Revitalizing the Department of Special Education’s SEAT Center

  • Author By Taylor Hochecker
  • April 19, 2024
4 Student workers with their boss Kim holding AT. 
SEAT Center student workers and faculty director holding assistive technology resources, from left, Lauren Dry, Hailey Trajano, Dr. Kim Fisher, Leah Newman, and Thomas Corcoran.

On March 6, 2024, the Special Education Assistive Technology Center, known as the SEAT Center, hosted the first open house event for students since starting a renovation process. Students were able to move between stations that demonstrated various assistive technology devices, creative instruction methods, and Braille activities. This open house was planned and facilitated by Dr. Kim Fisher and the SEAT Center student worker team.

The SEAT Center has been a fixture of the Department of Special Education for many years with a large library of assistive technology devices for students to learn and practice the skills that will transfer into their future classrooms. It has always been the goal of the SEAT Center to prepare special education and general education students on how to use assistive technology for students with extensive support needs, allowing them to participate in schooling and society.

Two women sitting at a table. One is sawing a PVC pipe, and another is working at a laptop.
From left, SEAT Center worker and SED LBS major Leah Newman makes PVC-adapted tools for paintbrushes and markers; SEAT Center worker and SED LBS major Hailey Trajano works on making an AAC device using Boardmaker.

In order to consistently meet this goal, the SEAT Center must keep the assistive technology resources up-to-date to continue creating inclusive education environments for their future students. The Department of Special Education is currently fundraising to provide more communication and literacy development resources in the SEAT Center. 

Help the SEAT Center reach their goal of raising $9,000 to purchase: 

  • Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) software that uses machine learning to support communication in different contexts.
  • Switches (wired and Bluetooth) that can provide access to a communication device.
  • Switch interfaces that can make a piece of hardware accessible to a switch user.
  • Literacy software that includes switch-adapted literacy programs to move students from early literacy (phonemic awareness) to later literacy skills (comprehension).
  • Visual support software program that allows teachers and families to quickly and easily make visual supports for literacy, communication, and participation in an inclusive environment.
  • Switch assessment software that provides training to assess switch locations and switch types.

You can make a gift to the SEAT Center Assistive Technology fundraiser until April 30, 2024.

Units

College of Education, Special Education, Special Education Assistive Technology Center