The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) Division of Special Education (DSE), per Section 162.1136 RSMo, conducts an annual study of the educational status of eligible blind/visually impaired students and reports the findings to the Missouri Legislature on December 1st each year. The information contained in this report…

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…

Visually impaired people have the same information needs as sighted people. Just as sighted people might read a newspaper, listen to a CD or download electronic information from the Internet, visually impaired people also want access to relevant information in their chosen accessible format. Developing an efficient library service for…

The 21st century is a time to contemplate the power of the technological advances that have occurred today. Computers have become idea engines- a tool used for thinking, performing, processing, and instructing people. No one understands or appreciates this phenomenon more than children suffering with dyslexia. These children's ability to learn or…

This handbook is designed to help teachers create a transition portfolio that will accompany the student with mild to severe disabilities to new classrooms and schools, and convey special needs, accommodations, and other vital information to a new team of teachers. It offers practical details on gathering critical information and tips on what to…

Play is more than just fun; it is a powerful teaching tool that helps young children learn. With this practical, activity-filled guide, teachers will have ready-to-use strategies for weaving individual learning goals into play throughout the school day. Created for use with children ages 2 to 5 who have special needs--but equally effective for…

This digest discusses how selected researchers are informing practice in four key areas relating to the participation of students with disabilities in standards-based mathematics curriculum. The first area focuses on enhancing students' understanding of mathematics and emphasizes the need to make math meaningful for students with disabilities. The…

This final report discusses the activities and outcomes of the Navajo Assistive Bank of Loanable Equipment (Navajo-ABLE), a federally funded program designed to provide assistive technology (AT) devices, services, technical information, funding information, and training for Navajo children and youth with disabilities. The program was operated and…

A study investigated how assistive reading software affected the reading performance of 20 postsecondary students who had attention deficit disorder. The software allowed the students to attend better to their reading, reduce distractibility, read with less stress, and read for longer periods of time. It did not affect comprehension. (Contains…

Students with multiple disabilities, such as severe to profound mental retardation combined with motor and visual impairment, are usually unable to engage in constructive activity or play a positive role in their daily context. Microswitches are technical tools that may help them improve their status by allowing them to control environmental…

Deaf Education Teacher Preparation Programs must prepare teachers to staff an increasing number of oral programs. A survey was conducted to determine which competencies administrators of deaf education programs rate as important for teachers in oral programs and to compare ratings of these competencies by oral school administrators to ratings made…

At least since the early 1990s, educators in inclusive schooling as well as scholars in Disability Studies have critiqued prevailing notions of intellectual ability and have suggested the importance of interpretive communities for constructing student competence (Biklen, 1990; Goode, 1992, 1994; Kliewer, 1998; Kluth, 2003; Linneman, 2001). This…

This article briefly describes CVS All Kids Can, a program launched by CVS/Pharmacy Charitable Trust and CVS/Pharmacy designed to make life easier for children with special needs. CVS is America's largest retail pharmacy, operating more than 5,400 retail and specialty pharmacy stores in 36 states and the District of Columbia. Through this…

Allan Ridley has many interesting qualities, not least his determination. Though he is totally blind, he doesn't let that stop him pursuing his interests, whether he is water skiing or learning database design. When asked to tutor blind learner Allan Ridley, the author had to give a lot of thought to making the curriculum accessible. This article…