Collegial Study Groups: A Strategy for Creating Shared Visions of Assistive Technology Outcomes

Abstract

While assistive technology devices are common in most schools, to date assistive technology appears to be acquired more frequently in response to advocacy efforts on behalf of individual students rather than as the result of systemic evaluation of the needs of all students. While such efforts are developmentally noteworthy, they are hardly adequate for achieving large-scale benefits. The purpose of this article is to describe professional development and change strategies for fostering collaborative and systemic efforts to consider assistive technology and evaluate its impact. A self-study process is used to engage teachers, administrators, and related service personnel in a series of collegial conversations about assistive technology outcomes. Four topics are used to structure the conversations: (a) assistive technology and human performance, (b) assistive technology consideration, (c) assistive technology service delivery systems, and (d) accountability initiatives. Group processes are critical for the profession if we are to move beyond individual visions to common, shared visions of the ways assistive technology enhances independence, communication, mobility, and learning opportunities for students with disabilities. The implications of these professional development and change strategies are noted relative to current practice, policy, and future research.