Student program plans will effectively incorporate assistive technology to achieve outcomes.

To promote independence and optimize the education of students with special needs through the integration of assistive technology into program planning.

Through assistive technology, students with disabilities and/or health challenges will achieve learning outcomes.

Within the Annapolis Valley Regional School Board, the Special Needs Technology Assessment Resource Support Team (START), is a group of educators who formulate and enact initiatives for the implementation of best practices in the educational application of assistive technology.

START is an ongoing resource team for assistive technology that provides professional development and support to the school based program planning process.

START has been established as a leadership team to achieve the following goals:

1. To effectively implement assistive technology as part of the program planning process.
2. To establish resources.
3. To promote the professional development of educators.

Strategies:

• Investigate models of good practice.
• Develop a procedure for referral, assessment, implementation, and monitoring.
• Revise the program planning materials (forms, adaptations, checklists) to ensure the consideration of assistive technology.

Strategies:

• Pursue a memorandum of agreement with the Technical Resource Centre to access professional development, technical support, student assessment, and access to
• the technology lending library.
• Establish a separate budget line for assistive technology.
• Investigate cost-effective software options, ie. site licences, shareware, freeware...
• Establish a credit allocation for START.
• Promote cost sharing between Student Services and schools for assistive technology purchases.
• Develop internet resources to support professional development i.e. web page, listserve, swap shop, links for software and other resources.
• Distribute a CD of shareware resources.

Strategies:

• Provide workshops on assistive technology.
• Produce video training materials.
• Compile four resource kits to be used by the START Team for in-servicing, training, and assessment.
• Provide START members with the hardware and software necessary to stay current for training, in-servicing, and on-site assessment.