This article describes several stages in the integration of assistive technology (AT) into and across the curriculum of a teacher education program. The multi-year initiative included several projects and strategies that differentially affected faculty ability to integrate training and evaluation in using AT in their coursework. All strategies…

The history, scope, and evolving definitions of assistive technology reutilization activities, from both grassroots and legislative perspective, are discussed. A national classification system of AT reuse activities and data gathered from several national surveys of AT reutilization programs using this classification approach are presented. The…

A standard and comprehensive model is needed to evaluate and compare technology transfer systems and the stakeholders within these systems. The principle systems considered include federal laboratories, U.S. universities, the rehabilitation engineering research centers (RERCs), and large small business innovation research programs. An earlier…

Historically, the assistive technology (AT) industry is made up of small to medium size companies serving relatively small markets with products characterized as "niche" or "orphan" products. Presenting opportunities to AT companies that are created by outside sources is difficult. Presenting such opportunities to companies serving larger markets…

The trends and findings from a descriptive analysis of 25 years of research studies examining the effectiveness of technology to support the compositional writing of students with learning and academic disabilities are presented. A corpus of 85 applied research studies of writing technology effectiveness was identified from among 249 items in the…

The legislative and policy background for evidence-based practice (EBP) is presented with implications for research on assistive technology (AT) research in general and for the AT consideration process specifically. Requirements for the development of research-based evidence of AT effectiveness are presented as a guide for researchers and…

Writing is a recursive and complex set of cognitive processes that can be taught effectively to students with disabilities. Employing an adapted cognitive theory of writing, a broad view of what constitutes evidence, and the support of a variety of assistive and internet-based technologies, we developed a writing instructional program to meet the…

Nine online workshops developed by the Early Childhood Technology Integrated Instructional System (EC-TIIS) at Western Illinois University meet the need for training for educators and families on evidence-based practices related to assistive technology (AT) and young children. Results of a research study conducted by EC-TIIS indicate that the…

It has been well documented that individuals with significant physical disabilities who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) face considerable challenges in finding and maintaining employment. This article documents the experiences of one individual, Anthony Arnold, a young man who uses a Pathfinder[TM] for communication and a…

This article presents a novel AAC communication aid based on semantic rather than syntactic schema, leading to more natural message construction. Users interact with a two-dimensional spatially organized image schema, which depicts the semantic structure and contents of the message. An overview of the interface design is presented followed by…

Strategic pooling of assistive technology, human resources and funding options has made meaningful employment possible for the 25-year-old man with cerebral palsy who is the subject of this paper. Since graduating from high school four years ago, he has held a part-time job at the warehouse of a bookseller. To perform his job, which involves…

On December 10, 2004, selected education and assistive technology (AT) leaders were invited to an AT visioning activity that intended to lead to the development of a national AT agenda. Participants were presented with seven questions to stimulate thinking regarding both the status and future of AT service delivery. Themes resulting from the…

While the importance of measuring the outcomes of assistive technology (AT) is well documented, less information is available about how outcome data collection can be integrated into daily professional practice. The metaphor of a snapshot provides an intriguing method for thinking about the collection of AT outcome data. The purpose of this…

This article describes a comprehensive assistive technology (AT) teacher preparation model designed to address both general education and special education or early childhood education students. National technology standards provide the context for the model that incorporates (a) an innovative component, consisting of web-based modules and…