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Are you a high school student who uses assistive technology (AT) in school as a way of compensating for your learning disability? Do you have an Individualized Education Program (IEP) that requires your school to provide you with a personal talking word processor, an electronic keyboard, or other useful devices to help you stay organized and complete work assignments? If so, beware! Once you graduate from high school, you will most likely need to leave behind any AT equipment your school provided.
Will you be able to arrange to use these same or similar resources in college? Might you need or want new or different AT tools? Is it the college’s responsibility to provide and pay for your AT devices, or will you have to buy your own? As you prepare for college, it’s important that you know your rights and options regarding accommodations, including assistive technology devices, as a student with a learning disability and/or AD/HD. In college, you’ll be responsible to advocate for your needs and to take initiative to obtain accommodations.
Assistive Technology Defined — A Refresher
Assistive technology is defined as any item, piece of equipment, or product that is used to increase, maintain, or improve the functional abilities of people with disabilities. In other words, assistive technology is a term used to describe a device that helps you learn.
Assistive technology can range from a simple low-tech device, such as a tape recorder, to a high-tech device, such as a talking calculator. Some other examples of assistive technologies include screen readers that read aloud Internet articles and electronic text documents (even PDF files) posted by your professors, or Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) that can help you organize your daily activities and assignments.
The Laws: What Changes after High School?
Understanding how your rights to assistive technology as a college student differ from those that you had as a high school student will help you make the most of your postsecondary experience. Once you are familiar with the laws regarding AT in college, and what types of questions to ask, you can become your own assistive technology advocate.
If you received special education services while in high school, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) was the law that provided you free instructional and support services (possibly including assistive technology tools) through an Individualized Education Program (IEP). IDEA allows students to receive services until they graduate high school or, as older high school students, up through age 21.
Once you’re in college, the Americans with Disabilities Act (the most recent version is the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act or ADAAA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act take over. These civil rights laws mandate that colleges provide access to accommodations to all "otherwise qualified" students and afford them an “equal opportunity” in the institution’s programs, activities, and services. But what does that mean in terms of getting or using that talking word processor or other AT devices you used during your time in high school?
Remember: Whether you already own and use a particular AT tool, or if you want your college to provide and pay for it, you may still need to qualify under the law in order to use the technology in college.
