|
Teams thrive
on time and effort. In order for individuals to take the time
and make the effort to make an AT team function effectively,
they have to believe that teaming around AT is worthwhile. There
are several reasons why successful service providers concerned
about AT choose to work as a team:
| AT
crosses several disciplines. |
There
is no one "expert" who
knows everything that is needed to effectively implement
assistive technology with the broad range of students who
need it.
|
| Successful
implementation of AT typically requires many people to collaborate. |
AT
evaluation, acquisition of the AT, training of classroom
staff who will implement its use on a daily basis, monitoring
its effectiveness, and trouble shooting and repair are
all part of AT services and may be most effectively accomplished
by a combination of individuals whose knowledge and skills
compliment and support each other. If these individuals
have
formed a team, then they already know how to work together
to build on each other's skills.
|
| AT
often needs to be used in multiple environments. |
When
this is true, a single service provider may not be able
to "do
it all." When individuals carrying out implementation
tasks have a good working relationship, it means that there
will
be more consistency and carryover between settings.
|
| Effective
planning and problem solving require multiple, professional
and personal perspectives so that potential problems can
be avoided, or handled quickly, if not avoidable. |
Discussion
during the planning stage can often illuminate potential
problems that, if not attended to, would diminish the effective
use of AT. In general, no one professional knowledge base
will be sufficient.
|
| Teams
help distribute the workload in a way that is both effective
and efficient. |
A
good team can divide tasks and collaborate to use their
individual skills in the most effective way,
making everyone's job easier. For instance, if a voice
output communication device obtained for a trial period
needs to be rented and programmed for a specific student, one
team
member may have already established contacts with vendors
and have the time to get in touch with them, while another
may be skilled at programming the device and knowledgeable
about the settings where it will be used. They are more
efficient working together than either would be working alone.
|
Team participation
creates involvement and ownership. Sometimes the tasks a team
shares could actually be done
by an individual -- even
quite effectively. However, if it is important that
a number of different people have a part in the outcome, then
having
them work
as part of an integrated, collaborative team better
accomplishes that larger goal. Also, inclusive teams promote
buy-in
early in the process of delivering AT. No one ends up feeling
that a decision
was made without taking her/his perspectives into account.
Teams may be slower at first but increase the chances of efficiency
and
productivity later.
|
You
have reached the end of Module 7.
You
may continue the Teaching
AT curriculum by choosing a Module to
read next.
|
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