Oklahoma ABLE Tech
AT News You Can Use
January, 2018

January 2018 Edition Online Now!

In this issue:

• Assistive Technology Industry Association: ABLE Tech Presenting!
• AT Support Team Training: Fall Awards, Spring Training Preview
• Upcoming Webinar: "Creating Accessible Documents"
• Unified English Braille: Transition Timeline Update
• Accessible Educational Materials: Bookshare contract Renewed!
• Success Story: Bookshare Contest Winner
• Case Study: Pre-K Student with Low Vision and Delayed Fine Motor Skills
• Device Feature: Pebble HD Magnifier

ABLE Tech Presenting!

ABLE Tech staff will be presenting several sessions at the upcoming Assistive Technology Industry Association (ATIA) Annual Conference beginning later this month in Orlando, Florida. Each of the Education Breakout Sessions below is part of the Assistive Technology Programs Strand.

• AEM for AT Act Programs: A Capacity Building Model highlights advancements in delivery of Accessible Educational Materials (AEM) across Oklahoma during the last several years. Learn how ABLE Tech uses data in designing AEM training and support services. Presented by Kimberly Berry, Grant Coordinator.  
• Transitioning to Direct Lending details the steps ABLE Tech has taken to develop and maintain a successful program to provide financing options for Oklahomans with disabilities to purchase assistive technology to help them live, work, and learn independently. Presented by Shelley Gladden, Loan Coordinator and Milissa Gofourth, Program Manager.  
• Partners Instead of Contractors: A Lower Cost Alternative describes how ABLE Tech structures its relationships with non-profit community organizations, state agencies, higher education, vendors and medical providers to operate a device demonstration and short-term equipment loan program. Presented by Shelby Sanders, AT Specialist and Milissa Gofourth, Program Manager.  
• Accessibility Spotlight: Finding the Right Fit: Accessibility in Organizational and Team Roles discusses how different people and departments shape the digital footprint of your organizations, and ways to integrate accessibility into existing workflows and roles. Presented by Rob Carr, Accessibility Coordinator.  
• Seven Ways to a More Accessible Web explains how to remove seven of the most common barriers to web access. Participants will leave knowing how to use headings, lists, text equivalents, color, and proper link formatting to make web content more accessible. Presented by Rob Carr, Accessibility Coordinator.

Fall Awards, Spring Training Preview

Congratulations to six AT Support Teams chosen to receive an AT Award valued at $250!


AT Consideration and AT Assessment Part 1 workshop held Sept. 14 in Sand Springs.

• Bartlesville 
• Broken Arrow
• Mounds
• Checotah

• Bixby Team 1
• Broken Arrow

ABLE Tech will purchase up to $250 worth of Assistive Technology devices for each winning team to use with students in their district. (No award was given for AT Feature Matching and AT Funding due to lack of qualifying entries.) Thanks to all who participated in our fall workshops! We appreciate your team efforts!

Teams participating in our upcoming trainings will also have the opportunity to win! ABLE Tech will kick off spring AT Support Team Training on Jan. 25 with AT Consideration and AT Assessment Part 1 at the J.D. McCarty Center in Norman. Please note this new location selected for our spring workshops to accommodate educators on our waitlist.

Following this workshop, teams are expected to trial AT with a student, whether borrowing from the ABLE Tech Device Loan Program, or from AT available within their district. Participants will draw on the AT Trial experience to complete the activities for the second workshop, AT Assessment Part 2 and AT Implementation which is scheduled for Feb. 15. 

Both workshops 1 & 2 will touch on Accessible Educational Materials (AEM), AT Funding, and Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC), however, the third workshop, AT Feature Matching and AT Funding to be held March 29, will provide more in-depth training and hands-on experience with these topics. Following the third workshop, teams are expected to secure funding for an assistive technology device, whether with school funds or outside sources.
 
To qualify for the AT Award drawings associated with each of the trainings, teams must complete pre- and post-surveys rating their District AT procedures using the Quality Indicators for Assistive Technology (QIAT). Teams must also submit a success story related to the respective training. For the first workshop, this is an AT Trial Loan Success Story; for the second workshop, an AT Implementation Success Story is required; and for the third workshop, the assignment is an AT Funding Success Story.
 
Winners will be chosen randomly from the list of teams submitting assignments by the deadlines. AT Award drawings for the first two workshops will be held at the subsequent workshop, and the drawing for the third workshop will be held on April 19.
 
Click to see spring assignments.
Click to read more about AT Support Team Training on the ABLE Tech website.

Upcoming Webinar:
"Creating Accessible Documents"

Transition Timeline Update

Oklahoma schools began the transition to Unified English Braille (UEB) in 2016, however students who use braille will continue to take their state tests in English Braille American Edition (EBAE) until the 2019-20 school year. During the transitional period, students are being taught in UEB, but they also need to learn how to translate from EBAE to UEB and vice-versa so that they can be successful on the state test.

Educators who have concerns about the ability of a student who uses braille to take the state test in EBAE should request an alternative accommodation such as having the test read aloud to the student. Contact Christy McCreary, English Language Arts and Social Studies Assessment Specialist, at the Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE) at 405-522-3302 or Christina.McCreary@sde.ok.gov.

Read the Oklahoma UEB Transition Plan approved by OSDE PDF or Word version.

Are your braille skills up-to-date? Free and low cost online training is available!
Teachers of the Visually Impaired and Braille Transcribers have many options for learning Unified English Braille (UEB) and how to help students transition from using English Braille American Edition (EBAE). For information about free and low-cost online braille courses, visit the Braille Authority of North America (BANA) website.  

Bookshare Contract Renewed!
 

Bookshare Contest Winner

Tammy, a student with Print Disability, reading with the Bookshare Web Reader.

Tammy is a high school senior who was recently identified as having a print disability due to a learning disability. She spends most of her day in the resource room having a Special Education Teacher read to her and help her complete her homework and classwork. According to her teachers, she is motivated and wants to succeed in school, but reading the textbook is difficult for her.

The Special Education Department felt if Tammy had access to technology which would read text aloud to her, she would be able to complete more work independently and with a higher level of understanding. “We also believed that if she felt the material was more accessible, she would feel less frustrated and ready to give up. She would develop some perseverance for her academic tasks,” said Stephanie Leslie, Special Education Teacher at Shidler Public Schools.

Leslie set Tammy up with a Bookshare account to receive accessible digital text after learning about the service at ABLE Tech AT Support Team Trainings. Following a successful trial, the school determined that Tammy will use the iPad with the Voice Dream Reader app to read her textbooks in the classroom and in the group home where she lives. “We will train for the applications in the resource room for the first week so that she understands how to use the device and has some support while she is learning the new technology. A brief meeting will be held with her teachers so that they understand what the technology will do for her and to make sure that they give her permission to use earbuds or headphones during class to use the device,” Leslie said. The IEP team also scheduled a meeting with the staff of Tammy’s group home, in which the group home staff will learn about the technology and sign a contract acknowledging responsibility for the technology when Tammy takes it home from school.

Do you have a student who uses Bookshare? Tell us the story of a student who has benefited from using Bookshare, with support from ABLE Tech, and you’ll have a chance to WIN an iPad to use with a student in your district! Enter between Jan. 15 and March 30 for the drawing to be held on April 3. To learn more, watch the video below, and email Kimberly.Berry@okstate.edu for assistance and training! Click here to submit your story.

Watch this short video to learn about the ABLE Tech Bookshare Contest!

Pre-K Student with Low Vision and Delayed Fine Motor Skills

See the attached SETT Framework for feature matching solutions based on the Student, Environment, Task and Tools.

Mini-Lite Box w/Carrying Case	Merlin Desktop Electronic Magnifier	iPad w/Magnification App and Protective Case

Pebble HD Magnifier

Pebble HD features an HD camera providing a crisp, clear, colorful, high definition picture. The ergonomic lightweight compact design makes it the perfect companion whether at home or on the go. Fits easily in a purse or pocket, or clip it on your belt with the included carrying case.

Features:

• All New HD camera with 4.3" LCD
• Adjustable magnification from 1.25x to 13.5x
• Easy-to-use large tactile buttons in two color choices
• Adjustable brightness with lights on/off feature
• 28 available color select modes
• Real time clock and calendar
• Audible feedback
• Weighs only 7.2 ounces
• Carrying case included
• Multi-purpose handle allows usage in various positions
• Rechargeable battery with up to 3 hours of continuous use
• Freeze frame with image save capability and PC download
• 2 year warranty
• Designed and Assembled in the USA

Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price: $500
Purchased from: NanoPac, Inc.

Click to see Pebble HD in ABLE Tech Device Loan Inventory.
Watch our Pebble HD Video on YouTube!
 
Each week ABLE Tech features one of the many assistive technology devices available for trial through our short-term loan program. Our inventory offers a wide range of AT for communication, computer access, hearing, vision, daily living, environmental adaptations, learning/development, health, safety, and recreation.

Search our Device Loan Inventory!