety of professionals (e.g., different kinds of clinicians and educators) need different kinds of AT expertise in order to properly execute their duties. Therefore the Task Force proposed that the DOE's Professional Standards and Certification group establish an AT endorsement appropriate for attachment to the certifications and/or licenses of a variety of professional disciplines. Then, in order to make the endorsement effective, the Task Force recommended pay incentives for school personnel who have earned it, and statewide district-level policies requiring related service personnel to carry it. The remaining recommendations involve State (perhaps interagency) investment in a statewide AT lending library that would give all districts access to equipment for evaluation and trial use, and web-based AT inventory management. The 1998 Task Force recommendations were the outcome of painstaking research and evaluation of state-of-the-art AT training and implementation models, careful consideration of the AT-related concerns of Delaware's public education stakeholders, and the compilation of model approaches to AT financing. However, their adoption and implementation require the support of involved families, dedicated professionals, and students who remain informed and engaged. Such is the challenge to effective AT application-and to educational reform itself-in the 21st century.

Footnotes

1. Developed in 1995 by Joy Zabala and Diana Carl at the Region IV Education Service Center in Houston, TX

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Farewell

Last month the DATI said a fond good-bye to Ron Sibert, who served so capably as the DATI's Funding Specialist since 1992. Ron's contributions led to the establishment of more responsive AT-related policies and practices in Delaware's schools, social service agencies, and public and private insurance programs. He has helped hundreds of Delawareans get the AT tools and services they needed. Somehow, in the midst of a very busy schedule, Ron managed to earn his M.B.A. from the University of Delaware. The folks in the M.B.A. Program liked him so much that they offered him a position! Ron accepted the position as director of admissions and recruitment, beginning his new duties in mid-August. We wish him happiness and success in his new position, and thank him from the bottoms of our hearts for his hard work on behalf of the DATI and its constituents.