Overview
We will discuss experiences and lessons learned during the pandemic from the perspective of a CATIS who works at a local community rehabilitation program and is also the AT Program Coordinator for an online university program. Remote training has been a staple modality in our AT services for many years. In the past, configuration, observations, consultation, and supervisory activities have traditionally been conducted face-to-face. The need for social distancing has required new considerations for remote control technologies to be combined with audio or video conferencing software to continue these services. We will discuss recommendations and best practices.
Learning Objectives
- Recommend at least three strategies for providing remote supervision and collaboration services for assistive technology or other vision services for people with vision loss.
- Discuss at least three different combinations of remote control technologies and conferencing software applications that can be used for supervision and observations for assistive technology training with people with vision loss.
- Discuss at least three techniques for assisting AT instructors and students to setup and configure new computing devices for compatibility with AT for people with vision loss.
Primary & Secondary Strand
Vision and Hearing Technologies
Target Audience
- ADA Coordinator
- Administrators
- AT Specialists
- Consultants/Trainers
- Disability Services
- Faculty/Instructors - Higher Education
- Government/Non-Profit Agencies
- Rehab Therapists
- Teachers of the Visually Impaired
- Visual Impairment Specialists
- Vocational Rehabilitation
Experience Level
Advanced
Primary Life Cycle Addressed
All; Birth - PreK; Elementary - Secondary (K-12); Higher Education; Adult/Senior
Content Area
Professional Area
Course Schedule
This course was included in the ATIA 2021: AT Connected virtual event education program.
Continuing Education Credits
For Satisfactory Completion and Continuing Education information, please visit: ATIA Online Education CEUs
This course is offered for the following CE Provider Credits:
ACVREP; IACET
For: 0.10 CEU Units or 1.0 CEU Hours.
This course was approved by CRCC for CRC CEUs and was included in the ATIA CRC Vision and Hearing Technology Series (2022-2023). This series offering was available from March 7, 2022, through March 6, 2023.
Speaker/s:
Rachael Sessler Trinkowsky, Ph.D., CRC, CATIS
Lighthouse for the Blind of the Palm Beaches, AT Program Coordinator/Technology Training & Vocational Coordinator
Biography
Rachael Sessler Trinkowsky, Ph.D., CRC, CATIS is the Technology Training and Vocational Coordinator for the Lighthouse for the Blind of the Palm Beaches, where she oversees services for a 5-county territory. She is the Program Coordinator for the Assistive Technology for People with Visual Impairments program at the University of Massachusetts Boston and has developed programs through UMass Boston to prepare professionals for the new CATIS credential through ACVREP. Additionally, she is an adjunct faculty member at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) where she teaches a course in the Assistive Technology Certificate Program at UIC.
Dr. Sessler Trinkowsky holds a B.A. degree in Special Education and a Masters of Health Science in Rehabilitation Counseling from the University of Florida. She has also earned an Educational Specialist and a Ph.D. from Nova Southeastern University’s College of Engineering and Computing in Computing Technology in Education. Her dissertation topic focused on accessibility awareness and practices in online learning environments.
Dr. Sessler Trinkowsky has been a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC) since 1999 and she was the recipient of the Florida Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (Florida FAER) award for Outstanding Rehabilitation Professional for the Blind Award (2017). Rachael is serving as the member-at-large Rehabilitation for Florida AER from 2018 to 2019 and she is serving on the Accessibility Committee for AER. She is also a Google Chromebook Accessibility Ambassador. She was honored to be a member of the Subject Matter Expert (SME) Committee for the development of the new and much-needed specialization, called Certified Assistive Technology Instructional Specialist for People with Visual Impairments (CATIS) through the Academy for Certification of Vision Rehabilitation & Education Professionals (ACVREP).
Relevant Financial Relationship: Yes
Dr. Rachael Sessler Trinkowsky is the Strand Advisor for the Vision & Hearing Strand for ATIA 2021. For this role, the ATIA Conference registration fee has been waived for participation in ATIA. Additionally, there is a small honorarium.
All profits from the honorarium for ATIA 2020 will be submitted to the Lighthouse for the Blind of the Palm Beaches.
Rachael receives a full-time salary from the Lighthouse for the Blind of the Palm Beaches, and half-time salary from the University of Massachusetts Boston as AT Program Coordinator. Additionally, she receives compensation for work as an adjunct faculty member with the University of Illinois, Chicago.
Relevant Non-Financial Relationship: Yes
Dr. Rachael Sessler Trinkowsky was on the Subject Matter Expert (SME) Committee for the development of the CATIS certification, as well as the Study Guide Committee for CATIS through ACVREP. These are volunteer positions.
Rachael is a board member for the Florida AER. This is a volunteer position.
Rachael is a Chromebook Accessibility Ambassador with Google. This is a volunteer position.
Rachael is on the Accessibility Committee for AER. This is a volunteer position.