Date: Monday, July 12, 2021
Category: General

RESNA’s K-12 SIG has posted a draft position paper, “RESNA Position Paper on The Capacity-Building Role of an Assistive Technology Specialist in Educational Settings” for the required 60-day public comment period. All interested RESNA members and stakeholders in the AT and K-12 communities are invited to submit comments. The deadline has been extended to October 19, 2021.

This position paper advocates for increased access to assistive technology for all K-12 students with disabilities by defining capacity-building as a significant job responsibility of assistive technology (AT) specialists who work in school settings. Unlike AT practitioners who provide AT services to individuals as part of health or governmental services, an essential role of AT specialists who work in school settings is building the capacity of other school professionals to contribute to the provision of AT services. The paper recommends that AT practitioners establish strong leadership, collaborate with school administrators, and make AT training a core part of their job responsibilities. The paper also recommends organizational and structural support for AT capacity-building. 

All comments must be submitted via the Google Form for that purpose. When providing a comment, please make sure to reference the appropriate line number.

A RESNA Position Paper is an official statement by the organization that, based on the consensus of experts and evidence summarizes current research and best-practice trends in relevant areas of Assistive Technology. RESNA position papers undergo a rigorous process of development, review and approval. For more about the position paper process, and to see other RESNA position papers, visit the Position Papers webpage.

K-12 SIG Position Paper