As we enter a new year, it can be a great time to reflect on ways to improve your life. Have you ever considered how technology might help you reach your goals? Although it might sound like a unique resolution to use more technology, there are great benefits to using technology in your daily life.
Technology can help support your health, independence, employment, daily living, and education goals. There are so many ways to use technology that can it be overwhelming to know where to start.
A new component that was added to our website this year allows the user to search for specific ways technology may help an individual with a disability. Here is a brief guide that explains the process more in-depth. After selecting “Technology” as a topic of interest, the website will ask you to choose one technology outcome on which you might like more support. If you are unsure of what a specific technology outcome is, you can always click on the question mark which will provide you with a short definition of the outcome.
After selecting an outcome, you will be asked to pick specific technology solutions that support your needs. You can select as many solutions as you would like. Next, you will be asked to select a stage of life, diagnosis, payment options, and location of services needed. You can skip any of these steps and click “view results” at any time you would like. The filters help find resources that are related to your specific needs. You can always start another search with another outcome if you would like. Once you have filled out the necessary information, there will be a list of providers that provide specific technology services related to your needs. Once you create an account, you can save your search results or print them. This is a great way to find individualized resources that are unique to your goals.
While technology can assist an individual of any age, did you know that technology is a specific component of the individualized education plan (IEP) when a child is in school? Under Special Factors on the IEP, it asks a specific question about if assistive technology is needed to implement the IEP. This can look like anything from a communication device to a screen reader that might be needed for a student. If the IEP decides to make this question yes, the school is required to provide the appropriate technology. Technology may also be listed as an accommodation such as a timer, electronic note taker, audible access to textbooks, and so much more.
If you think your student may benefit from technology resources, especially with an IEP, this is a great question to ask the IEP team in an IEP meeting. The new year can be a great time to regroup and call an IEP meeting if anything needs to be changed in the IEP. You may also want to look back at the student’s IEP and see if assistive technology is required to implement the IEP. The IEP team can help brainstorm about how technology might support the student and increase independence.
As you think about your new year goals, consider how technology might assist you. There is truly so much that technology can do to help in so many ways. If you are having trouble locating specific technology resources or services, as always feel free to contact us and we would be happy to help you.