Assistive Technology Selection - Using Online Resources and Matrices to Support Decision Making

By: Carrie Portrie, M.Ed

The article, "Assistive Technology: Resource Roundup: Discover websites, blog posts, articles, and videos related to understanding, selecting, and assessing assistive technology" was originally posted in 2013 and updated early November 2016 on Edutopia. It provides a thoughtful listing of assistive technology (AT) websites, resources and videos. While exploring the different links, a couple resources stood out to me. Both are from Tech Matrix. 

Tech Matrix Website

Description of Tech Matrix Website Resources

Tech Matrix a project funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs and developed by the National Center for Technology Innovation at the American Institute of Research. On this site you can search for assistive and educational technologies based on content area (e.g., math, literacy), grade level (including all children birth to transition out of highschool), and Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) disability categories.

Once filling in these categories or typing in your search criteria, you can hit research or products. When I put in the following criteria: writing, birth-preschool, and developmental delay, it at first populated over 300 products. The search panel also has other criteria including Common Core Standards for math and English Language Arts, as well as cost and operating system.

I again had to insert my search criteria using the panel on the left side of the screen, and this time three iPad/iPhone apps resulted. I could choose to learn more about one app or compare the apps to one another. When I selected ABC Animals developed by Critical Matter - http://www.criticalmatter.com/abc_animals/, the following summary appeared:

Screen Shot of ABC Animal App Summary of Tech Matrix Website

I then decided to select all three products (i.e., apps in this case) and pushed "compare." A table appeared comparing all three apps by the search criteria.

Although not filled with a ton of descriptive information, this search engine and comparison tool can be quite helpful for educators. I am not sure when this site was created nor if it continues to be updated. Regardless, it is a place to start and to begin thinking about matrices for comparing educational and assistive technology products in schools.

Tech Matrix Consumer Guides

Edutopia also highlighted Tech Matrix's downloadable Consumer Guides for school administrators and Ed Tech Vendors. The school administrators matrix is below. What I like about these two guides are the column headers, HELP!, Getting Started and What to Ask Vendors/Clients; and the row headers: Alignment, Implementation, Scientifically Based Research, Funding, and Legislative Mandates.

When beginning this post, I was specifically thinking about AT and educational technology funding, which can be a source of stress for school districts. A scenario: perhaps a director of pupil services or special education team knows the TextHelp product family will support not only students with disabilities but all who are learning in their district. However, they are uncertain how to find or argue for the means to buy these products. The funding row of the consumer matrix for school administrators provides prompts for educators and vendors, for example: asking if grants have been sought out to supplement technology costs (see screenshot below or follow this link).

Screen Shot of School Administrator's Guide Funding Row

Since, technology spans a range of uses, and consumers (e.g., students, educators, specialists, and administrators) who have varying degrees of knowledge and savvy. Resources like Tech Matrix provide a simple interface to research what may work for students and their schools considering important aspects of selection. There are many resources to support selection and use. Below are five sites for continued learning.

Other resources to consider for AT and educational technology selections include:


Quality Indicators for AT  Services - http://www.qiat.org/indicators.html

SETT Framework and Scaffold by Joy Zabala - http://joyzabala.com/Documents.html

National Center on Accessible Education Materials (AEM) for educators - http://aem.cast.org/about/quick-start-educators.html#.WGKfp7YrJAY

The IRIS Center, AT Module - http://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/at/cresource/q02/at_04/

CONNECT: The Center to Mobilize Early Childhood Knowledge, AT Module - http://community.fpg.unc.edu/connect-modules/learners/module-5