Oregon Technology Access Program

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Oregon Technology Access Program

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OTAP provides training, information, and resources about technology for children with disabilities, from birth to 21.

10/12/2026

The Call for Presenters for 2027 AT-TIES is open! What do you have to offer and how can we help you share it!

Do you have an amazing program that is working?

Have you been utilizing a new technique or model?

Perhaps you have recently completed research that needs to be shared.

Submit your ideas. Reach out to us if you want to talk it through! We want to hear from you.

10/09/2026

📣 This month is AAC Awareness Month!
ATIA is offering a FREE course in the month of October. Visit the ATIA Learning Center, choose any one recorded course, add it to your cart, and enter the code FREEAAC26 at checkout.

I do this EVERY year! Free PD, free CEUs! Enjoy!

10/08/2026

👀 According to the CDC, approximately 6.8% of children in the US have a diagnosed eye and vision condition. Are their classrooms designed with them in mind?

🌎 On World Sight Day, we're highlighting a simple truth: Accessibility isn't just an accommodation. It's good design for EVERY learner!

💡 Many powerful accessibility tools are already built into classroom devices!

📱 iPad
🔹 Zoom: Magnify what's on screen.
🔹 Speak Screen: Have onscreen content read aloud.

💻 Chromebook
🔹 Select-to-Speak: Hear selected text aloud.
🔹 Docked Magnifier: Enlarge part of the screen.
🔹 Color Inversion: Adjust display colors for visibility.

✨ These aren't just tools for students with visual impairments. They're flexible learning options that support Universal Design for Learning (UDL).

Don't wait for a student to struggle. Make accessibility part of everyday instruction!

10/06/2026

🌎Today is World Cerebral Palsy Day, a good reminder that access to the right tools can make a meaningful difference in participation, independence, and learning.

For families navigating the cost of assistive technology or other needed supports, the UCP Oregon Zetosch Fund may be worth exploring.
🔥 The fund provides up to $2,500 for Oregon children and youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities when other funding sources do not fully cover needed equipment, assistive technology, supports, or services.

For AT specialists, educators, related service providers, and IEP teams, this is a resource to keep on your radar when helping families explore funding options.

Applications are accepted year-round.

Learn more: UCP Oregon Zetosch Fund

10/01/2026

🗣️ AAC Awareness Month: Be a Great Communication Partner

Communication is a shared responsibility. During AAC Awareness Month, let's remember that one of the most powerful tools an AAC user can have is a patient, respectful communication partner.

Whether someone uses a speech-generating device, communication app, symbol board, sign language, or another form of AAC, these best practices can help create more meaningful interactions:

💙 Speak directly to the AAC user.
Even when a support person, parent, teacher, or caregiver is present, address your questions and comments to the AAC user first.

⏳ Give plenty of wait time.
AAC users may need extra time to locate words, navigate pages, or type a response. Resist the urge to fill the silence or answer for them.

👂 Listen with patience and curiosity.
Focus on what is being communicated, not how long it takes to communicate it.

🙋 Ask before helping.
If someone appears to be searching for a word or message, ask if they would like assistance rather than assuming they need it.

😊 Acknowledge all forms of communication.
Facial expressions, gestures, body language, sounds, and AAC messages all contribute to communication.

🗨️ Model respectful conversations.
Include AAC users in discussions, greetings, jokes, and decision-making. Communication is about connection and belonging.

🌟 Remember: Communication is a human right.
Every person deserves to be heard, understood, and included.

Want to learn more about AAC? Check out the archived ECHO Voices sessions, where AAC users, family members, and professionals share their experiences, insights, and strategies. These recordings are a great way to deepen your understanding and become a more effective communication partner.
ARCHIVES: https://app.smore.com/n/nvwcf
YouTube Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_sLJ_mhXhnbFGdCGrydJpc6PgmVaHNqh

09/29/2026

📅 SAVE THE DATE for AT-TIES 2027!

April 11–13, 2027

Join OTs, PTs, SLPs, assistive technology professionals, and other related service providers and families from across Oregon and beyond for three days of learning, practical ideas, and connection.

We’re working on a great lineup and can’t wait to share what’s coming. New presenters. New platform. More fun.

👉 Save the dates, share this with your team, and tag a colleague who should be there!

More details coming soon!
-TIES

09/15/2026

This workshop is wildly empowering for the young people and parents who attend. OTAP had the privilege to be a part of the first workshop a few years back and am thrilled to see it continuing!

07/27/2026

Check out what the RSOI program is doing!

📅 Save the Date: 2026 RSOI Feeding & Swallowing Seminar

Join us virtually on October 22–23, 2026 for the annual RSOI Feeding & Swallowing Seminar.

The event will focus on feeding and swallowing in Oregon’s educational settings, but participation is open to professionals, teams, and families from anywhere.

Presenter, session, and registration information will be announced soon.

06/04/2026

🌍 Today is World Day for Assistive Technology — and it’s wild (in the best way) how fast AT is evolving. Tools are getting smarter, more portable, and more customizable, which means more people can communicate, learn, work, and participate with less friction and more independence.

A reminder many folks don’t know: every state has a federally mandated Assistive Technology Act program. Oregon’s is Access Technologies, Inc. (ATI) in Salem—a fantastic statewide resource if you support people who use AT.

And here at OTAP, we’re proud to be part of Oregon’s AT ecosystem through our AT Lending Library for children and youth (birth–21). We’re bringing in new switch-adapted toys, a hot new adapted music creation device, and a whole lineup of additional items to help teams and families problem-solve access in real time.

👀 Keep an eye out next month for an update in the Loan Library newsletter with what’s new in inventory and how to request loans!

05/20/2026

🌍 Global Accessibility Awareness Day is tomorrow (GAAD).
Accessibility is the difference between “available” and usable—and AEM + AT are often the bridge.

GAAD is a great moment to recommit to advocacy: ensuring students don’t just have accommodations on paper, but real access to instruction, tools, and materials in formats they can use.

📌 Need Oregon-focused resources you can share with teams? Our OER Commons library includes:
• IEP Teams’ Guide to AEM in Oregon
• Empowering Early Learners: A Teacher’s Guide to AEM and Self-Advocacy for Elementary Students
• IEP Teams’ Guide to Assistive Technology in Oregon
• Advocating for My AEM Workbook (Grades 5–8)

✅ GAAD quick prompt: What’s one “small” accessibility fix (captioning, doc structure, TTS, alternative format, keyboard access, etc.) that makes a BIG impact? Drop it below—let’s steal from each other. 🙌

Address

1409 NE Diamond Lake Boulevard, Suite 110
Roseburg, OR
97470

Website

https://www.douglasesd.k12.or.us/student-family-resources/otap

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