National Assistive Technology Research Institute

The Office of Special Education Programs, U. S. Department of Education, provided four years of funding to establish a National Assistive Technology Research Institute (NATRI) at the University of Kentucky. The primary goals of NATRI are to examine factors related to the planning, development, implementation, and evaluation of assistive technology (AT) services in schools, and to disseminate the findings in ways that will assist school personnel to develop or improve AT policies and practices for students with disabilities. Seven areas of research will be addressed: (a) status of AT use in schools, (b) policies, procedures, and resources that school districts use, (c) AT decisions made by individualized education programs (IEP) teams, (d) training and technical support needed by service providers, (e) integration of AT into learning environments, (f) effectiveness of AT on the academic, social, and functional performance of students, and (g) preparation of professionals in AT. The primary research questions and methodologies being used to conduct research in the seven areas are described. An overview of dissemination procedures also is provided and ways that people can, participate in NATRI research activities are explained.