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October 2025
We publish our Constellations newsletter to share ways that Assistive Technology can be life-changing for people with disabilities and raise awareness of the services offered through the STAR Program and our partners.
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From the Director
 Our theme for this issue is Assistive Technology Support for Education and Training and we are highlighting several ways MN STAR is working with other organizations to ensure assistive technology is accessible and working for a person with disabilities.
Many Minnesota families are navigating fresh classrooms, routines, and the supports that help students with disabilities succeed as the new school year begins. At the STAR Program, we believe assistive technology and strong partnerships with schools and state programs can make all the difference in student success.
We know that schools and staff are also navigating a new school year, and you can read about our new Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) Consideration Toolkit for schools. It is available through the Lending Library and is part of our commitment to provide more comprehensive support — especially for schools new to addressing a student’s communication needs. For more information contact star.program@state.mn.us.
For those who may or may not be students and are looking to receive more in-depth knowledge and skills on AT beyond simply awareness, we spotlight the Training that MN STAR offers and can customize for an organization or conference’s needs.
In addition, we share a lending library success story: how a person with disabilities benefits by educating themselves and trying a device before making a purchase decision.
In this issue, we’re featuring conversations with:
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PACER Center, a trusted resource for families navigating special education
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Vocational Rehabilitation Services (VRS), which prepares high school students for the future through Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS). Their insights highlight the resources and vision that support students during this important season of transition.
- Advisory Council member Patti Balacek, Workforce Development Systems Coordinator for the Governor’s Workforce Development Board, who shares what it’s like to be part of the MN STAR Advisory Council.
Finally, be sure to check to the STAR Highlights/What’s New section for upcoming events and webinars. One of these is the Closing the Gap Conference, a great opportunity to discover the newest assistive technology, connect with others who value accessibility and inclusion, and easily find links to the event. Also, refer to Helpful Links for resources about assistive technology.
We hope you enjoy this issue of Constellations and be sure to subscribe for next time!
Amy Perron, Program Director
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Do you like the Constellations Newsletter? Don’t miss an issue!
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Assistive technology (AT) is something that can help you do things that might otherwise be difficult or impossible to do on your own. It is an item or device that can help you speak, walk, talk, remember, see, hear, learn and more.
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Did you know? There is no cost to borrow equipment from the STAR Program or our partners! You can schedule a time to pick up the equipment or we can ship the device at no cost to the borrower. The borrower is responsible for returning the item back to the program they borrowed it from at the end of the six-week period by scheduling an appointment to return the device or by paying to ship the equipment back to the program. |
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Training: Competency and Skill Building for a Dedicated Audience
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Another MN STAR Program service is Trainings. Trainings are an in-depth focus on skill building and competency development with a defined audience. We talked with Jamis Wehrenberg, Assistive Technology Professional with MN STAR, about this service.
“Training is customized to the organization, based upon their goals for their participants. After the training, participants should be able to apply their new knowledge to predefined goals and objectives and walk away feeling more informed,” said Wehrenberg. He shared some examples from MN STAR Trainings in the past:
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Annual in-depth training in Assistive Technology (AT) at a university for graduate students majoring in occupational therapy. MN STAR conducts training during students’ class time with their professor, using real-life scenarios of individuals with disabilities. Students determine which AT is appropriate based on the information in each scenario. The class concludes with a debriefing and discussion on which of the showcased technologies may best support the individuals.
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Each quarter, STAR offers a training for State of Minnesota’s new supervisors to build awareness and confidence in supporting employees with disabilities. This session introduces Assistive Technology, workplace accommodations, and digital accessibility. Supervisors will gain practical knowledge about the tools and strategies that can help employees succeed, while also learning how to create inclusive, accessible work environments.
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Assistive Technology (AT) experience labs at conferences and focus on four key areas: vision, hearing, cognition, and physical mobility. The goal is to give participants insight into what it be like to face challenges in these areas and to build greater awareness of those experiences. Following the simulations, we provide practical solutions by highlighting the importance of accessible documents and demonstrating how AT can help individuals overcome these struggles. Reach out to STAR staff to learn about borrowing the Experience Lab kit!
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Breakout Sessions at conferences and events, where attendees register for a breakout session at a conference to provide specific training on AT related to the event’s theme. Jamis offered, “Training could involve apps and technology focused on training people on AT related to employment that helps people get back to work.”
Training should not be confused with Public Awareness (another STAR service we provide). The differences are noted below:
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Public Awareness is focused on introducing the general public to Assistive Technology (AT) at a broad level, reaching larger groups of people.
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Training is an “instructional event.” It is goal oriented, has a specific purpose and a defined audience. Designed to increase participant knowledge, skills, and competencies, it can be delivered to large or small groups, in person or virtually. Training may include classes, workshops and presentations, and participants complete an evaluation upon completion for MN STAR.
Wehrenberg shared, “These are free services. Organizations with an interest in our training can reach out to us to discuss their plans. We are flexible with content and what we do depends on what they want to accomplish, and whether it meets the Training program guidelines.”
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Check out our online lending library at MN AT4ALL where you can see many of the devices hosted by STAR and our partners. You can check out a loan online and a staff member will reach out regarding next steps.
For more information, contact STAR. We look forward to hearing from you!
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Our Partners Help Broaden Our Reach State-wide
The federal 21st Century Assistive Technology Act, requires programs like STAR to provide the following services: assistive technology demonstrations, loans, and reutilization services. In order to support the entire state with a small team, STAR has broadened their ability to meet people where they are, closer to their communities where possible.
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Featured STAR Contract Partner: PACER Center
Paul Sanft, Director of the Simon Technology Center for PACER
PACER Center is a nonprofit that improves educational opportunities and enhances the quality of life for children and young adults with disabilities and their families. Pacer Center has been a STAR Partner for many years, and we recently caught up with Paul Sanft, Director of the Simon Technology Center for PACER.
PACER has three focus areas:
Parent Training & Advocacy for children from birth to age 26. The department works with parents of children with disabilities from birth as they navigate the school systems, helping parents learn about and understand what their child's rights are and their parental rights to make sure that their school system is doing what is required of them.
Social Inclusion Programs: Paul explained, “Our anti-bullying, or bullying prevention program is offered nationally. Kids with disabilities tend to deal with bullying even more than other kids and this program works for all.”
Assistive Technology Solutions: The Simon Technology Center works with individuals of all ages that have disabilities. “A third of those we work with are over age 26,” stated Paul. The Technology Center also offers a STEM program, Tech for Teens, webinars and training.
The Technology Center has both PACER-owned equipment and MN STAR owned devices in their lending library. Paul shared, “We help people identify and narrow down options based on their disability, strengths, weaknesses, and mainly their goals. We consider the financial burden of a device and share cost information and alternatives. I'm experimenting with a device that takes a picture of something then reads it to you. It's about $2,000. But another option could be a $20 app that'll do a similar thing with a smartphone. We also discuss benefits and limitations of each, like needing internet or a charged battery. These comparisons exist for every piece of technology.
“A person might see a cool device and want to incorporate it into their life, but we’ve found it is much more important to look at it in a reverse direction. Instead of trying to fit technology into your life, we try to identify what you want to do with your life and see if there's technology that can make it easier.’”
When asked what he likes about being a STAR Partner, Paul offered, “Being a STAR Partner is hugely beneficial because MN STAR is able to lend us devices that would be too expensive for us to buy and get out to our community, plus we can tap into the STAR Partner community to learn from them. We wouldn't be as thorough without MN STAR.”
All MN STAR devices stored at PACER are included in the MN STAR lending library, MNAT4ALL. PACER-owned devices and MN STAR-owned devices can also be found in PACER’s database.
Parents often find PACER because it is one of the main parent advocacy programs in Minnesota for children with disabilities. Schools provide many referrals to PACER and the Simon Technology Center.
There are many success stories with PACER, and Paul shared one about working with an 8-year-old child who has very limited motions in his arms and head. He loved watching his older brothers play video games but could not play himself. Paul said, “We did a consult where we hooked up some switches to the Nintendo, and now he's able to steer with his hands and use the other buttons with switches on his head, all using a switch interface. By the end of a short consult, he was playing Mario Kart.” The family purchased a device by the end of that day, and for the first time, he can play video games with his brothers. “That was fun because it's not school or work related; it's just recreation. But that ability to interact with an electronic device now opens his ability to work with a computer, start working with tablets, and all because he just wanted to play a game. Now he's opening up to all sorts of opportunities for life in general,” shared Paul.
To learn more, refer to their website: PACER Center – Champions for Children with Disabilities.
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STAR Partners are listed on our Device Loan page. Individuals can search for a device by product type and location by accessing the MN AT4ALL online lending library. If there are questions, we encourage people to check with STAR first. |
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Note: The Minnesota STAR Program is federally funded by the Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community Living in accordance with This law requires that the STAR Program have an Advisory Council. The purpose of the Minnesota Technology Advisory Council is to provide consumer-responsive, consumer-driven advice to STAR.
Patti Balacek, Governor’s Workforce Development Board, Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development
We recently welcomed Patti Balacek to our Advisory Council. Patti works for the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED), as the Workforce Development Systems Coordinator for the Governor’s Workforce Development Board (GWDB). In this role, she coordinates the Interagency Workforce Alignment (IWA) Task Force, under the leadership of the GWDB’s Executive Director Katie McClelland. The IWA Task Force is a group of commissioners and assistant commissioners from several state agencies who work to align workforce development programs across these agencies. Their goal: to enable thoughtful, strategic, aligned, and proactive interagency decision-making and collaboration and hold us accountable for reaching and maintaining a 4.4% vacancy rate overall and in the Drive for Five sectors, which are:
- Caring professions (Health Care & Social Assistance)
- Education
- Technology
- Trades
- Manufacturing
A strong workforce helps keep Minnesota competitive, and IWA subcommittees develop metrics to measure outcomes and best practices to help track progress. In addition, the subcommittees develop communications to share data about the available programs. Patti shared, “My role is to coordinate the work of the committees which bring together agency representatives and external stakeholders through the GWDB to work on these complex workforce development issues. It’s rewarding, challenging, and an honor to be part of the process at this level, where we can have conversations about how to make these systems better for the people that we serve across the state.”
Patti’s previous experience led her to this role, starting as a high school teacher, moving into developing apprenticeship programs, and then working with businesses on workforce development.
Minnesota’s labor market remains tight although it has loosened over the past year or so, and people are needed to fill positions in key industries and occupations. She explained, “We really need to have everyone who can work and be productive engaged in our workforce, including people who may have been overlooked, such as people with disabilities. People with disabilities may need assistive technology or other accommodations in the workplace to share their talent with employers, and it’s important to help employers understand these accommodations are often simple and low cost to implement.” It is one reason Patti wanted to be on the MN STAR Advisory Council.
She joined the Council very recently and has attended her first meeting. She is eager to participate and learn more about assistive technology and what is available from the lending libraries. She would like to utilize her skills in strategic planning to keep getting the word out about what MN STAR provides.
Patti envisions working with the Advisory Council to bring workforce development opportunities to those who may have been overlooked. “It’s why I jumped at the chance to be part of the Council,” she said.
MN STAR and workforce development programs complement each other. “One of the things that we're working on in the in the Caring Professions sector is solving labor shortage issues in long term care. Patti explained, “Long term care is struggling to keep facilities open and provide care because of a shortage of direct care staff. We’re asking how can we include people with disabilities in workforce development? Could assistive technology help a person work in this sector and provide care for those with significant disabilities? What barriers exist and can we eliminate them? We’re trying to make sure that we're always including overlooked populations to help us solve issues in our workforce.”
At least half of the Advisory Council members are individuals with disabilities or family members, which provides a forum for conversations about workforce development. Patti added, “The IWA/GWDB Caring Professions committee also intentionally includes representatives from different groups that represent those who have disabilities, so they have a voice, not only to solve problems including as members of the workforce, utilizing their unique skills and perspectives.”
“I am just starting to make connections with the Advisory Council members. My job is really to find connections to work that is happening to promote inclusion and ensure their voices are heard, and I’m excited to be able to do that.”
To learn more about the Minnesota Technology Advisory Council and the work they do, email STAR: star.program@state.mn.us.
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Note to readers: in each issue, we feature a device from our lending library or a useful AT app we have found. There are many devices that can be demonstrated or trialed through our loan program at no charge to you. Check out our inventory of devices at the MN AT4ALL website. We also feature promising apps that help improve the lives of people with disabilities. |
AAC Consideration Toolkit for Schools: So that Children Have a Voice
AAC Consideration Toolkit for Schools
How do you increase confidence that a child would benefit from an Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) device and know exactly which features are a good fit for the student's communication needs?
It is a question that MN STAR chose to address in 2025. MN STAR has AAC devices in the lending library, but a comprehensive guide to help schools with how to try AAC and how to choose an AAC device that best suits a particular student’s needs didn’t exist. Often a school chooses a device that they really like for a student, just to find that the student abandons the device a short time later because it didn’t match their needs or preferences.
STAR developed the idea for an AAC Consideration Toolkit for schools as part of their commitment to strengthen the loan program and provide more comprehensive support — especially for schools new to addressing these communication needs. MN STAR is now rolling out an AAC Consideration Toolkit for schools, available through the Lending Library. It was developed in a joint venture with the Minnesota Department of Education.
Rebecca Tetlie was engaged by MN STAR to lead the project. She is a speech language pathologist (SLP) and is the chair of the AAC committee of the Minnesota Speech Language Hearing Association. Rebecca has 40 years of experience working in public schools, teaching school teams how to do AAC evaluations and how to support students learning to communicate with AAC.
Rebecca explained, “We surveyed SLPs and school education teachers in Minnesota to see what they wanted in a kit; we didn't want to put together a kit that people wouldn’t use.” A committee of professionals with varying expertise provided excellent feedback on the tools created for the schools.
Rebecca added, “This kit is perfect for school teams who are brand new to AAC because it has a week-by-week plan and a troubleshooting guide for their students with motor, vision, self-regulation, or engagement and cognitive issues. This committee shared tips for dealing with barriers to getting started based on their experiences. Rebecca shared, “Kids have so many different, individualized needs and we’ve tried to address many of them.”
The kit contains tools to help determine if a student could benefit from AAC, if they should have a formal follow-up evaluation, and to identify the AAC tools/devices that would best match the student’s communication needs, including:
- An 8-week step by step plan and guidebook
- Highly engaging activities to try with the student
- Evidence based intervention strategies
- Outcomes collection form
The kit also includes AAC items from no-tech to high-tech:
- Non-electronic AAC boards
- 6 Talking Tiles single message switches
- 1 LITTLE Step by Step single message switch
- GoTalk 20+ Lite Touch communication device
- iPad with TouchChat HD Wordpower App, TD SNAP App, Proloquo2Go AAC Apps
- AAC Evaluation Genie App
- Tapio Switch & Orby Switch Interface for alternative access
The AAC Consideration Toolkit is for Minnesota students, from pre-K through age 22, whose natural speech doesn't meet their daily communication needs or have minimal speech or unintelligible speech.
To get started, schools identify a candidate and then borrow the AAC Consideration Toolkit from the MN STAR Lending Library for 8 weeks.
The toolkit walks teachers through detailed steps to ensure information is collected and organized in a way that could be used later if a formal AAC evaluation is recommended. Rebecca’s advice is for Individualized Educational Plan (IEP) teams to work closely with parents and make decisions together about which AAC tools to select for the student.
If the team determines an AAC solution would be a good fit, the next step is to seek a formal AAC evaluation either with the school or an outside clinic. The school should be equipped to help families use or find sources of funding so that they can own the device for their child, and the device should be added to their IEP.
Rebecca explained, “We want families to be able to own the device, so that the child has their voice all the time.”
She added, “The toolkit is important because AAC is so important to enable real communication. There’s a myth that when you introduce AAC, you interfere with speech development. In fact, it's the opposite - when you introduce AAC, you’re not giving up on speech; you jump-start speech development.
“If students don't develop speech as expected, they miss out on so many opportunities for developing language and miss gaining skills they need to fully communicate at this critical stage of life. There are so many barriers to considering AAC for kids, in part because school staff, especially across greater Minnesota and in smaller school districts don't have access to AAC devices and access to training is limited.”
For schools without a tool like the AAC Consideration Toolkit, there are so many devices, and it can really be a challenge on where to start.
The AAC Consideration Toolkit is a perfect place to begin, so children have their voice.
For more information contact star.program@state.mn.us.
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STARS Across the State: Vocational Rehabilitation Services
Alyssa Klein, Youth Services Coordinator, Vocational Rehabilitation Services, Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED)
Within the Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) is Vocational Rehabilitation Services, an agency that provides employment services for students and adults with disabilities. Alyssa Klein is the agency’s Youth Services Coordinator, and she helps coordinate services offered to high school students with disabilities and ensures information about employment services is available.
Alyssa has worked in the agency since 1996 and has a master’s degree in counseling. Alyssa said, “I’ve always had a great interest in helping others in my career and believe that there should be more opportunities for students to have hands-on experience while they're in school to see what jobs are about and learn how to get a job. I want students to have those opportunities to really explore.”
Vocational Rehabilitation Services has two types of services available to high school students with disabilities statewide: Introductory Career Services (ICS) are geared for students in grades 9-11, and Full Career Services are typically for students within 2 years of graduation.
“For ICS, we are excited to be launching virtual, instructor-led classes for students this fall. We plan to keep building content, and we want schools, students and families to know that this is available,” Alyssa explained. While some students might get what they need through their school for career exploration, some may not be able to do so. “We’re giving students another avenue and teachers a different way to engage students in thinking about their future,” Alyssa said.
Classes are in 5 topic areas:
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Job exploration: Identify interests and explore potential career paths,
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Work-based learning: Learn from professionals about different careers and workplaces, including observing jobs in their community,
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Training and college exploration: Discover training programs, college options and supports, and ways to explore them,
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Workplace readiness: Gain essential skills like job application preparation and how to write a resume,
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Self-advocacy: Understand what self-advocacy means and develop confidence in decision-making and communicating personal needs. Alyssa added, “Here, we talk about understanding your disability and what you need to be successful in work or school, and how to ask for what you need.”
“The classes are a way to get started with career exploration and to think about the future,” explained Alyssa. The classes are held throughout the school day at various times. Classes are online, where VRS staff and students meet in real time, allowing for immediate interaction and feedback. Each class is approximately 30 minutes. High school staff (case managers, counselors and others) help students apply for ICS and register and log into the classes.
Students are also introduced to a career exploration website, Pathful.
Alyssa explained, “We have Introductory Career Services Representatives who will be delivering the classes. We serve every type of disability and prior to the class, we ask about accommodations. For example, if someone needs an ASL interpreter, we provide one. Our sister agency, State Services for the Blind provides Vocational Rehabilitation ( services for people who are blind, low vision or are deaf/blind.”
Once a student completes a class, a summary is sent to the student, parents and school staff that explains what was covered in the course, with recommendations for further conversations with the student. It’s a way for the student’s career exploration to continue afterwards, and Alyssa shared, “For further encouragement, we also have inspirational success stories featuring our youth - people with disabilities who transitioned and moved on with their career or post-secondary education.”
The second offering for students is Full Career Services (FCS) which are geared for students who are one to two years before graduation. Students receiving FCS are assigned a counselor. These services are more individualized; the student works one-on-one with a counselor and with anyone that might be on their support team: parents, school staff, waiver case managers, and others, and continue until they reach their job goal.
“We work as a team to help the student prepare a good plan for post-high school. When they graduate, we're still working with them to help them figure out their job goal, which often includes postsecondary education, and by providing support to help them be successful, such as assistance with finding and keeping a job, and sometimes bringing in assistive technology.
If a person receiving FCS might benefit from assistive technology, a specialist is available to help. “We also have liaisons on all of our teams that are familiar with assistive technology,” explained Alyssa.
The team may work with MN STAR to help a person try a device. “If it works well for them, we can help the person that we're serving navigate purchasing options. It's all related to a job goal- what's going to help a person be successful in employment. Postsecondary education is a step on the way, so it might be within that area too,” said Alyssa.
Check out the Vocational Rehabilitation Services webpage to learn more.
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To Buy or Not to Buy: We call that a Win
Recently, MN STAR worked with a student, who reached out to borrow noise-cancelling headphones from the lending library to see if the headphones would help them focus better while at home and at school. It was so successful for the student that the student’s father, with disabilities himself, wanted to try them, too.
While the headphones are a great fit for the student, the device did not work well for the father. He was grateful for the opportunity to try them, but they did not meet his needs.
One might feel that a device that doesn’t suit a person might be considered a “failure.” But these experiences, whether they result in a person matching up to a device or not, are exactly what the lending library is for – to provide a valuable service that allows a person to try a device before they make the decision to purchase something that is interesting, exciting, AND expensive.
We call that a win!
*Product Disclaimer: STAR is non-biased and does not endorse one manufacturer over another.
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There are several events and learning opportunities that may be of interest about assistive technology. More information about upcoming events is available from the links. All events are in Central Time unless otherwise indicated. If you want to hear more about future events, subscribe to our Upcoming Events list!
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October 8-9
8AM – 4:30PM
Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center
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Pre-Conference Workshops Oct. 20-21
Conference Oct. 21-24
DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Bloomington
(with virtual participation options)
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📌 Spotlight: Closing the Gap Conference
The Closing the Gap Conference returns this fall, bringing together educators, families, service providers, and technology specialists to explore the latest in assistive technology and accessible learning solutions.
- Pre-conference hands-on workshops Oct 20-21
- Conference Oct 21-24 with inspiring keynote speakers, and opportunities to connect with national leaders in accessibility and inclusion.
Whether you’re looking for new tools to support students in the classroom or strategies to empower independence, Closing the Gap offers practical ideas and resources to bring back to your school, organization, or home.
Learn more and register at: closingthegap.com/conference
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October 11
10AM –1PM
PACER Center
8161 Normandale Blvd
Minneapolis
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PACER Center is holding an Open House & Tech Expo to explore how PACER can help your family. This fun and informative event will provide families, educators, and community members with the chance to test assistive technology devices, speak with parent advocates, pick up resources for National Bullying Prevention Month and Unity Day, and more!
- Watch a Tech for Teens demo
- Speak with a parent advocate
- Learn about special education, mental health, and more
- Watch a puppet show about inclusion
- Explore bullying prevention resources
Free and open to the public. Register today!
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November 3
3PM – 7PM
Eagan Community Center, Oaks Banquet Room, 1501 Central Parkway, Eagan
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November 12
1PM – 3PM
Whitney Senior Center, St. Cloud
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St. Cloud State University Assistive Technology Lending Library (ATLL) will be at the Whitney Senior Center with the local chapter of the American Association for the Deaf (HLAA) for an event: Technology related to hearing loss, communication, and combined vision / hearing loss.
The event is open to the public.
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November 14
10AM – 1PM
Brooklyn Park Community Activity Center
5600 85th Ave. N
Brooklyn Park
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Brooklyn Park Recreation & Parks is hosting the 2025 Living Well Resource Fair for older adults, individuals with disabilities, and care givers. Features local exhibitors, informative speakers, and valuable resources to support aging and living well.
Free community event.
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We have many device and educational videos. STAR posts videos often, so consider subscribing to our channel! Here are also two playlists on the channel:
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