general assistive technology

A simple Google search on the keywords "assistive technology" will produce 200 pages or more of hits - there are literally millions of sites that have some connection to the field including assistive technology organizations, government groups, vendors, disability groups, student sites and so on. Many of these sites also have their own lists of online resources and so the picture can be very overwhelming for those just getting started in the field. The following list includes some of the most useful general assistive technology sites. They are a good starting place for jumping into the incredible amount of information that is now available online.

www.abledata.com/

• Abledata has an extremely extensive searchable database of all categories of assistive technology. The site is updated frequently and new products are featured. You can search by category or by specific topic. If it is a piece of assistive technology, chances are you will find it at this site. There is also an information center with hundreds of useful links in the field of assistive technology. This is an excellent site to add to your AT bookmarks.

www.utoronto.ca/atrc/

• The Adaptive Technology Resource Centre at the University of Toronto site has a number of useful resources including a technical glossary with descriptions of many of the categories of assistive technology and online resources which include a fairly extensive link of other AT sites. One of the ATRC's projects is the SNOW project (Special Needs Opportunities Window) which is even more useful then its parent site. See below for more information.

www.at-links.gc.ca/IndexE.asp

• AT-Links is an Industry Canada site that has really good information for those with special needs living in Canada. One of its most useful features is the ability to search for AT services and links in your home province. It also has an excellent guide for those who are developing AT resources describing how to produce multiple formats so those who use AT can access them.

www.2learn.ca/teachertools/Assistivetech/assistexemp.html

• The Assistive Technologies @ 2Learn site has a list of links to best practices and success stories using assistive technology with a number of different disabilities, including autism. In addition, there are articles on using specific assistive technology. Several of the listed links lead to the SET-BC Learning Center.

atto.buffalo.edu/

• The Assistive Technology Training Online project from the University of Buffalo has a number of very helpful resources including basic assistive technology information, information on selecting assistive technology and online tutorials for specific assistive technologies like Clicker® and Intellitalk®. The site also has a list of links to other sites that have AT information and tutorials. If you are looking for tutorials, this is a good site to check out.

www.qiat.org/

• The QIAT (Quality Indicators for Assistive Technology) is a consortium of leaders in the field of assistive technology. For those working in the field, this site, and the downloadable quality indicators documents, form a blueprint of best practices. This site would be of particular interest to anyone implementing assistive technology with their students.

www.setbc.org

• The Special Education Technology British Columbia (SET-BC) has a wide variety of assistive technology resources generally housed in its Learning Center area. Resources include downloadable documents and tutorials on general and specific AT topics and technologies as well as webcast presentations by leaders in the AT field. For those looking for professional development and training in the field, the SET-BC site is a very helpful destination.

snow.utoronto.ca/

• The Special Needs Opportunities Window (SNOW) project from the University of Toronto ATRC is an excellent site for anyone in the assistive technology field (new or experienced). There are free online workshops on a variety of AT implementation topics as well as information on best practices, adapted technology (information database) and links to many other AT and disability sites. There is also a SNOW Kids Empowerment Zone for special needs students with information on activities and links to other resources. A good site to add to your bookmarks.

www.wati.org/

• The Wisconsin Assistive Technology Initiative is a leader in the field of assistive technology. Their site has some very useful information and downloadable materials on AT assessment and best practices around technology implementation. The loan library and workshop events are only applicable to schools in Wisconsin but their general materials are very helpful.

augmentative and alternative communication (AAC)

The field of augmentative and alternative communication is no less daunting in terms of online resources then general assistive technology. A Google keyword search of "augmentative and alternative communication" produces over 132,000 hits with sites created by AAC leaders, organizations, government groups, vendors and so on. The following sites are just a few of the more helpful sites for those new to the field of AAC.

www.asha/org/

• The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association site has some excellent introductory information on AAC. They have several articles posted which include valuable information on the role of the school based team members, how to select an appropriate AAC device, and a glossary of AAC terms. They also have articles on specific disabilities and how the disabilities impact their speech function.

aac.unl.edu/

• The Augmentative and Alternative Communication Centers site houses Ruth Ballinger's work on AAC and young children. As part of her Master of Special Education degree she created yAACk (AAC connecting young kids) and her site, while a bit dated, is very comprehesive and full of useful information. With the embedded links throughout her discussions on assessment, selection, and implementing AAC, you could literally spend days viewing her site. It is definitely worth visiting. For a more detailed review of AAC, click here..

www.aacinstitute.org/

• The AAC Institute site contains several interesting articles on implementing AAC including the goals of AAC, how to achieve success with AAC, and ways to determine successful implementation. The articles come from a specific perspective - one that supprts semantic compaction types of AAC. However, that aside, the articles do provide good ideas for AAC implementation in general.

www.aacintervention.com/

• AAC Intervention is Carolyn Musselwhite and Julie Maro's site and it contains some very practical ideas and information for anyone trying to implement AAC (generally low tech) with students. For a more detailed review of the site, click here.

callcentre.education.ed.ac.uk/index.html

• The Communication Aids for Language and Learning site represents a Scottish organization that provides AAC support for schools and children implementing AAC. This should definitely be on anyone's list of AAC sites as there is a host of downloadable information sheets and tip sheets. Other sheets, books, and videos are also available for a reasonable fee. Some of the resources are getting dated, but the site is updated regularly so new resources are available quite frequently.

www.lburkhart.com/

• Technology Integration is Linda Burkhart's site. She is a very respected leader in the field of AAC being particularly knowledgeable in the area of implementing simple AAC technology with multiply-disabled students. Her site is full of good information and practical ideas. For a more detailed review of her site, click here.

depts.washington.edu/augcomm/

• UW AugComm is the Augmentative and Alternative Communication University of Washington site. It is simple, but has several good articles on AAC. For a more detailed review of the site, click here.

autism spectrum disorder

The proliferation of information on autism and autism spectrum disorder in the last 10 years has been truly phenomenal. The body of research and instructional pedagogy is growing daily. Finding information is no longer a problem - finding time to navigate through the information is the main issue. A Google search on the keywords "autism spectrum disorder" produces over 425,000 hits. These sites are a few of the most helpful introductory sites.

www.education.gov.ab.ca/k_12/specialneeds/autism.asp

• This Alberta government site has a very helpful downloadable document called "Teaching Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders" (separate chapters are listed and downloadable). The document has both theoretical and practical information for school based teams working with this student population.

www.autism-society.org/site/PageServer

• The Autism Society's site has a section with an excellent overview of the disorder including characteristics and an overview of educational approaches. There are also some good resources for families who are coping with having a child with ASD.

www.autismsocietycanada.ca/index_e.html

• The Autism Society Canada site is a very well organized and easily navigated site with numerous resources for schools and families. In addition to general information on the disorder, there is a very helpful section called "Life with ASD: Resources for Families and Caregivers" which offers practical ideas for the home. There is also a section for educators called "Best Practices" and a link to provincial support services.

www.autism.org/

• The Center for the Study of Autism site is not the most attractive site on the internet, but it has some excellent links to a wide variety of resources and articles on autism spectrum disorder. The many articles have been written by a number of experts in the field and are quick and easy to read.

www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/kids/kautismpage.htm

• The Kids' Quest on Disability and Health is a great site that leads students through a webquest to improve their understanding of autism spectrum disorder. There are 10 steps for students to go through including an "Attitude Check up". All information is written in easy to read and motivating language. This would be a great station activity for your students if you have a student with ASD in your classroom.

www.mcf.gov.bc.ca/autism/

• The Ministry of Children and Family Development of British Columbia site has important information on what resources and programs are available to help families who have a child with ASD. For teachers, this is a great site to send parents for more information.

www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/autism.cfm

• The National Institute of Mental Health site has a nice introductory summary of autism spectrum disorder. It covers a great deal of information in one article and is a nice overview of the disorder.

www.autismoutreach.ca/

• The Provincial Outreach Program for Autism and Related Disorders (BC) site is a quickly growing source of information for those in the BC K-12 school system. POPARD is a provincial resource program that provides ongoing training and support for teams working with students with ASD. The site has some general information on autism and a small collection of very helpful downloadable documents.

www.mugsy.org/wendy/asschool.htm

• This is Wendy's site - an adolescent with autism spectrum disorder. She describes what it is like to have the disorder and what teachers can do at school to understand her behaviour and help her cope with some of her challenges. It is always helpful to read suggestions from someone who actually experiences the disorder.

This collection is literally the tip of the information iceberg in these areas. Because the research and educational pedagogy in the study of autism spectrum disorders is changing rapidly, many of these sites are updated regularly. They are worth visiting on a regular basis.

bibliography

• a list of print and other online resources that have provided background information for this project