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

[Wink Harner]

A valuable insight and suggestion, Dan. Thanks.

Wink Harner
Accessibility & Adaptive Technology Consultant
The Foreign Type
On Jun 23, 2015 11:56 PM, "Dan Comden" <danc at uw.edu> wrote:


> 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

>> _______________________________________________

>> athen-list mailing list

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

>> http://mailman13.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/athen-list

>>

>

>

>

> --

> -*- 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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>

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