Managing Portable Technologies for Special Education

Public education has a responsibility to insure that all students learn to the fullest feasible extent. The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the 1975 Education for All Handicapped Children Act laid the ground work for legislation that specifically address the academic needs of students with special needs. Part of that legal picture focuses on the role of technology, beginning with the Technology-Related Assistance Act of 1988. These technology-focused laws require that manufacturers and service providers address the accessibility needs of people with disabilities. To this end, portable technologies increasingly provide multiple ways for students with special needs to have physical and intellectual access to information. Librarians are well positioned to manage those resources, and optimize their use by these student populations. This chapter focuses on the management aspects of portable technologies for special education.