As a Certified Assistive Technology Instructional Specialist through the Academy for Certification of Vision Rehabilitation & Education Professionals I understand that there are many Assistive Technology solutions on the market to help your blind or visually impaired student, client, employee or you. Each person is unique and so is a customized Assistive Technology solution individualized to help achieve success in school, work and life. In order to find the right Assistive Technology or combination of Assistive Technologies, it is necessary to conduct an Assistive Technology assessment. Then data from that assessment is used to aquire the right Assistive Technology solution. Finally, and one of the most important steps is providing the instruction to ensure that the Assistive Technology solution is used to the full potential so the most benefit can be obtained. As both a professional in the field and a consumer of Assistive Technologies, I understand just how important having the right guidance is during this process.
Assessment
An Assistive Technology consult starts with a formal Assistive Technology asessment. This involves developing an understanding of which tasks need to be completed, where those tasks need to be completed, any functional limitations, reviewing important records and addressing specific interests or concerns. After all that data is gathered, it is time to do some tests with an initial set of Assistive Technologies to find the best combination that works and identify things that can still be improved. An initial estimate of how much instructional time and who will need to receive instruction will also be included. This might be repeated several times, each time refining the details, gathering more feedback and data until finally the right combinations of mainstream and assistive technologies are agreed upon.
Technology
Once there is a completed Assistive Technology assessment, where the specific technologies have been identified, the next steps depend on who asked for the Assistive Technology assessment. The assessment will be sent to the employer, school district, parent, rehabilitation agency or shared with you directly. Then it might take some time to aquire, install, customize and configure the various technologies. Again, depending on who requested the assessment, it might be necessary for some consultation on advocating for the particular classroom or work-place accommodation.
Instruction
Instruction is the part of the process that is one of the most important. The Assistive Technology assessment contains an estimate of the number of hours that will be required to help realize the most benefit from the Assistive Technology solution. There are so many learning styles and every person is unique. This means that everybody responds to learning styles differently. This instruction might also involve parents, teachers, employers, support staff, etc. The full potential of Assistive Technology will go unrealized without receiving instruction from a qualified Instructional Specialist.
