The Assistive Technology Department is located at the Golden Hills Education Center in Fairfield, CA. As a SELPA directed service, we serve over 6,000 students in the Solano County School Districts of Dixon, Travis, Vacaville, Fairfield-Suisun, and Benicia. We provide consultation services, device trials, and professional development to our member districts. Our mission is to ensure that all students have the opportunity to maximize their learning using strategies, tools, and appropriate assistive technologies.

WHAT IS ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY?_________________________________________________________

The Assistive Technology Act of 2004 provides legal definitions for assistive technology devices and services:

An assistive technology device is:

…any item, piece of equipment, or product system, whether acquired commercially, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities. (29 U.S.C. Sec 2202(2))

Assistive technology services are:

…any services that directly assist an individual with a disability in the selection, acquisition, or use of an assistive technology device.

Some basic examples of low-tech and high tech assistive technologies are available from the California Department of Education website. It is important to note that the development of new technologies in general are rapidly accelerating and that technologies once considered "assistive" have become universal tools for learning. Some examples include voice dictation, text-to-speech, word prediction, and environmental controls.

ELIGIBILITY

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Students with either an IEP or 504 plan are eligible for assistive technology consideration by the IEP/504 team. This generally occurs when the team assesses the use of current strategies, accommodations, and modifications supporting the student's educational needs and determines the student might need alternative or additional supports. (Source: National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities)

SETT Framework

The SETT framework is a collaborative tool used by IEP teams to guide the assistive technology consideration process. It is based on the premise that in order to develop an appropriate system of Tools (supports, strategies, accommodations, modifications, tools, and services, etc.) teams must first develop a shared understanding of the student, the customary environments in which the student spends time, and the tasks that are required for the student to be able to do or learn to do to be an active participant in the teaching/learning processes that lead to educational success.

When the needs, abilities, and interests of the Student, the details of the Environments, and the specific Tasks required of students in those environments are fully explored, teams are able to consider what needs to be included in a system of tools that is Student-centered, Environmentally useful, and Tasks focused.

Source: Using the SETT Framework to Level the Learning Field for Students with Disabilities by Joy Smiley Zabala, Ed. D., ATP http://www.joyzabala.com/uploads/Zabala_SETT_Leveling_the_Learning_Field.pdf

SETT stands for Student, Environment, Tasks and Tools: