Supplemental AT documents

Burden Statement

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 1820-0572. The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average 456 hours per response, including time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. If you have any comments concerning the accuracy of the time estimate or suggestions for improving this form, please write to: U.S. Department of Education, Washington, DC 20202-4651. If you have comments or concerns regarding the status of your individual submission of this form, write directly to: Office of the Chief Financial Officer, U.S. Department of Education, 600 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20202-4248.

Supplemental Information

State-level and State Leadership Activities

The State-level Activities under Section 4 of the AT Act are:

(a) state financing activities that assist individuals with disabilities to purchase or otherwise acquire AT;

(b) device reutilization programs that support the exchange, repair, recycling or other reutilization of AT;

(c) device loan programs that provide short-term loans of AT so that individuals can try out devices or fill a temporary need for a device; and

(d) device demonstration programs where personnel familiar with AT demonstrate a variety of AT devices and services and provide information about AT vendors, providers and repair services.

The State Leadership Activities under Section 4 of the AT Act are:

(a) training and technical assistance, which includes developing and disseminating training materials, conducting training and providing technical assistance to enhance the AT knowledge, skills and competencies of appropriate individuals;

(b) public awareness activities designed to provide information on the availability, benefits, appropriateness and costs of AT devices and services, including a statewide information and referral system; and

(c) coordination and collaboration of activities among public and private entities responsible for policies, procedures or funding for the provision of AT devices and services.

These activities must be available to individuals with disabilities in a comprehensive manner, meaning they must be equally available to all individuals with disabilities residing in the state, regardless of the nature of their disability, age, income level, location of residence in the state, or the type of AT device or service required.

Measurable Goals

As required by the AT Act, states must set measurable goals for addressing the AT needs of individuals with disabilities in the state within the domains of education, employment, telecommunications and information technology, and community living. Working with stakeholders, two performance measures and seven measurable goals were established. These were incorporated into the State Plan for AT requirements. The goals—four of which focus on “access” to AT and three of which focus on “acquisition” of AT¹—are described below.

Goals for Improving Access to AT

Device demonstrations and device loans improve access to AT because they provide individuals with information and experiences that enable them to make informed decisions about AT. Therefore, an appropriate goal is that targeted individuals and entities make a decision about an AT device or service based on the information they receive from a device demonstration or device loan program. A way to measure improvement in access to AT, then, is through an increase in the percentage of appropriate individuals and entities who accessed device demonstration programs and/or device loan programs and made a decision about an AT device or service as a result of the assistance they received. The access goals are as follows:

1. An increase in the percentage of appropriate targeted individuals and entities who accessed device demonstration programs and/or device loan programs and made a decision about an AT device or service for educational purposes as a result of the assistance they received.

2. An increase in the percentage of appropriate targeted individuals and entities who accessed device demonstration programs and/or device loan programs and made a decision about an AT device or service for employment purposes as a result of the assistance they received.

3. An increase in the percentage of appropriate targeted individuals and entities who accessed device demonstration programs and/or device loan programs and made a decision about an AT device or service for community living as a result of the assistance they received.

4. An increase in the percentage of appropriate targeted individuals and entities who accessed device demonstration programs and/or device loan programs and made a decision about an AT device or service that meets an information technology/ telecommunications need as a result of the assistance they received.

Goals for Improving Acquisition of AT

State financing systems and device reutilization programs are most likely to improve acquisition, since they reduce cost barriers that prevent individuals from obtaining AT. As a result, individuals and entities obtain AT devices or services from state financing systems or device reutilization programs despite the otherwise prohibitive cost of such devices or services. A way to measure improvement in acquisition of AT, then, is through an increase in the percentage of appropriate targeted individuals and entities who obtained devices or services from state financing activities or reutilization programs who would not have obtained the AT. The acquisition goals are as follows:

1. An increase in the percentage of appropriate targeted individuals and entities who obtained devices or services from state financing activities or reutilization programs for educational purposes who would not have obtained the AT device or service.

2. An increase in the percentage of appropriate targeted individuals and entities who obtained devices or services from state financing activities or reutilization programs for employment purposes who would not have obtained the AT device or service.

3. An increase in the percentage of appropriate targeted individuals and entities who obtained devices or services from state financing activities or reutilization programs for community living purposes who would not have obtained the AT device or service.

All states included these seven measures in their State Plans for AT. States will establish baselines during the first year of data collection, using the data collection instrument proposed herein. Once a baseline has been established, states will be required to identify long-term goals to be achieved by the end of the third year of their State Plan. States also must set annual goals that show progress toward the long-term goal.

1States are not required to set goals related to acquiring AT that meets an information technology/
telecommunications need. Once an individual acquires AT that improves access to information technology/
telecommunications, it is actually used for employment, education or community living purposes.

3