Assistive Technology

The Baltimore City Public Schools Assistive Technology team works collaboratively with school-based staff to ensure that students with disabilities have access to the tools and resources they need to succeed. The student’s disability, curriculum expectations, and environmental needs and barriers determine the type of service and/or device. The Assistive Technology team uses the Student Environment Task Tool (SETT) to guide discussions among school-based team members to determine the student’s specific needs in the area of Assistive Technology. The Assistive Technology team supports our students and school-based teams by:

Using the SETT framework to determine individual student needs
Providing low/lite, mid or high tech Augmentative and Alternative Communication tools to support our students
Supporting students, staff and families to use assistive technology across settings
Develop and provide system-wide professional development and training opportunities

Links and Resources:

Baltimore City Public Schools Core Vocabulary Initiative: Low tech options for communication at home

Baltimore City Public Schools Core Boards

Baltimore City Public Schools Core Quick Guides

FAQs

Who is the team that makes this decision?

The IEP team typically includes the parent or guardian, the general education teacher, a special education teacher, related service providers [including, but not limited to: Speech-Language Therapists (SLPs), Occupational Therapists (OTs), Physical Therapists (PTs), etc], a school administrator or designee, an IEP chair, and any other staff members as identified by the IEP team based on the students individual needs. This is a collaborative team that has knowledge of the student and their academic needs and success. The school-based team will present data to support moving forward with student communication needs.

What is an Assistive Technology trial?

With initial support from the AT department staff, the school-based team meets to discuss the student using the SETT Framework. This is an outline to help the team organize information and discuss the student. The discussion will match the student’s needs and abilities to a communication system/device that would support their current goals and objectives throughout the academic day. After the initial meeting the school-based team will collect continuous data over a 90 day period to support the decision making process using the most appropriate tool.

How can I support my student at home and school?

The most effective way to support your student with communication is to model communication throughout the day. The student needs to see us using their communication system to learn how they can use it. We don’t expect children to talk without being provided with verbal models. So start small and focus on a few words. Here are some great examples of modeling.

You can advocate for your child by reaching out to their educators and related service providers to create a working relationship so all team members focus on helping our students succeed with communication.

Who do we contact?

Start with your child’s IEP team, as they know your child best.

Instructional Technology

Instructional technology is the theory and practice of using technology to support and enhance learning in education. It involves the design, development, use, management, and evaluation of technology in education. Instructional technology can take many forms, such as:

interactive whiteboards,
online courses,
blended learning strategies, and
Universal Design for Learning strategies.

The City Schools Special Education Instructional Technology Team supports universal access to effective and engaging learning experiences for all students by developing systems, resources, and training to support staff across City Schools. Families and students may utilize the resources below to support universal access to instruction:

Device Accessibility tools (i.e. Text-to-speech, Speech-to-text, screen mask, PDF annotation, etc.)
City Schools Instructional Tech Hub for Families

FAQ

Does the Instructional Team work directly with students and families?

Sometimes we present at school or district family events, but we typically work with schools and teachers to help them better support students. We also have developed materials and web pages for families and students.

How can I support my student outside of school with technology?

Establish purposeful uses of technology at home that encourage increased access to learning. When used purposefully, technology can support everyone in our learning and with managing our lives. We encourage you to utilize digital tools like text-to-speech on the Read&Write for Chrome toolbar, and video captioning. Find instructional tech guides on the Instructional Tech Hub for Families.

Who do we contact for support with Instructional Technology?

Start by reaching out to your child’s teacher and school for direct support with instructional tech being used in class. For additional questions, you can email our team at OSE-ITT@bcps.k12.md.us .

Please be advised that tech issues related to device maintenance and repair should be directed to your child’s school so that the school may connect with our IT department.