Assistive Technology

Assistive technology (AT) is any tool that helps students with disabilities do things more quickly, easily, or independently. Students need practice and experience with in order to be proficient with their assistive technology before leaving high school. Training for staff is also important.

General resources

  • Free Assistive Technology Resources (PDF, 2 pages, 2019), an easy-to-use resource list compiled by Lance Neeper, Assistant Professor of Education at Keene State College. All resources are listed on this page as well.
  • Accessibility and Assistive Technology page on the NH Department of Education site. It has information about New Hampshire Accessible Educational Materials (NHAEM), American Printing House for the Blind (APH), sign language interpreters and assistive technology.
  • AT services and resources at the UNH Institute on Disability (IOD). The IOD has several projects to improve access to AT solutions and services. They also offer a variety of AT training and education programs.
  • Learning Technologies has resources to help teachers use technology to provide students with choice and support when they have wide differences in their abilities to see, hear, speak, move, read, write, understand English, attend, organize, engage and remember. Covers text-to-speech, word prediction, speech recognition, visual thinking tools, and more.
  • ATAEM is Ohio’s Assistive Technology & Accessible Educational Materials Center. Resources on AT basics, assessment, tools and implementation.
  • AssistiveTECHNOLOGYCenter is New Jersey’s online resource for information and equipment. They help people with disabilities, their families, teachers and employers identify and learn to use the technology that will be most effective in meeting their goals.
  • National Center on Accessible Educational Materials (AEM) provides a comprehensive set of tools and resources for ensuring accessible educational materials (AEM). It’s got good introductory material plus tools and resources for all levels of educators and administrators. Good starting point: QuickStarts. 
  • Assistive Technology Blog for people with disabilities that make reading, writing, and related tasks difficult. Written by someone who uses assistive technology to read and write.
  • Funding ideas: Assistive Technology Industry Association (ATIA) has a list of resources and organizations that support AT funding. The Pacer Center has ideas for using social media to support AT funding (PDF, 2 pages, 2018).

Training for educators and families

Products, equipment & software

Videos and tutorials

Assessment and standards

  • The QIAT Community is a nationwide grassroots group that includes hundreds of people who help with the ongoing process of identifying, disseminating, and implementing a set of widely-applicable Quality Indicators for Assistive Technology Services in school settings. Quality Indicators for Assistive Technology Services (QIAT) is their website where you can explore the indicators and rubrics (called matrices).
  • The SETT Framework is a guiding framework and resources for AT assessment, developed by Joy Zabala. It is a four-part model (Student, Environments, Tasks, Tools) which promotes collaborative decision-making in all phases of assistive technology service design and delivery. Scroll down the home page to get to various downloads. Slides from an introduction to SETT (PDF, 10 pages, 2010)
  • AEM Navigator is an online interactive tool to help with decision-making around accessible educational materials for a student. The four decision points are 1) determine need, 2) select format(s), 3) acquire format(s), and 4) select supports for use.
  • Ohio’s Assistive Technology & Accessible Educational Materials Center (ATAEM) resources on AT Assessment.

New content 5/26/22

Student Development Practices