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staff had to make adjustments in key strategies to meet <strong>the</strong> identified needs of training. Training sessions were scheduled before school, which were minimally successful since <strong>the</strong>y were of short duration and offered no opportunity to have hands-on experience with <strong>the</strong> technology. Moving into <strong>the</strong> classroom and modeling activities for <strong>the</strong> teachers has been received well. The activities embed AT and writing assessments and teachers are provided with a time to observe <strong>the</strong> implementation of AT. Strategy 3. Use stipends to support teachers. Even though <strong>the</strong> U.S. Department of Education has recommended that 30% of a school district’s budget be allocated to support professional development, only about 6% is allotted for such activities (International Reading Association, 2001). Zabala and Carl (2005) argue that education agencies have obligations to (a) include AT in <strong>the</strong> technology planning and budgeting processes, and (b) provide continuous AT learning opportunities for teachers. Though it may be difficult to secure internal funding in school systems to support teachers for professional development, numerous approaches have been promoted in recent years to expand <strong>the</strong> professional growth of teachers, including (a) school/university partnerships (Bauer & Anderson, 2001; Maring, Boxie, & Wiseman, 2000; Wojcik, Peterson-Karlan, Watts, & Parette, 2004); (b) use of online professional development resources [cf. Infinitec Assistive Technology Coalition, 2006; North Central Professional Development Laboratory, n.d.; Special Education Assistive Technology [SEAT], 2004; (c) cybermentoring (Boxie & Maring, 2001); (d) and increased access to professional organization training (cf. Center for Applied Special Technology, n.d.; Don Johnston, n.d.; Intellitools, n.d.), and listservs (Quality Indicators for Assistive Technology [QIAT], n.d.). Securing small mini-grants (Parette, Murdick, & Gartin, 1996) from local community groups, and grants from state and national private foundations may also be helpful in securing resources to support professional development activities of teachers. While some on-line professional development resources are free (e.g., QIAT), o<strong>the</strong>rs require membership fees or payment for participation 88 / Education and Training in Developmental Disabilities-March 2008 (e.g., Infinitec Assistive Technology Coalition). Regardless of costs for professional development, teacher participation in any AT curricula integration effort can be enhanced by providing teacher stipends (Hirsch, 2006; Reichardt, 2001). As noted by <strong>the</strong> National Staff Development Council (Hirsch), schools must increase <strong>the</strong>ir capacity for teachers to learn and use technology by using stipends for teacher leaders who serve as mentors for new teachers, team leaders for learning teams, and trainers. One strategy that holds particular promise is <strong>the</strong> use of AT User Groups. Generally, a user group is defined as “a set of people who have similar interests, goals, or concerns. The members have regular meetings where <strong>the</strong>y can share <strong>the</strong>ir ideas” (Whatis.com, 2006). Creating such groups requires a commitment on <strong>the</strong> part of (a) one or more individuals having expertise with specific AT applications to serve as a facilitator, and (b) a small group of 6-8 teachers who express interest in developing new AT integration skills. User groups would meet at regularly scheduled times, such as after school, for 1-2 hours, and allow teachers <strong>the</strong> opportunity to share ideas with one ano<strong>the</strong>r regarding AT solutions used in <strong>the</strong>ir classrooms. It would also allow for more intensive instruction and creative problem-solving in collaboration with one or more facilitators having more advanced skills. Integral to <strong>the</strong> creation and maintenance of <strong>the</strong>se groups is a stipend to support participation. In this project, <strong>the</strong> research team will employ a user group approach currently used in a collaborative project—<strong>the</strong> Heart of Illinois Low Incidence Association (HILIA)— which involves a cadre of teachers having AT interests, and who represent Illinois State University, and five school districts in Central Illinois (SEAT Center, 2006). In this project, a decision was made to offer interested teachers a small stipend to participate in minimum of 6 out of 8 scheduled user group sessions that would be held in scheduled after-school sessions. Since teachers have o<strong>the</strong>r demands placed on <strong>the</strong>ir time (e.g., families) and given <strong>the</strong> lack of time available during typical school days for professional development, monetary incentives are both appropriate and necessary. They ensure teacher buy-in, and also support <strong>the</strong> development of critical AT competencies
that would be difficult to develop outside of a formal, ongoing professional development program. References Ashton, T. M. (2005). Students with learning disabilities using assistive technology in <strong>the</strong> inclusive classroom. In D. L. Edyburn, K. Higgins, & R. Boone (Eds.), Handbook of special education technology research and practice (pp. 229–238). Whitefish Bay, WI: Knowledge by Design. Barbour, R. S. (2001). Checklists for improving rigour in qualitative research: A case of <strong>the</strong> tail wagging <strong>the</strong> dog? British Medical <strong>Journal</strong>, 322, 1115–1118. Bauer, J. F., & Anderson, R. S. (2001). A constructive stretch: Preservice teachers meet preteens in a technology-based literacy project. Reading Online, 5(5). Retrieved February 20, 2006, from http://www.readingonline.org/articles/art_index. asp?HREF/articles/bauer/index.html Beck, J. (2002). Emerging literacy through assistive technology. Teaching Exceptional Children, 35(2), 44–48. Beukelman, D., & Mirenda, P. (1998). Augmentative and alternative communication: Management of severe communication disorders in children and adults (2 nd ed.). Baltimore: Brookes. Bogdan, R., & Biklen, S. (1998). Qualitative research in education: An introduction to <strong>the</strong>ory and methods. Boston: Allyn and Bacon. Boxie, P., & Maring, G. H. (2001). Cybermentoring: The relationship between preservice teachers’ use of online literacy strategies and student achievement. Reading Online, 4(10). Retrieved February 20, 2006, from http://www.readingonline.org/ articles/art_index.asp?HREF/articles/boxie/ index.html Carey, D. M., & Sale, P. (1994). Practical considerations in <strong>the</strong> use of technology to facilitate <strong>the</strong> inclusion of students with severe disabilities. Technology and Disability 3, 77–86. Center for Applied Special Technology. (n.d.). Professional development. Retrieved February 20, 2006, from http://www.cast.org/pd/index.html Charmaz, K. (2000). Grounded <strong>the</strong>ory: Objectivist and constructivist methods. In N. K. Denzin & Y. S. Lincoln (Eds.), Handbook of qualitative research (2 nd ed., pp. 509–536). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Copley, J., & Ziviani, J. (2004). Barriers to <strong>the</strong> use of assistive technology for children with multiple disabilities. Occupational Therapy International, 11, 229–243. Creswell, J. (2002). Educational research: Planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill Prentice Hall. Derer, K., Posgrove, L., & Reith, H. (1996). Survey of assistive technology applications in schools and recommendations for practice. <strong>Journal</strong> of Special Education Technology, 8, 62–80. Don Johnston. (n.d.). Professional services. Retrieved February 20, 2006, from http://www. donjohnston.com/proservices/prodevfrm.htm Donovan, C. A., Milewicz, E., & Smolkin, L. B. (2003). More than a single text: Nurturing children’s interest in reading and writing for multiple purposes. Young Children, 58(2), 30–36. Drasgow, E., Yell, M. L., & Robinson, T. W. (2001). Developing legally correct and educationally appropriate IEPs. Remedial and Special Education, 22, 359–373. Edyburn, D. L. (2001). 2000 in review: A syn<strong>the</strong>sis of <strong>the</strong> special education technology literature. <strong>Journal</strong> of Special Education Technology, 16(2), 5–25. Edyburn, D. L. (2002). 2001 in review: A syn<strong>the</strong>sis of <strong>the</strong> special education technology literature. <strong>Journal</strong> of Special Education Technology, 17(2), 5–24. Edyburn, D. L. (2003). 2002 in review: A syn<strong>the</strong>sis of <strong>the</strong> special education technology literature. <strong>Journal</strong> of Special Education Technology, 18(3), 5–28. Fink, A. (Ed.). (1995). How to ask survey questions. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Hirsch, S. (2006). Dollars and sense. Retrieved February 20, 2006, from <strong>the</strong> National Staff Development Council website at http://www.nsdc.org/ library/publications/jsd/hirsh243.cfm Hutinger, P., Johanson, J., & Stoneburner, R. (1996). Assistive technology applications in educational programs of children with multiple disabilities: A case study report on <strong>the</strong> state of <strong>the</strong> practice. <strong>Journal</strong> of Special Education Technology, 13(1), 16–35. Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Amendments, 20 U.S.C. § 1400 et seq (1997). Infinitec Assistive Technology Coalition. (2006). Infinite potential through technology. Retrieved February 20, 2006, from http://coalitionconnection. org/includes/index.cfm Intellitools. (n.d.). Intellitools professional development. Retrieved February 20, 2006, from http:// www.intellitools.com/ International Reading Association. (2001). Integrating literacy and technology in <strong>the</strong> curriculum: A position statement of <strong>the</strong> International Reading Association. Newark, DE: Author. Janesick, V. (2000). The choreography of qualitative research design. In N. K. Denzin & Y. S. Lincoln (Eds.), Handbook of qualitative research (pp. 379– 399). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Juel, C. (1988). Learning to read and write: A longitudinal study of 54 children from first through Preschool Teacher Perceptions / 89
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Education and Training in Developme
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Guardianship: Its Role in t
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guardians who are knowledgeable abo
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in budgeting and spending; (b) a sp
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and effective are essential to self
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involved in the gu
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sonal rights removed through guardi
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who are not trustworthy, and when o
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Discussion and Recommendations Lake
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DC: OSERS. (ERIC Document Reproduct
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people who do not have disabilities
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TABLE 1 School Demographics Demogra
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TABLE 2 Methods for Including Stude
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participate in service learning pro
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who are “more experienced” in s
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cern that they wer
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service learning activity for stude
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supports school personnel need to h
Page 41 and 42: Using Pivotal Response Training wit
Page 43 and 44: the trained peers
Page 45 and 46: Group B between one and two times p
Page 47 and 48: ing play sessions with Group B, Col
Page 49 and 50: learned to interact with ot
Page 51 and 52: Affirmative sentences emphasize a v
Page 53 and 54: identifying several important behav
Page 55 and 56: Kenji. For Kenji, all observation s
Page 57 and 58: Figure 2. Percentage of 10-s interv
Page 59 and 60: gaging in complicated verbal commun
Page 61 and 62: Results The results of the<
Page 63 and 64: when the person wa
Page 65 and 66: Effectiveness of the</stron
Page 67 and 68: is still encountering only one symb
Page 69 and 70: TABLE 1 Characteristic of Participa
Page 71 and 72: TABLE 2 Characteristics of
Page 73 and 74: TABLE 3 Major Findings Study Commun
Page 75 and 76: TABLE 3—(Continued) Study Communi
Page 77 and 78: TABLE 3—(Continued) Study Communi
Page 79 and 80: nosed as having ASD. Therefore, PEC
Page 81 and 82: Preschool Teacher Perceptions of As
Page 83 and 84: TABLE 1 Teacher Demographics 1 Teac
Page 85 and 86: TABLE 3 Assistive Technology Self-A
Page 87 and 88: Integration or supplemental perspec
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Page 91: sessions, and the
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Page 97 and 98: TABLE 1 Characteristics of Campers
Page 99 and 100: appropriate answers were provided.
Page 101 and 102: Figure 2. Effects of STAR intervent
Page 103 and 104: garding how to effectively interact
Page 105 and 106: Shafer K. (1992). Peer-mediating in
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Page 109 and 110: independent transitions were totale
Page 111 and 112: Figure 1. Number of independent tas
Page 113 and 114: type of skills (e.g., domestic, lei
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Page 119 and 120: General Procedures The dependent va
Page 121 and 122: Skill training. The teacher and one
Page 123 and 124: Figure 2. Percent of correct respon
Page 125 and 126: heterogeneous group of students is
Page 127 and 128: States’ Eligibility Guidelines fo
Page 129 and 130: Method Procedure The first author d
Page 131 and 132: TABLE 1—(Continued) IQ part score
Page 133 and 134: eligibility to exhibit an IQ two or
Page 135: ility guidelines for MR from state
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