Information for Parents /
Families
Transfering
Assistive Technology from School To Work
One of the major
problems encountered in transition from school to work for youth
with disabilities is the issue of transferring assistive technology
devices (purchased by the school system) from the education agency
to the work site, post-secondary school, or the agency providing
work-related services such as the Vocational Rehabilitation agency.
Barriers continue to be met despite extensive provisions in the Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) that address requirements for
youth with disabilities transitioning from school to work. Some of
these barriers include:
- Lack of involvement of rehabilitation counselors (who assist
customers of vocational rehabilitation services) at the student's
transition planning Individualized Education Plan (IEP) meetings.
- Lack of information by rehabilitation counselors about
assistive technology.
- Burdensome rules imposed on school districts regarding
disposition of equipment.
- No established buy-out method to enable VR to purchase AT from
school districts.
- Lack of communication/collaboration/planning between agencies
providing educational and work-related services.
All parties lose when assistive technology devices do not follow
the individual. The individual loses most of all because of loss of
potential employment opportunities; the school district retains
equipment for which it may have no use, and the employment services
agency loses because it must make another investment in the
equipment to meet the needs of the individual. In addition, valuable
time is lost because of the lack of accessibility of AT devices.
IDEA recognizes and attempts to remove these barriers.
In a July, 1999 letter from Judy Heumann, Assistant Secretary, Office of Special Education
and Rehabilitative Services to Susan Goodman, Esq., a major
barrier to transferring equipment was removed. In this letter, Ms.
Heumann states that federal regulations do not prohibit the transfer
of equipment from school to work and work-related activities. In
fact, the Department encourages such transfer.
How You Can Make Equipment Transfer a Reality
- Identify a discrete number of students with disabilities who
use or need to use assistive technology who will face problems of
device ownership as they transition to work place activities.
- Assess the students' needs and develop profiles that describe
the problem of ownership, transference and associated maintenance
costs. Use active examples of students who will leave the
education system soon.
- Ensure that the students have the assistive technology devices
and services spelled out in both their Individualized Education
Plans (IEP) and Individualized Written Rehabilitation Plans (IWRP)
and Individualized Transition Plans (ITP).
- Bring together key persons from the various state agencies and
private entities as appropriate to address the profiled students
needs:
- regular and special education;
- rehabilitation services;
- Medicaid or other funding agencies;
- early childhood intervention providers;
- workplace training agencies or nonprofit disability services
organizations with work programs;
- private industry councils or other interested private sector
entities such as equipment distributors or manufacturers;
- independent living centers;o state and/or local purchasing
procurement officials;
- blind or deaf services;
- health insurance commissioners;
- rehabilitation engineering and/or protection & advocacy
technology;
- Set up a conference called "Saving Money & Eliminating
Hassles; Securing Technology."
- Discuss the profiled students' needs and brainstorm how the
ownership and transference issues can be addressed for each
particular student.
- Present information about the assistive technology changes in
IDEA and the Rehab Act and the legal definition of assistive
technology.
- Show officials the policy guidance from the Department of
Education encouraging equipment transfer and ruling that there are
no federal legal requirements prohibiting a transfer.
- Share examples of solutions developed by various states. For a
description of these examples, contact UCP by phone (202) 776-0406
or by e-mail.
- Discuss pros and cons of:
- passing legislation
- adopting 'buy out' or leasing mechanisms
- utilizing OMB circular A87
- creating interagency agreements or memoranda of
understanding (MOUs)
- developing inventories of equipment
- establishing formulas for determining cost and depreciated
value of equipment
- developing estimates of savings to the state budget if there
is less duplication, smoother transition of ownership, less
paperwork and bureaucracy
- equal purchasing of AT where appropriate (VR-LEA/SEA)
- Adding language to existing Memoranda of Understandings
between state agencies.
- Adopt one or more of the strategies tailored to the
situation in your state and that will solve the problem for the
profiled students.
- Monitor and follow up individual commitments made by key
personnel quarterly or as necessary.
- Evaluate the success of the initiative to see if the
profiled students have jobs, or job related activities, in which
they use their assistive technology. If problems remain, bring
key personnel together again and develop a new or different
strategy.
- Replicate or test and duplicate the process for other groups
of students with disabilities with assistive technology needs in
another part of the state. Tinker with the process as necessary.
- For state tech act programs and others interested in getting
youth with disabilities with assistive technology needs into the
workplace.
- Work with the school district and rehabilitation agency to
get them interested in dealing with this important issue by
bringing together key persons.
For more information about transition from school to work of if
you need a copy of the policy guidance from the Department of
Education contact UCP National
at 202-776-0406. |
|
