1. Purpose of this document [top]

This document was drafted as a basis upon which to develop focus group discussion points as they relate to Access Tomorrow’s IDEAL Assistive Technology (AT) SmartDrive^® technology.

2. Introduction [top]

The Access Tomorrow Model is an innovative three-tiered model of technology designed to improve the academic and transition outcomes of high school students with disabilities. Access Tomorrow, builds upon the Envision IT Curriculum, a curriculum that uses the personally relevant context of transitioning from high school to college/employment, with emphasis on online exploration of a student’s strengths, needs, skills, and career interests and to teach Information Technology (IT) skills that are integrated within Language Arts academic standards.

The Access Tomorrow Model emphasizes three components that are needed for improved academic and post-school achievement of students with disabilities (SWD) in the 21^st Century:

E-Mentoring Student Curriculum: A version of the Envision IT curriculum that:
- focuses on the implementation of students’ self-directed transition plans;
- instructs students on the ways to use online communication technologies such as e-mail and discussion boards; and,
- directs a structured relationship between students and mentors that encourages students to reflect and implement their transition plans;
Mentor Guide: A guide for mentors that provides the content and awareness that mentors need to support students with disabilities through the school-to-adult life transition process; and,
Access Tomorrow’s IDEAL AT SmartDrive^® technology includes:

Commercial/professional grade free Assistive Technology (AT) software;

U3 smart drive technology that can plug into any Windows 2000 or XP PC. U3 eliminates the need to install software-based AT on the computer being used by the student. U3 will provide the ultimate in portability. This will enable students to access and use their AT wherever they go – without having to carry a computer with them. U3 is designed to protect privacy. This is because when the student is done computing they simply unplug their U3 smart drive and walk away knowing that their personal information, and softeware, leaves with them. U3 technology also permits multiple students to share one PC yet maintain their privacy and familiarity of their software, customized settings, and files; and,

Interoperability with IDEAL Conference which is a fully-accessible, Internet-based, conferencing and collaboration system that supports interactions between mentors and mentees whether they are in the same room or located across the country from one another.

Access Tomorrow's IDEAL AT SmartDrive^® technology will help to ensure seamless transitions between technologies, schools and other organizations.

3. Training Content [top]

Identify the content needed to support:

Configuring the SmartDrive;
Using the SmartDrive;
Incorporating SmartDrive technology into the student/employee’s life at:
- School;
- Home;
- Work; and,
- Other places of public accommodation.

A general training session focused on describing and demonstrating various types of assistive technologies, their purpose, function and benefits to the user seems to make sense.

4. Training Methods [top]

Identify what our stakeholders believe to be the most effective method(s) of training for:

Students;
Parents;
Mentors;
Educators;
Employers; and,
AT support staff

Training methods could be delivered in a variety of ways depending upon the learning preferences of the individuals being educated, including:

Onsite;
Online, self-paced;
Online, live; and,
Combination of the above.

5. Post Training Responsibilities [top]

Post training responsibilities need to be clearly defined. We need to keep in mind the extent to which educators, librarians, mentors and employers are being asked to assume additional responsibilities.

Once training has been provided we need to identify the responsibilities of each stakeholder including:

Students;
Parents;
Mentors;
Educators;
Employers; and,
AT support staff

For example, the student could be responsible for:

Learning to configure and use the SmartDrive technology appropriately; and,
Protecting the technology.

The AT trainer could be responsible for:

Providing technical assistance or identifying another person or organization to do so;
Periodically assessing the student's use of the technology;
Identifying when alternative technology may be more appropriate;

6. Focus Group Questions Regarding AT [top]

We need to ask questions regarding stakeholder’s experiences with AT. For example,

What Assistive Technology devices do you use/do you support? Give examples.
What has assistive technology done for you?
Based on your experience using AT, what would you tell the provider of your assistive technology to convince them to continue to provide support?
Other than funding, what were the positive or negative experiences you had with the processes of obtaining, learning how to use, maintaining and transitioning your AT?
What would you tell the manufacturer of your AT regarding what worked and didn’t work for you?

7. Potential Benefits and Expectations [top]

Through focus group sessions we need to identify what each stakeholder believes to be the potential benefits of Access Tomorrow technology as it relates to “transitioning the student’s personally configured AT” to and among:

Educational institution classroom computers, library computers and educational computer labs;
Public library computers and other places of public PC accommodations;
Places of employment;

Potential benefits and expectations may include:

Reduced cost to educational institutions and employers;
One less barrier to employment;
More independence movement between multiple computing environments;
No issues regarding ownership of AT;