FCPS assistive-technology team outlines tools, training and growing caseload

Trish Lobosinski, a speech-language pathologist on Frederick County Public Schools’ Assistive Technology team, and Cheryl Laboy, a special educator on the same team, presented the team’s role, countywide tools and training plans to the Special Education Citizens Advisory Committee on the evening of the committee’s March meeting.

The ACT team told the committee it provides layered supports from low-tech (picture schedules, pencil grips) to high-tech (tablets, specialized communication apps), offers troubleshooting and device repairs through a ticketing system, and partners with the district’s Department of Technology and Infrastructure (DTI) for device management.

Why it matters: Assistive technology can be listed under “special considerations” on IEPs, IFSPs and 504 plans and may be provided at the building level, through AT consult services, or via direct ACT-team support. The team emphasized that assistive-technology considerations should be part of IEP meetings and that device access, training and repair processes affect families’ daily ability to use accommodations.

The team described countywide tools available to most students, including the Read&Write browser extension, Book Creator (now available via Chrome), OrbitNote for converting PDFs to interactive documents, EquatIO for math support, and Bookshare for qualifying students. They also described communication apps commonly used in the district: TouchChat, Proloquo, TD Snap and the LAMP motor-planning system.

“AT should be considered at every meeting,” Lobosinski said, urging teams to treat assistive technology as a routine part of IEP planning.

The ACT team said it checks out and tracks devices through a ticketing system and a county inventory. Current figures reported to the committee: about 665 students are on an AT consult, and the team manages 1,149 checked-out devices. The presenters said specialized programs and infant-and-toddler referrals have grown over the past decade, increasing demand for AT services and training.

The team also described training offerings: quarterly virtual trainings and app‑specific sessions for families and staff. They announced an upcoming set of sessions (an AAC 101 overview, app trainings for LAMP, TD Snap, TouchChat, and a Read&Write session) scheduled for March 28, plus follow-up implementation sessions. The presenters invited CCAC members, school staff and parents to register.

Committee members and parents asked practical questions about classroom chargers and device durability, use of low-cost commercial talking buttons at home, and how to request ACT support. Loboy and Lobosinski explained that parents should work with teachers and case managers to initiate AT consults; teachers can submit tickets on a family’s behalf if parents cannot access the district ticketing system directly.

The team pointed committee members to a county web hub with printable visuals, pre-K communication toolkits, screencasts, the PD calendar and feeder-pattern contact information for team leaders. They said many materials and self‑paced modules are available in Spanish.

The presentation closed with an appeal to use the system’s ticketing workflow to speed repairs and checks and with an offer to consult informally before formal AT reports are requested.

The committee will circulate the ACT team’s slides and registration links for the March trainings.