LD OnLine

Finding Alternative Sources of Funding for Assistive Technology

By: National Center for Technology Innovation (2008)

Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA), all local educational agencies (LEAs) are expected to provide assistive technology (AT) to students who need it in order to receive a free appropriate public education. Students with learning disabilities are included under the special education umbrella, and have the right to be provided with appropriate assistive devices to help them succeed in school.

The range of assistive technology is wide, and could take the form of a simple tilted surface to ease handwriting, or a sophisticated word processing application to help with writing. There is rarely one solution that will meet all of a child's needs as he or she progresses through school. Think of assistive technology as a process running parallel to your student's educational pathway. It addresses the immediate needs of students when they are assessed, but may need to be replaced or updated with time.

Once your student's specific LD issues have been identified and an assessment has yielded specific recommendations for classroom and/or home-based assistive technology, the LEA has an obligation to provide it. But there is no specific source of federal or state funds for assistive technology, so an LEA must either re-direct their IDEA monies or dip into general operating funds to purchase or lease such equipment. What if your LEA's AT budget is exhausted, or was never there to begin with? What if the LEA provides AT for the classroom, but not for use at home, even though it's supposed to?

First, parents should express their child's needs, in writing, to the LEA. This correspondence should include the child's specific LD issue(s), a list of specific recommendations for AT identified in the child's IEP that have not been provided, and a request for a timeframe for when you can expect your request to be addressed. The correspondence should also ask that the LEA explore alternative sources of funding to provide the AT needed by your child to learn. For additional guidance expressing your child's needs in writing, visit the LD Online Info Brief, Communicating with Your Child's School Through Letter Writing. Sharing this correspondence with your child's local education providers (i.e., teachers, administrators) will help facilitate communication for all parties involved.

It is important to make sure your child's AT needs are written into the IEP, and be prepared to obtain a "letter of medical necessity" or a prescription for assistive technology from your child's physician. It may seem odd to apply these things in the LD context, but it will save time and aggravation later. Next, parents and school personnel should serve as advocates for students by searching for alternative ways to secure AT. A resource list for doing so is provided below. This is by no means an exhaustive resource list, but it should get you thinking about how widely you can cast your net to secure the tools your student's need.

Resources for parents and education professionals

Resources for education professionals

Some specialized federal legislation may provide funding options as well. In some cases, Title I (economically disadvantaged), Title III (limited English proficiency), and vocational education programs may yield grant funds for assistive technology.

Securing AT may involve time and effort, but don't give up. The right AT just might be the academic boost that your child needs to be more successful in school.

Endnotes

Assistive technology is defined in IDEA as, "…any item, piece of equipment, or product system, whether acquired commercially off the shelf, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities of a child with a disability."

A “Tech Works” brief from the National Center for Technology Innovation (NCTI)