Illinois State’s Special Education Assistive Technology (SEAT) Center has for a decade been preparing future teachers to better educate students with disabilities.
The center has supported every education major and offered nearly 20,000 open laboratory hours since opening in 2001. More than $1.7 million has been secured, as well as an equipment and software inventory with a market value exceeding $630,000.
“Demonstrating competency with assistive technology means that our teacher candidates have developed a toolkit to aid them in individualizing instruction for each student within the classroom in order to meet the learner at his or her own level,” College of Education Dean Deborah Curtis said.
SEAT Center faculty and staff conduct research on best practices in assistive technology instruction. They have researched and developed curricula and discipline-specific technology recommendations including early childhood, speech/language pathology, special education, music, and psychology.
The SEAT Center conducts workshops in national education venues. Since 2004 the center has collaborated with the Assistive Technology Industry Association to publish a peer-reviewed journal, Assistive Technology Outcomes and Benefits.
“With the increasing presence of 21st century technologies in our society, and their potential to meaningfully support all students in today’s schools, the SEAT Center remains committed to preparing future education professionals to effectively integrate a wide array of technologies into the learning experiences of all children with disabilities,” said Phil Parette, special education professor and director of the SEAT Center.
