GUIDING TEACHERS OF STUDENTS WITH VISUAL IMPAIRMENTS IN ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY DECISIONS: THE EXPERIENCE OF THE WISCONSIN ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY INITIATIVE IN SINGAPORE

Despite the availability of assistive technology frameworks as a tool to aid in the process of decision making, teachers of students with visual impairments in Singapore have had little awareness and experience in using such frameworks in guiding them when making choices relating to assistive technology. Much of the selection had previously been made mainly on observations, intuitions and general recommendations rendering the decision making task overwhelming. This paper presents the trial experience of three teachers with the Wisconsin Assistive Technology Initiative (WATI). Participants compared and contrasted their experience with and without WATI in their work with students reflecting on its application to their work. While the systematic approach towards considering assistive technology emerged a strong reason for the framework, administrative demands including time and knowledge in assistive technology were some reported challenges. This paper reports on the teachers' initial impressions and puts forward some recommendations for adopting WATI.