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A literature review discusses how teacher knowledge of assistive technology significantly impacts student success with assistive technology and that many teachers enter the field feeling unprepared to implement these technologies with students. This article explores one university's process in setting up an assistive technology laboratory for students to explore. Such experiential learning opportunities are vital to the success of special education educators. This paper explores how the lab is set up and the activities visitors complete to provide a foundation for those looking to develop a similar lab.

This study explored the impact of assistive technology on the well-being of legally blind adults. In this mixed-method study, a convenience sample of 86 legally blind adults took an electronic survey. The questionnaire was comprised of demographics, use patterns, and an instrument called TENS-Interface that measured the impact of technology on well-being categories of autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Descriptive statistics, reliability, power analysis and bivariate correlations were calculated using SPSS statistical software. Three participants completed follow up semi-structured interviews, which were analysed for themes of technological mediation using NVivo 12 software. The TENS-Interface was validated for use with a legally blind population. Descriptive statistics showed a higher mean for autonomy than competence or relatedness. Braille was positively correlated to both autonomy and competence, while screen reader proficiency was related to competence. Daily use of social media, email, instant messaging, and video calls were correlated to relatedness. The technological devices used by interview participants were analysed for technological mediation. Training was identified as an additional theme. Recommendations for practice include providing training to legally blind adults in screen reader use and braille use to support well-being via competence and autonomy. Training is also recommended for this population in the use of social media, email, and video calls to promote well-being through opportunities for relatedness. Further research is recommended to explore instructional methods that are not only efficient, but also meaningful for older adults in the position of losing their vision. Providing access to braille instruction and braille assistive technology equipment can promote legally blind adults' well-being by supporting their basic needs for both competence and autonomy. Providing training in screen reader use can promote legally blind adults' well-being by supporting their basic need for competence. Providing training in use of email, social media, video calls, and instant messaging can promote legally blind adults' well-being by supporting their basic need for relatedness. A consideration of technological mediation can allow practitioners to make recommendations that take into account not only efficient task completion, but issues related to meaning and social context. Instruction for adults losing their vision adventitiously needs to address not only efficient task performance, but also meaning and social context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article highlights the importance of partnerships between families and teachers of students with visual impairments and/or deafblindness by situating this collaborative effort squarely in the legal mandates to collaborate and the research support for effective practices. Six strategies, aligned with the high leverage practices for collaboration, are shared to provide concrete ways for facilitating this partnership. A continuing vignette of a fictional family, the Hamptons, illustrates relevant points in the educational journey for which the implementation of the provided strategies would be pertinent. The vignettes are also designed to demonstrate the possible benefits of employing these strategies on the family-school partnership and ultimately student success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Teacher knowledge of, and comfort with, assistive technology (AT) is key for student use of AT. Previous research identified the AT competencies needed for instructing students with visual impairments (VI) and level of competency required in each. The authors selected 20 of the competencies most appropriate for general education teachers instructing students with VI and investigated the impact of pre-service teacher training in AT on their self-rated competency levels. Pre-service teachers were given a pre-test (using qualitative and quantitative measures), trained in AT using a scavenger hunt in the AT Lab at the university where the study took place, and then completed a post-test of the same measures. Participants could name more AT software and devices on the post-test and viewed themselves as more competent with regards to the 20 SAT competencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]