Executive Director Sheri Wernsing and Assistant Directors Donna Morris and Kris Dean with Tri-County's AT Toolbox.

Assistive Technology (AT)  REVISED 7/17/08

Assistive Technology (AT) means using tools and services to help students with disabilities to do the things that are expected of all children. 

Sometimes, AT looks complicated, like a computer that can be programmed to talk for someone who can’t speak or computer software that reads aloud or performs other essential learning tasks that students cannot yet do for themselves. 

Sometimes AT looks very simple, like a timer or switch to turn something on or off; a chart of multiplication facts to allow for efficient multiplication of multi-digit numbers; or lined paper to assist a student in keeping handwriting legible.  

In still other situations, AT is a service.  This might be teaching a child, parent, or teacher to use a tool.  It might be note-taking or reading a test to a student.  It might even be setting up or repairing a tool for student use.  All AT serves the same purpose—compensating for skills that are yet unlearned, or maybe even impossible for specific people with disabilities to perform, so all students can learn and participate as much as possible in school activities.  

AT often is used to refer to what might more specifically be called Instructional Technology—software and learning tools that are considered useful for teaching and learning but are not essential for a specific student to learn.  This overlap occurs because some tools are considered good for the learning of many students, while for a few students, these tools are essential for learning.

Tri-County is an active leader in the use of assistive technology in regional schools.  Both access to tools and instruction for the adults who use those tools with students can occur through Tri-County’s collaboration partner organizations:  the Heart of Illinois Low Incidence Association, the Illinois State Board of Education, the Illinois State University Special Education Assistive Technology Center, Infinitec, and the Mid-State AT Coalition.  In collaboration with partner organizations, Tri-County offers AT use workshops or courses for teachers, related services providers, and parents.  AT Toolboxes were disseminated during the 2004-2005 school year as a way of informing, encouraging, and supporting the use of instructional and assistive technology in area schools.  Parents and educators may view the contents of the toolboxes on this web site; view the toolboxes themselves in all public school buildings.  AT Contacts include all Tri-County administrators and specific people listed for each Tri-County school building.

For more specific information about assistive technology, please start by referring to the web sites for the above-named partners, contact a Tri-County administrator about becoming involved in HILIA workshops, or explore the contents of this web site.