How to obtain assistive technology for your child at school

All children are unique, including when it comes to children with special needs. This is because a single disorder can have many faces, and present differently in different people. From this perspective, in addition to identifying particular learning difficulties and disorders, it’s extremely important to understand your child’s specific needs.
This can be done by examining certain factors with the help of various specialized school staff. Generally speaking, these factors are related to the following: 

• Behaviour
• Social challenges
• Autonomy
• Perseverance
• Relationships developed with the people in their environment
• Etc.

An individualized education plan is similar to a roadmap. It makes it possible to coordinate the assistive technology and services your child needs. It is also designed to do the following:

• Get an overall picture of your child’s abilities
• Identify their needs
• Lay out goals that will help them develop certain skills
• Describe how those goals will be achieved
• Propose the use of certain assistive technology tools
• Etc.

Assistive technology comprises a range of tools that allow students with special needs to have the same opportunities as everyone else. They don’t lessen the value of a person’s diploma in any way. To the contrary, they help create a more level playing field by facilitating the following:

• Writing (e.g., word predictors, spell checkers)
• Reading (e.g., Acapela, WordQ, Lexibar)
• Calculations (e.g., special software, talking calculators)
• Organization (e.g., graphic organizers, digital pencils)
• Etc.

Because learning difficulties and disorders can change over time (they can improve or present differently), the school team is likely to monitor your child closely. Specialized school staff may evaluate the effectiveness of assistive technology in a number of ways:

• By seeing whether your child is using the equipment adequately
• By making sure objectives are met
• By checking whether the assistive technology is being used at the right times (e.g., in class, during lab work)
• By reviewing the individualized education lan every year
• Etc.

There are currently two government measures in place that explain how to get assistive technology in Quebec (measures 30810-2 and 30110).

Measure 30810-2 is intended to help school service centres purchase equipment and material for students with special needs. In the public system, each school must apply for assistive technology on behalf of students who have received a diagnosis. These tools remain the property of the school board and are loaned to the student for the duration of their education, as long as they remain in the public system.

Measure 30110 provides financial assistance to private schools for the purchase of assistive technology. The school’s administration must apply to the government on behalf of the child, based on the needs identified in their individualized education plan. Each student may be awarded up to $2,500.