[Athen] Input? Adding an Assistive Technology Specialty to my M.Ed.

[Dan Comden]

Solid IT experience is lacking from many of the AT programs I've seen. I'd
estimate that half of what I've done (at least) over the last decades has
more to do with troubleshooting and understanding operating systems and
networking as much as specific AT applications. Developing the ability to
write and understand the basics of one or more simple scripting languages
will serve an AT professional well throughout their career. Being able to
know and use those IT skills also lets you get past first-tier support when
seeking assistance from a vendor, increasing your ability to successfully
resolve install issues with better efficiency.

We are increasingly asked to assist in assessing IT accessibility in a
variety of settings, most of which are now web-based. A good foundation of
HTML knowledge will help in understanding and communicating accessibility
problems with apps and sites.

Many of us are in a unique (and really interesting) mix of doing tech,
personal contact, and AT. The tech part often is neglected yet it's a vital
part of our jobs. And for many campuses where the AT person is working
within Student Services and not IT, being able to bridge that communication
gap with local IT resources is a significant -- if not vital -- skill.

-*- Dan



On Sat, Jun 20, 2015 at 12:06 PM, Adam Kosakowski <kosakowskia at wcsu.edu>
wrote:


> Hello Everyone!

>

> I have been working in our disability office part time for over a year now

> and I have realized I have a knack and a love for Assistive Technology!  I

> have a Masters of Education, but now I want to augment it with a specialty

> in Assistive Technology so I can one day have a better chance of getting a

> full time Assistive Technology Specialist position.  I have been looking

> into post-graduate programs and it's all pretty confusing to me, so I was

> hoping to get some input.

>

> So far I've found:

>

> 30 credit "Sixth Year" programs like this one:

> http://catalog.southernct.edu/graduate/programs-and-degrees/special-education-sixth-year-professional-diploma-adaptive-technology.html

> 15 credit "Graduate Certificate" programs like this one:

> http://catalog.gmu.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=15&poid=5460&returnto=1028

> and this ATACP program: http://tsengcollege.csun.edu/programs/ATAC  (This

> one is the quickest, so that's a huge plus)

>

> Regardless of what program I complete, after I aim to sit for the ATP exam

> through RESNA:

> http://www.resna.org/certification/certification-directory.dot This I

> already know for sure I want to do!

>

> I guess my questions are: What sort of program would you suggest to get

> the sort of position I want? What post-nominal letters should I aim for?

> What did you do to get such cool positions?

>

> Any input would be greatly appreciated!

>

> Regards,

>

> Adam Kosakowski M.Ed.

> Math Specialist and Assistive Technology Specialist, University Assistant

> AccessAbility Services

> Western Connecticut State University

> _______________________________________________

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> athen-list at mailman13.u.washington.edu

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>




-- 
-*- Dan Comden                       danc at uw.edu <danc at washington.edu>
    Access Technology Center   www.uw.edu/itconnect/accessibility/atl/
    University of Washington      UW Information Technology
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