Assistive Technology Trainer

In order to get through the school day, children with disabilities often need the help of specialized technology or gear. This can range from major pieces, like a Braille reader, to small ones, like a paper holder. It is the job of an Assistive Technology Trainer to teach the student, their family, and school staff members how this assistive equipment works.

The kids an Assistive Technology Trainer might work with have a range of disabilities, so you need to be really knowledgeable about the different types of equipment that will help them. One day might have you explaining to a visually-impaired student how to use a magnifying lens on a school computer, and the next might find you giving a presentation to a group of Teachers on how a student’s voice activation device works. The ultimate goal of any Assistive Technology Trainer is to make assistive technology something that helps a student, not something that confuses or frustrates them or those around them.

For this job, you need strong communication skills because you spend a lot of time talking with people who have a wide range of technological experience. You also need a lot of patience because you train and work with kids who have mental and physical disabilities.

Assistive technology has several different purposes, and they include helping with positioning, improving mobility, assisting with sight or sound, enhancing communication, and controlling the environment. As you can imagine, you’ll be working with a lot of devices to accomplish all of these goals. So you want to always make sure your students are using the ones that are most helpful for their needs.