Managing the Assistive Technology Process:

The Nontech Guide for Disability Service Providers.

James Bailey MS

Order from LRP

This is a valuable resource for any Disability Services Coordinator who has to manage Assistive Technology (AT) in higher education on a daily basis. This book keeps the focus on management. Rather than being overrun with technical jargon, cryptic descriptions and an endless stream bizarre keystroke combinations, this book is a straight forward guide for providing AT on a college campus. It is based on James Bailey’s highly successful multi-day workshop “Managing AT A to Z.” It is written expressly for the DS coordinator.

Topics include:

AT and Students with Physical Disabilities

This chapter reviews assistive technologies and the student’s they benefit. Selection, installation and maintenance of AT are discussed in clear and concise terms for the AT manager.

AT and the Law

This chapter looks at “foundational” OCR resolution letters pertaining to AT and higher education. The substance of the letters is discussed and their relevance to today’s AT environment is evaluated.

AT Training and Higher Education

OCR has asserted the importance of training on AT, but how does your department identify its obligation and then articulate its services? This section defines levels of AT training and then discusses methods of offering them.

Collaborating with Campus IT

DS coordinators’ successful collaborations with campus IT do not happen by accident. You need to understand your AT needs and how to effectively communicate them to campus IT. This section offers advice on cutting through the tech jargon that so frequently stalls these discussions.

Deploy AT on Your Campus

The way students use computers on campus is an ever-changing landscape. This section covers the various ways to provide AT on your campus and weighs the pros and cons of each.

Table of Contents

• Acknowledgements

• Introduction

• Chapter 1: What is AT in Higher Education ?

• Chapter 2: Assistive Technology for Physical Disabilities

• Chapter 3: Assistive Technology for Learning Disabilities

• Chapter 4: Assistive Technology and the Law

• Chapter 5: AT Training for Students with Disabilities

• Chapter 6: Creating an AT Management Plan

• Chapter 7: Producing Alternative Text and Media

• Chapter 8: Deployment Options for Assistive Technology

• Chapter 9: Hiring and Managing AT Staff

• Chapter 10: Collaborating with Campus IT

• Chapter 11: AT for the Web and Distance Education

• Chapter 12: Miscellaneous AT Topics

• Appendix A: Glossary

• Appendix B: Answers to Scenarios

• Appendix C: Office of Civil Rights Letters

• Appendix D: 508 Web Accessibility Guidelines

• Appendix E: Resources