The Center for Educational and Assistive Technology (CEAT) at Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU) is excited to partner with the Special Education Department and the Assistive Technology Program to increase community partnerships. Bogdan Zamfir, the Director of CEAT, is working with Dr. Lauren Tucker, assistant professor in the Special Education Department and Director of the Assistive Technology Program, to offer assistive technology services and trainings across the state. Through a partnership with the Connecticut Tech Act Project, the CEAT already offers a technology loan program for teachers in Connecticut, loaning out iPads and computers with assistive technology. Now, they are excited to also provide individual and group assistive technology trainings, consultations, and more.
In addition to building capacity around assistive technology in schools, the CEAT is interested in supporting the use of widely accessible built-in features for employment and higher education access.
At SCSU, the CEAT also has a lab with a wide variety of assistive technology available for interactive demonstrations and many of the assistive technology courses at SCSU provide hands-on experience for practicing teachers. To support SCSU undergraduate and graduate students, the CEAT loans computers, iPads and LiveScribe pens, trains students on note-taking strategies with the tool, and offers computers with a variety of assistive technology, such as speech-to-text, text-to-speech, graphic organizers, screen readers, and screen magnification.
Last school year, the Special Education Department at SCSU offered two free, mini-professional development sessions. The first focused on Assistive Technology Tips for Virtual Learning and the second provided examples of using Google Keep for Reading and Writing. These recordings can be accessed on the Assistive Technology Program website: https://bit.ly/SouthernAT. The CEAT is excited to customize trainings for individuals or organizations to build the assistive technology capacity across the state.
If you are interested in learning more about collaborating with the CEAT at SCSU, please contact Bogdan Zamfir, zamfirb1@southernct.edu.