AT Outcomes in Post-Secondary Students with Disabilities: the Influence of Diagnosis, Gender, and Year in School

Handouts

Presented at 10:30am in Cotton Creek II on Friday, November 18, 2016.

#4934

Speaker(s)

  • Marla Roll, Director, Assistant Professor, Colorado State University
  • Matt Malcolm, Associate Professor; Research Director, Colorado State University

Session Details

  • Length of Session: 1-hr
  • Format:
  • Expertise Level: Not provided
  • Type of session: General Conference

Summary

Researchers and AT service providers at Colorado State University will summarize and share the results of their retrospective study on 455 students with disabilities served by the university’s Assistive Technology Resource Center. The background for their work, methodology and results of the study will be shared.

Abstract

Literature supports the fact that students with disabilities in higher education are increasingly reliant on assistive technology (AT) for success in the college environment. Anecdotally, students will share that AT has provided invaluable academic supports. However, research and/ or publications speaking to the value is scant. Specifically, research is lacking that provides data about which students are most likely to benefit from and use AT, the relationship between certain demographic variables and AT intervention outcomes and finally how the subjective experiences of different student groups might differ. Researchers and AT service providers at Colorado State University examined descriptive data results and will share their finding in regard to diagnosis/condition, gender, year in school, etc. and how these variables appear to influence AT service outcomes.

Keypoints

  1. Participants will learn how diagnosis, gender, year in school, and other variables impacted AT outcomes
  2. Participants will participate in discussions about other relevant variables that must be considered
  3. Participants will engage in discussion regarding future research directions related to AT service provision

Disability Areas

Cognitive/Learning, Mobility, Other, Vision

Topic Areas

Assistive Technology

Speaker Bio(s)

Marla Roll

Marla has been an Occupational Therapist for 31 years and has worked in the field of assistive technology for over two decades. She is Director of the Assistive Technology Resource Center and Assistant Professor in the Department of Occupational Therapy where she oversees campus AT supports and services and develops curriculum related to assistive technology and universal design. She has served as Co-PI and Senior Personnel on federally funded grants related to universal design and BCI. Currently, she is interested in research related to outcome measures of assistive technology interventions. Her passions include considering inclusion of people with disabilities in regard to usability/ accessibility of mainstream and emerging technologies and electronic information.

Matt Malcolm

Dr. Matt Malcolm is an Associate Professor in the Department of Occupational Therapy at Colorado State University, and Research Director for the Assistive Technology Resource Center at CSU. Malcolm’s research is also dedicated to developing the most effective therapeutic strategies for individuals with a disability. His specific areas of expertise include rehabilitation interventions and outcomes, assistive technology outcomes in post-secondary education, neurological injury and recovery, and technology development for rehabilitation. Malcolm studied occupational therapy (BS) at the University at Buffalo in 1996, gained clinical expertise at HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital in Fayetteville Arkansas, and obtained his PhD in Rehabilitation Science from the University of Florida in 2003.

Handout(s)

ahg-2016-roll-malcolm-with-alt-text