Status of assistive technology use in schools: Who, what, and where

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (2004) mandates consideration of assistive technology for all students receiving special education services. While assistive technology was introduced into federal special education legislation in 1990, student use of assistive technology has received sparse research attention. This dissertation analyzed data collected nationally via a survey distributed on-line and hard copy by the National Assistive Technology Research Institute. This study investigated the status of assistive technology use by students, ages 3-21, receiving special education services. The data were analyzed to provide a description of students receiving assistive technology devices and services. All students in the sample were using assistive technology. The most common disability for students in this sample was multiple disabilities. The sample was white and male. The sample spanned all grades, preK-12th grade, with the largest percentage of students receiving services in a self-contained setting. Assistive technology devices were used most frequently to address verbal and written communication as well as education and transition needs. There were statistically significant relationships between disability, least restrictive environment, gender, and ethnicity and the number of human function areas addressed with assistive technology. Additionally, there were statistically significant differences in the number of devices used and students' disability and least restrictive environment. Limitations for this study and suggestions for future research are identified.