What is Assistive Technology?

Assistive Technology (AT) is any item or tool that helps an individual with a disability accomplish a task that would otherwise be difficult or even impossible. I like to think of AT as a bridge. A disability can leave a gap between what someone is currently capable of doing, and the tasks they need or want to accomplish. AT can bridge that gap. AT can range from something fairly common like a wheelchair to something high-tech like an eye gaze communication device to something quite simple, like a highlighter. 

I like to use the little microphone icon on my Android to speak my text messages rather than typing them out. I can talk much faster than I can hunt and peck on my phone’s tiny keyboard. I don’t have a disability, so speaking my text messages is simply technology I enjoy having access to. For an individual with a disability using that feature may be the only or most reliable way to send a text message independently. In that case, it is no longer just enjoyable or convenient technology, it is assistive technology. 

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has added another layer to the equation. In very simplified terms, AI uses a computer to accomplish complex tasks. AI in and of itself is not assistive technology, but it can be used to power tools in new and exciting ways. If AI-powered tools and technology can help a person with a disability complete a task they would otherwise be unable to complete, suddenly, we are talking about assistive technology. 

Surviving School

Parenting is hard. It is rewarding, but it is hard. We can love our kids fiercely, but it is still hard. That hard can be compounded even further when raising a child with a disability.

I am the parent of three awesome kids. My middle child is a fiery redhead who marches to the beat of her own drum. She is also very considerate and self-aware. She reads books during recess and gets lost in her imagination. She struggles with change, is a bit of a perfectionist, and gives the world’s best snuggles. She was formally diagnosed with generalized pediatric anxiety when she was six years old, and at that time, we were told that she was at risk for ADHD. It wasn’t until the end of second grade that the ADHD diagnosis became official. We decided to try medication.

I fully acknowledge that medication is not for everyone, so here is my first disclaimer: Sharing my experience is in no way meant to suggest that using ADHD medication is the right path for anyone else. It is what we decided to do, and medication has worked well for our daughter. She is the same fiery redhead, but she can choose to focus in class. She can choose to focus. which means she can participate in her learning environment. She can keep pace with the rest of her peers and learn alongside them. Medication is a support that helps her participate in classroom activities.

Here is a disclaimer number two: ADHD medication is not assistive technology or a support that can be provided by an educational institution. It has to be provided by a doctor, and the family must procure that type of support through medical insurance or personal means. So why even bring this up? The great ADHD medication shortage of 2022 is why.

For months during the 2022-2023 school year, we could not fill my daughter’s prescription. She lost access to her support which meant participation in her learning environment became much more difficult. She was constantly behind on assignments which caused her anxiety and stress level to go through the roof. Her teachers tried to help. They allowed her to turn in assignments whenever she completed them, but that did not help my daughter’s stress level.

She came home from school regularly feeling frustrated, upset, and extremely anxious. It. Was. Hard. We survived school for those few months. Here is where we dive into assistive technology and artificial intelligence.

Thriving in School 

School shouldn’t be something families try to survive. Instead, students should be given opportunities to thrive, and with the right AT tools, sometimes students who were previously just trying to stay afloat start to swim. Let’s take a look at a few of our favorite AT tools to support organization and executive functioning:

• Goblin.tools is a free website that provides task analysis using AI. You can put in a prompt such as, “I have 3 English assignments to do, and I don’t know where to start. Goblin.tools will then provide possible steps like, “Start with the assignment that is due first.”  
• ChatGPT generally isn’t AT by itself. When we provide a student with a list of fillable prompts they use to break down an assignment into smaller, more manageable steps, we create a tool.
• Google Keep provides digital sticky notes and allows for collaborators so parents, teachers, and students can all access the same to-do list.
• Google Tasks is one of my favorite organizational tools. When I create a task on my Google Calendar, it shows up every day until I mark it complete. Unlike a calendar event, a task follows me day to day, helping to ensure I don’t forget things I need to do.

Students don’t have to survive school. They can thrive when provided with the right support. Sometimes that support may be an AI-powered tool that is used as assistive technology. 

How Does This Look in an IEP or 504 Plan?

My daughter needed support creating a plan for keeping up with her work. She needed help breaking down the assignments so she could view them in a more manageable way. Doing so would have likely decreased the stress and anxiety she was feeling. The feature she needed was “task analysis software that can break assignments down into small steps.” Multiple tools can provide that feature.

In an IEP or 504 plan, it is important that the features a student needs are described well. The tool used to provide those features can vary. Technology is ever-changing, so instead of specifying a tool using a brand name, the needed features can be listed. We don’t want students to be limited to ChatGPT or Goblin.tools because another option may become available which is better for them.