AT Train - Free Professional Training in Assistive Technology
AT products, equipment, and services may enhance participation for individuals with disabilities in the workplace, in schools, and within their communities by addressing learning or productivity obstacles, augmenting communication and socialization skills, enhancing visual or auditory supports, or improving the physical accessibility for interacting within a particular environment.
Although use of AT has been an effective educational and rehabilitation approach for over 40 years, professional training in the field has typically only been provided through small forums and specialty conferences. Higher education programs in education, psychology, social work, rehabilitation therapy fields, and other disciplines that support the individuals with disabilities, rarely address the effective use of assistive technologies beyond a cursory introduction, because the complexity and breadth of the field would require more time than such preparatory programs can yield. Therefore ongoing training and outreach to those advocates and professionals is essential if such resources are to be obtained and utilized effectively by the individuals in need.
Because of a lack of public discourse and professional dialogue on the use of AT in education and the workplace, and a dependency upon individuals with disabilities and their families to advocate for its use, AT is rarely considered or implemented collectively as an essential service to be delivered by schools, agencies, and advocacy groups. Because individuals with disabilities are often dependent upon others advocating for and implementing their Assistive Technology needs--including well-informed parents and advocates who ensure that AT is part of the service plan—efforts must be made to teach professionals about its effective selection and use.
In order to extend our reach to assist individuals in the acquisition and effective use of assistive technologies, ATHelp.org at the JCC now offers Free Assistive Technology Seminars to educate and train professionals who work within schools, work opportunity programs, and advocacy groups across the greater NYC area. The Free Assistive Technology Seminars will serve education professionals, rehabilitation therapists, mental health professionals, advocates (parent and professional groups), and any group serving the direct needs of individuals with disabilities in an educational or workplace setting. Seminars will address any requested/recommended topic in the AT field regarding hardware, software, apps, cloud-based solutions, Universal Design for Learning (UDL), or even implementation strategies and problem-solving for individual/group user needs. Click on the Link at the right for more information.
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