The 1997 Amendments to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act mandate that assistive technology be considered for each student receiving special education services. Without knowledge of assistive technology, service providers will have difficulty meeting that mandate. It may not be reasonable to expect all special educators to have enough expertise in this area to meet the mandate for all of their students. An assistive technology specialist can bring to a district the expertise needed to comply with this mandate. This article presents the knowledge and skills determined by the Council for Exceptional Children to be necessary for assistive technology specialists. These competencies provide guidelines for districts as they seek to employ a specialist and guide individuals interested in serving as specialists in their professional development.
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