NEW: Government Watch Dog Report Reveals Students with Disabilities Still Face Challenges to Access Necessary Support

NEW: Government Watch Dog Report Reveals Students with Disabilities Still Face Challenges to Access Necessary Support

WASHINGTON - Today, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a new report examining the challenges schools are facing to make assistive technology available for students with disabilities. This report was requested by House Committee on Education and Workforce Ranking Member Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03).

Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), students with disabilities are required to have access to assistive technology and services necessary to receive a free, appropriate public education, with no cost to the parent. Assistive technology-such as pencil grips, calculators, and screen readers-can help students with disabilities participate more effectively at school.

This new report details how insufficient time and opportunities for training, staffing issues, technology issues, and funding constraints hindered students' access to assistive technology.

"Assistive technology is critical to helping students with disabilities fully participate in their school environment. This report demonstrates that school districts are struggling to implement assistive technology to comprehensively address student needs." said Ranking Member Scott. "Unfortunately, the Trump Administration's actions to dismantle the Department of Education (ED) will exacerbate challenges students with disabilities, parents, and schools are already experiencing. School districts rely on a robust, well-funded ED to implement IDEA and ensure that students with disabilities and their families are informed of the resources available to them."

"We appreciate Ranking Member Scott's leadership in requesting a report focused on access to assistive technology (AT) for students with disabilities in K-12 schools," said David Dikter, Executive Director of the Assistive Technology Industry Association (ATIA). "The findings confirm what we have long heard anecdotally: too many families are unaware of their child's right to AT in school, and school teams lack the resources to provide AT and train all stakeholders in its use. ATIA remains committed to advocating for increased IDEA Part D funding to ensure schools have access to strong technical assistance as the law requires, and to partnering with AT developers, schools, and families so every child with a disability can access the AT they need to learn and thrive."

ED was created in 1979 to protect and defend students' civil rights, including students with disabilities. Prior to laws guaranteeing a free and appropriate public education to students with disabilities, which ED enforces, only one in five students with disabilities received an education in the United States. The GAO report demonstrates how a cohesive, well-staffed ED is key to providing students with disabilities and their families with the resources they require to pursue an education.

To read the full report entitled, "Students with Disabilities: Assistive Technologies Challenges and Resources in Selected School Districts and Schools," click here.

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