AT Resources

Assistive Technology Loan Library

Assistive technology devices are available for Texas school districts and charters to borrow so that a student may use the device for a short trial period. Contact the AT representative at your regional Education Service Center (ESC) for more information.

Augmented and Alternative Communication Resources

	Frequently Asked Questions on Effective Communication for Students with Hearing, Vision, or Speech Disabilities in Public Elementary and Secondary Schools” (FAQs)
	The Quality Indicators for Assistive Technology website provides resources to guide the selection and use of quality assistive technology services to improve the educational achievement of students with disabilities.
	College of Education and Human Services within the University of Nebraska-Lincoln provides resources to promote appropriate assessment and implementation of augmentative and alternative communication.
	International Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communication is a membership organization working to improve the lives of children and adults with complex communication needs.
	United States Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (USSAAC) is an organization dedicated to supporting the needs and rights of people who use Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC).

Accessibility Information

	The National Center on Accessible Educational Materials (AEM) provides resources and technical assistance for educators, parents and students. These resources support the learning of AEM and implementing AEM and the National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard (NIMAS).
	The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) website includes resources and professional development to learn to use technology to innovate teaching and learning.
	The Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST) is a nonprofit education research and development organization that works to expand learning opportunities for all individuals through Universal Design for Learning.
	The Closing the Gap website provides educators with the latest resources and tools they need to deepen their assistive technology knowledge, best practices and implementation strategies.
	Bookshare is an online library of accessible reading materials for people with print disabilities. Bookshare provides free memberships for Texas students with reading barriers and to the schools that support them. The free membership is provided through an award from the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), U.S. Department of Education.
	The Texas Education Agency has provided funding for K-12 public and charter schools to support struggling readers with the Learning Ally Audiobook Solution, including high quality, human-read audiobooks and a suite of educator resources.
	The Apple® Accessibility website provides information on the built-in accessibility features of their products.
	The Microsoft Accessibility website provides information on the built in accessibility features of their products. nseDragSource,W7147,2,13,18
	The Google Accessibility website provides information on the built in accessibility features of their products.
	Adobe® Acrobat® DC and Adobe Acrobat Reader® DC software provide accessibility support for Adobe PDF documents and forms. Acrobat DC features a number of built-in accommodations for people with disabilities, as well as support for users of assistive technologies.
	The DAISY consortium develops software used in the creation, conversion and validation of accessible publications. The website includes free downloads to assist people in creating talking books, human narrated books and accessible documents.
	W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) resources help people make websites, applications, and other digital creations more accessible and usable to everyone. They have an Accessibility checker that will check Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) and (X)HTML documents with style sheets.

Assessment:

An Assistive Technology assessment is utilized to determine appropriate tools and services to ensure free appropriate public education (FAPE). It is the district's responsibility to determine if an AT assessment is warranted and provide clear documentation regarding the basis of that decision. Districts should select the method of evaluation, comply with legal requirements, ensure timeliness, and disclose the credentials of the assessment team member.

Wisconsin Assistive Technology Initiative provides assistive technology resources and a robust assessment tool.