Assistive Technology and Self Determination Assessments

Julie Freed, Grant Wood AEA Assistive Technology Consultant, shared Wisconsin Assistive Technology Protocol for Transition Planning and Wisconsin Assistive Technology Initiative - Student Information Guide for Self Determination and Assistive Technology Management assessments during a workshop. I came away from the workshop with an expanded knowledge of Assistive Technology. Prior to the workshop I thought of assistive technology as equipment, after the workshop my view expanded to include instruction that is needed for students to use free or readily available technology. The exponential growth of free or low cost technology shifts the focus from equipment to training for independence and increases the number of individuals that can benefit from assistive technology. The assessments also measure self determination which is a necessary skill as it is not enough for the individual to know how to use the technology. In order for the individual to use the technology as an independent adult they must learn responsibility and advocacy. If you would like to copy either of the assessments please go to Broeg Google Doc Transition Assessments and follow the instructions.

Preferences

When indicating preferences on a student's IEP I have always asked the student how they prefer to learn and often times I have felt that I prompted them to respond the way I assumed they preferred to learn. Do people actually know automatically how they prefer to learn or does it take some digging? The Learning Style #1 assessment found in the Quick Book of Transition Assessments is a valuable tool to start a discussion of learning preferences. Before taking the assessment I assumed that I preferred to learn via lecture rather than out of a book but the data said just the opposite. According to the CITE Learning Styles, for language “I learn well from seeing words in books, on the chalkboard, or in workbooks. I remember and use information if I have read it.” When dealing with mathematical problems, “I have to see numbers on the board, in a book, or on paper to work with them. I am more likely to understand math facts if I have seen them.”

The contrary results caused me to reflect on how I actually learn best rather than relying on my initial assumption. Upon further reflection, the data are correct, I learn best from data I can see rather than just hear. For other people the results from the Learning Style #1 assessment may be incorrect but the important thing is that the process encourages reflection. I have set up the spreadsheet so all that needs to be done to get the results is to copy the formulas to the next row. I plan to use the tool to promote self advocacy as well as to assess.

Transition Assessment: The Process Can Be As Important As the Results

In preparation for an IEP, one of my ninth grade students was completing the Student/Parent Questionnaire while a 10^th grade student was working independently. The student completing the questionnaire asked me to clarify the following question: Are you presently in contact with any agencies that will or maybe involved with you after graduation? The student's request started a dialogue between the three of us that included VITAL, Career Connections, Iowa Vocational Rehabilitation Services and “learning centers” at institutions of post-secondary education. Both students expressed interests in these services and I explained to them the importance of making connections during their 11^th grade year. The dialogue continued to include how these agencies could assist them in their future goals. I came away from the discussion with the feeling that the perspective of the students' changed from the short term of “getting the assignment due finished” to the long term of how that assignment fit into their future. Without the process of the student completing the assessment, any discussion of the agencies would have probably been a one sided lecture rather than a dialogue initiated by the student. To make it easier for everyone to use the assessments I have created an easy to remember shortcut to the assessment site: http://tinyurl.com/transitionassessment. I am currently working on converting the assessments found in the Quick Book of Transition Assessments.

Transfer Functional Skills

I have completed all of the assessments in the Transfer Functional Skills section of the Quick Book of Transition Assessments. These assessments can be used to measure the discrepancy between the required skills and the current skills of the student's post secondary expectations. The section contains four different types of post secondary expectations (Supported Employment, Vocational Training, Four Year College and Competitive Employment). The majority of the skills are contained in all four assessments, so if the team decides the current expectation is not realistic, the data can be applied to a more appropriate expectation. The section also contains a Vocational Evaluation and a Functional Skills Inventory. The Vocational Evaluation produces a score that could be used for goal setting as it would be easy to graph. However, the evaluation contains fifty behaviors so it would be better to focus on the deficient behaviors. To see these assessments go to the Quick Book of Transition Assessments page on the Broeg Google Doc Transition Assessments website.

Sharing: The Heart of the Online Community

The public site has grown thanks to Dean Flyr, a transition specialist with Des Moines Public Schools. Dean sent me work experience assessments, general transition assessments, Spanish versions of assessments and resources. I was able to convert the material whenever I had a few minutes to spare. The addition of this material necessitated new pages dedicated to work experience assessments and transition resources. Please take a look at all the new assessments and resources. I will return to adding assessments from Quick Book of Transition Assessments until someone else shares with the community. Thanks Dean!

Online Community: Google Doc Transition Assessments

Last week I presented at the Iowa Secondary Transition Parent & Educator Conference. The presentation discussed the benefits of using Google Doc transition assessments and provided an opportunity for those in attendance to explore and test the public site. Check out the prezi.

Public Site

I have added links to a site used by districts for transition assessment. The forms and the associated data files can be accessed by the public. Please remember to use student ID# or other coded methods of identification. The data side can not be edited. However, the spreadsheets can be downloaded to your computer. Click here to go to the public site.