• AT Support Team Training: Register Now
• AT Discovery: Environmental Adaptations & Controls
• Saucer Switch
• Transition Spotlight: Dale Rogers Training Center
• Oklahoma Transition Institute: Mental Health Emphasis

AT Support Team Training: Register Now

The first of ABLE Tech’s three fall AT Support Team workshops at Tulsa Tech, Owasso Campus, is just a few days away. Workshops are filling fast, so register today! Registration will be opening soon for our spring workshops at Cameron University in Lawton. AT trainings are provided at no cost to Oklahoma educators and related service providers. Continuing Education Units (CEUs) will be offered for OTs, PTs, and SLPs. See the workshop descriptions below and click here for training details and registration links.

AT Assessment Part 1- Consideration
Choose one:

• Fall Session: September 13, 2018, Owasso Tech Center
• Spring Session: January 17, 2019, Cameron University, Lawton

Description: Participants will learn the process for Consideration of Assistive Technology (AT) for all students with disabilities, including legal requirements related to AT Consideration, and hands-on learning to help educators discover potential solutions available to help meet student’s IEP goals.
 
AT Assessment Part 2 – Gathering Information and Trialing Devices
Choose one:

• Fall Session: October 11, 2018, Owasso Tech Center
• Spring Session: February 14, 2019, Cameron University, Lawton

Description: Participants will learn the steps involved in conducting an Assistive Technology (AT) Assessment, and the procedure for borrowing AT to try with students. Educators will try their hand at making low-tech AT to help students with classroom tasks.

AT Assessment Part 3 – AT in the IEP and Implementation
Choose one:

• Fall Session: November 8, 2018, Owasso Tech Center
• Spring Session: March 14, 2019, Cameron University, Lawton

Description: Participants will learn how to write AT in the IEP, summarize AT Implementation process, compare and contrast AT across disabilities, and identify funding resources for acquisition of AT. Afternoon breakout sessions will offer educators opportunities to see and try devices in the categories of their choosing.

Additional training resources:

• AEM/Bookshare Workshops: ABLE Tech provides “AEM and AT for Reading” workshops at no cost for districts upon request. Learn how to deliver Accessible Educational Materials (AEM), including digital text from Bookshare, for students in your district. All you need to do is gather participants and provide the training space. Distance-learning is also available through Zoom meetings.
  Contact Kimberly.Berry@okstate.edu to book your training.
   
• Webinars and Videos: Here are the webinars scheduled for this fall:
• September 5: Special Education Resolution Center with
  Program Manager, Jo Anne Pool Blades
• October 3: Smoke Alarm Program with ABLE Tech
  Program Manager, Milissa Gofourth
• November (day TBD): Accessible Educational Materials with
  ABLE Tech Teacher of the Visually Impaired, Kimberly Berry and 
  Cristin Lockwood, Liberty Braille
• December 5: Demonstration/Loan with ABLE Tech
  AT Specialist, Shelby Sanders

Oklahoma ABLE Tech is the Statewide Assistive Technology Act Program whose mission is serving Oklahomans with disabilities. ABLE Tech offers educational resources and training programs to Pre-K through 12th grade educators and related service providers through a contract with the Oklahoma State Department of Education.
To learn more visit OKABLETech.org

AT Discovery: Environmental Adaptations & Controls

You may have students in your classroom with fine motor delays, visual impairment, physical disabilities or other conditions that limit strength and/or endurance. These students might benefit from Environmental Adaptations & Controls, which help students with disabilities to start, stop, or adjust electric or electronic devices to manipulate something in the environment which they would not otherwise be able to control. 

Devices that may need an adaptation or control can be found in all areas of the classroom. Switches and other tools can reduce or eliminate the need for human assistance in operating everyday electrical and battery-operated devices. In a school environment, students can benefit from utilizing assistive technology (AT) to independently operate toys, computers, lights, basic kitchen appliances, control music and video players, and communicate with their teachers and peers. Increased independence with everyday tasks results in increased self-efficacy, which can eventually carry-over into other aspects of the student’s life, helping them to be more independent in their homes, community, and eventually post-secondary education, work, or other settings after completing high school.

Increased access can be accomplished with low-tech solutions such as arranging the cafeteria to allow room for a wheelchair, attaching a turn-in folder to the student’s desk, using a weighted blanket or pencil, or printing papers with a larger font size. High-tech options include communication/alert systems; computer, television, and electrical controls; and motion and proximity sensitive switches.

For more information on how to discover and incorporate AT devices to assist your students and improve writing skills in your classroom, as well as specific examples of how AT made a difference in students’ writing abilities visit AT Discovery: Environmental Adaptations and Controls.

Saucer Switch

The Adjustable Pressure Saucer Switch is ideal for those with limited motor abilities. These handy switches are specially designed for individuals who are unable to control or sustain the hand or wrist movements necessary to operate traditional plate switches. The Adjustable Pressure Saucer Switch allows the user to change the pressure from approximately ½ to 32 ounces and has a small LED lamp that glows when the switch is activated.

Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price: $76
Purchased from: Enabling Devices

Click to see Saucer Switch video on ABLE Tech's YouTube Channel.
Click to see Saucer Switch in ABLE Tech's Device Loan Inventory.

Each week ABLE Tech features one of the many assistive technology devices available for trial through our short-term loan program. Our inventory offers a wide range of AT for communication, computer access, hearing, vision, daily living, environmental adaptations, learning/development, health, safety, and recreation.

Search our Device Loan Inventory!

Transition Spotlight: Dale Rogers Training Center

The Dale Rogers Training Center is a valuable resource for students preparing to transition from high school to the workforce. The agency is Oklahoma’s oldest and largest community vocational training and employment center for individuals with disabilities. Amber McConnell from the OU Zarrow Center interviewed Theresa Flannery, who is Community Resources & Compliance Director at Dale Rogers Training Center.

Click here to see YouTube video interview about Dale Rogers Training Center. This video is one of a series of interviews focusing on Oklahoma Resources for Transition-aged students.

Click here to go to the Oklahoma Transition Resources YouTube Playlist.

Oklahoma Transition Institute: Mental Health Emphasis

Access to mental health treatment is a challenge in all corners of society, and transition-aged students are no exception. Overcoming the stigma to get treatment is critical for the future educational, employment, and community opportunities of students leaving high school.

The Oklahoma Transition Council (OTC) recognizes this challenge, and has invited national mental health speaker Mike Veny to deliver the keynote for OTI, Oklahoma’s premier annual transition training conference. OTI will be held October 15-17 at the NCED Conference Center and Hotel in Norman

Veny managed to overcome a lifetime of mental health challenges to become an advocate recognized as one of the 100 most influential people in the healthcare industry. Veny has been featured on national news reports, and he spoke on the TEDx Talk “Mental Illness is an Asset.” Click here to see Mike Veny’s TEDx Talk on YouTube.
 
Chad Gerlt, Operator of Chick-Fil-A in Yukon, is an additional keynote speaker. Gerlt will share his insights on being successful in the service industry. The theme for this year’s OTI is Strategies for Success: Creating Connections. More than 600 participants attended last year and organizers are hoping for even more attendance this year.

Click here for more information about OTI and to register.

Need funding to assist in the purchase of assistive devices? Oklahoma ABLE Tech offers a comprehensive online guide for Oklahoma Funding for AT. Additionally, ABLE Tech, in partnership with Oklahoma Assistive Technology Foundation (OkAT) and BancFirst of Stillwater, offers Financial Loans to purchase assistive technology. Several programs of funding are available, all with LOW interest rate and flexible repayment terms, as well as special qualification opportunities for applicants who might not qualify for a traditional bank loan. For questions on the Financial Loan opportunities, call Shelley Gladden for more information at 800-257-1705.