Assessing Student's Needs for Assistive Technology (ASNAT)

Chapter 7 – Assistive Technology for Positioning, Seating, and Mobility
Assistive Technology for Positioning, Seating, and Mobility
Penny R. Reed, Ph.D., and Marcia Obukowicz, OTR
Positioning and seating plays a critical role in a student's ability to function. The first section of this
chapter provides positioning and seating guidelines in three key areas: physical access, visual access,
and attention. If a student requires special positioning and seating, an occupational or physical therapist
should take the lead in determining the appropriate options.
On the following page is a continuum for positioning and seating. Following that is information on
seating locations, the workstation, a drawing of good body mechanics, and a checklist for proper
wheelchair positioning. A summary of an article by Irene McEwen and Lyle Lloyd on Positioning
Students with Cerebral Palsy to Use Augmentative and Alternative Communication is also provided.
Though the article specifically addresses augmentative communication and cerebral palsy, the guidelines
can assist in other areas and across broader audiences.
The second continuum is for mobility technologies. The following text points out that a classroom is not
a static situation and education takes place outside the classroom walls as well.
Assessing Students’ Needs for Assistive Technology (2004) 181