Academy Modules: Modules developed for students in the three content areas are referred to as Academy modules. The instructor's modules are created for orientation purposes and are not intended for professional development. Rather, they are designed to convey information about Academy modules and how they can be integrated into teacher education programs.

Adapted physical education: Instruction that modifies curriculum, tasks, and/or environment so that all students can fully participate in physical education.

Adaptive Device Locator System (ADLS): An expert system computer program that can be used to locate assistive technologies.

Alliance for Technology Access: A confederation of Centers located throughout the United States that provide various types of assistive technology services to consumers of assistive technology, their families, and the general public.

Americans with Disabilities Act (PL 101-336): Federal legislation that define disabilities and the rights of people with disabilities to access buildings, facilities, telecommunication and transportation systems, and equipment typically found in the workplace.

Applied behavior analysis: A structured approach to teaching and behavior management that employs observation and charting of student behavior, task analysis, systematic application of sequenced teaching procedures, reinforcement, and monitoring of student performance.

Artificial intelligence: A term describing the use of computers to perform operations that are associated with intelligence in human behavior, such as learning and decision-making.

AskERIC: A service operated by the ERIC Clearinghouse on Information and Technology at Syracuse University. Services include the AskERIC Question and Answer service, a virtual library, update information about ERIC, lesson plans for teachers, and access to the complete ERIC database.

Assistive and adaptive devices: Equipment that improves the ability of people with disabilities to function within their environment.

Assistive technology specialist: A relatively new professional role that includes assessing the need for assistive technologies, being aware of options for their use, locating them, training others in their use, installing them, assisting in their implementation, troubleshooting problems in their operation, and evaluating their effectiveness.

Augmentative communication: Refers to devices or systems that enable people with communication difficulties to interact with others (e.g., pointing to pictures or symbols, using sign language, or operating sophisticated electronic devices that produce synthetic speech).

Boolean connectors: Use of the terms AND, OR and NOT to connect keyword descriptors when searching databases. AND is used to narrow searches, OR is used to broaden them, and NOT is used to exclude unwanted items. George Boole developed the logic system that guides such search strategies, which came to be known as Boolean logic. Boolean connectors are sometimes referred to as Boolean operators (see Keyword descriptors).

Braille: A tactile reading code for people who are blind that is based on a braille cell consisting of six dots embossed on heavy paper, similar to that used for file folders. The raised dots on braille materials are "read" with the fingers.

Cerebral palsy: A condition caused by damage to the brain, usually occurring before, during, or shortly after birth, and characterized by an inability to fully control motor function.

Competency-based instruction: A technology of teaching in which knowledge and skills to be attained as a result of instruction are clearly specified, as are the criteria to be used in evaluating when competencies have been met.

Computer-assisted instruction: Instruction that is supported through the use of software or other technology-based tools.

Conceptual models: Graphical figures, based on theories, that illustrate a set of conceptual variables and their interrelationships.

Consideration of assistive technology: The process of reviewing the need for assistive technology of students enrolled in special education programs. During that process, the status of existing assistive technology being used is reviewed and a determination is made whether additional, or new, assistive technologies may be needed or whether additional assessments may be necessary in order to make a determination of additional needs. The process takes place during the development of a student's Individualized Education Program (IEP) and specifications for the use of any assistive technologies are written into the IEP at that time.

Content Areas: OSEP has specified three content areas within the teacher education curriculum for the Academy to focus on. The content areas include reading, positive behavioral supports and technology in education. These are the content areas from which research-based interventions will be selected and transformed into instructional modules.

Coping strategies: Approaches used by individuals with disabilities to respond to environmental demands.

Council for Exceptional Children (CEC): The major professional organization for those who are involved in the education of students with disabilities and those who are gifted. CEC has numerous divisions that focus on special areas of topical interest. CEC maintains the ERIC Disabilities and Gifted Education Clearinghouse (see Exceptional Child Education Resources and Technology and Media Division).

Dialysis: A medical technology in which a machine is used to remove impurities in the blood that appear as a result of kidney failure. Dialysis enables those with kidney failure to stay alive and lead productive lives.

Direct Instruction: Systematic teaching methods that are applied in very precise ways and have been found to be effective with students who have disabilities. Model-lead-test is a type of direct instruction in which the teacher models the student's desired response, leads the student in making the desired response, and then tests to ensure that the student can respond correctly when prompted to do so.

Directed Questions: A series of questions about lesson content has been included as a feature in each module. A question is presented. Once students enter their response they are able to access exemplary answers. This allows them to compare their response to responses prepared by the Academy staff.

Drill and practice software: A type of computer software that is used to practice and reinforce skills that have already been learned. Such software is used in the proficiency, or fluency, stage of learning.

ED Number: A unique number that is used to identify an abstract in the ERIC system.

ERIC: Acronym for Educational Resources Information Center

ERIC Clearinghouse: A component of the ERIC system that specializes in acquiring and maintaining information about a specific topical area in education.

ERIC Digest: A two-page summary of educational topics of interest that are produced by the ERIC Clearinghouses. Approximately 100 of these are produced each year.

ERIC Document Reproduction Service: A component of the ERIC system from which the full text of many of the documents that are abstracted in the ERIC system can be purchased. Most of those documents are reports that are not available from other sources, such as professional journals and textbooks. The documents are available in either printed form, on microfiche, or via electronic mail.

ERIC System: The Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) is a confederation of agencies that monitor much of the world's educational literature, abstract that literature, store it in searchable databases, and make the information available in a variety of forms. The ERIC system is comprised of 16 clearinghouses that are funded by the ERIC system and thirteen additional adjunct and affiliate clearinghouses funded by other agencies and support centers.

ERIC Thesaurus of Descriptors: A publication of the ERIC system that provides a list of all of the terms that are used to classify the topics of abstracts (see Keyword descriptors).

Education for All Handicapped Children Act (PL 94-142): Federal legislation which mandates that all students with disabilities receive a free and appropriate education in the least restrictive environment. As a result of this legislation, Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) are developed for each student enrolled in a special education program. It has been amended several times, the most recent being in 1997 (see IDEA).

Educational games: A type of computer software that lets students apply knowledge and skills they have previously learned. Some cleverly designed educational games also can be used to teach new skills.

Electronic wizard: A computer program that provides help when performing various online tasks. For example, the ERIC system uses a "wizard" at one of its sites to help people structure their search of the ERIC database. The wizard monitors the keyword descriptors that are being used to search and makes suggestions for alternate terms to use, based on the descriptors that have been used to classify abstracts (see Keyword descriptors and ERIC Thesaurus of Descriptors).

Environmental demands: Requirements placed upon individuals from their home, community, work, and/or school environment.

Environmental interaction: The individual's efforts to adapt to his or her environment.

Exceptional Child Education Resources (ECER): A database of the ERIC Clearinghouse on Disabilities and Gifted Education that is operated by the Council for Exceptional Children. It contains numerous special education abstracts, over and above those that are maintained in ERIC's Resources in Education. The information in ECER also is available for purchase on CD-ROM.

Expert system: A development of artificial intelligence that combines the computer's capacity for storing specialized knowledge with a general set of rules intended to replicate the decision-making process of a human expert (see Adaptive Device Locator System).

Fine-muscle control: Motor skills that use small muscles for reaching, grasping, and manipulating objects such as puzzles, cubes, pencils, and drawing materials.

Function: An action that a person takes in response to a demand to meet some need. Human functions include: existence; communication; body support, protection, and positioning; travel and mobility; environmental interaction; education and transition; and sports, fitness, and recreation.

Functional demands: Activities that an individual is required to perform in response to environmental demands.

Functional model: A graphic representation of the variables that are involved in making decisions about the selection of special education and related services most appropriate for a given individual, and the interaction among those variables.

Functional response: A set of actions that are selected to respond to an environmental demand. It is based on the consideration of a series of response options taking into account the personal resources individual is able to bring to bear on the environmental demand, the external supports available, and the individual's personal perceptions about the costs and benefits of the various options.

High-tech: The use of sophisticated technological devices typically involving the use of computers and other complex electronics.

Hyper-ABLEDATA: A database of more than 20,000 assistive technologies that is available on CD-ROM or the World Wide Web. Searches of the database can be conducted by type of product, product name, company name, or Boolean word search (see Boolean connectors).

IDEA, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (PL 105-17): The 1997 amendment to Public Law 94-142. One of the most significant additions is the requirement that assistive technology be considered when a student's IEP is being developed and during annual IEP reviews (see Education for All Handicapped Children Act).

IEP: Acronym for Individualized Education Program mandated by IDEA; a plan that is developed for a student enrolled in a special education program by a team of professional educators, the child's parents, and, when appropriate, the child. The IEP must include a statement of the student's present levels of educational performance, annual goals, short-term objectives, specific services needed by the student (including assistive technology services or devices), dates when those services will begin and be in effect, and when the student should be reevaluated.

IFSP: Acronym for Individualized Family Services Plan; an extension of the IEP process to pre-school students with disabilities.

ITP: Acronym for Individualized Transition Plan; a mandate under IDEA which requires that all students 14 years of age, or older, who are enrolled in a special education program have a specific plan to prepare them for the post-school environment. Some school districts develop separate ITPs, while others incorporate the ITP into the IEP.

IWRP: Acronym for Individualized Written Rehabilitation Plan; applies the same principles as those used in preparing IEPs when planning rehabilitation services for those who are eligible for them.

Instructional computer software: Computer programs designed for different instructional purposes. The major types of programs are tutorial, drill and practice, simulation, exploration, and problem solving.

Interactive multimedia program: An instructional program that makes use of various media and requires student responses. For example, a CD-ROM based program may present text, graphics, and sound to instruct the student.

Keyword descriptor: A term that has been used to describe the contents and topic of a given article that is abstracted in the ERIC system. Searches of the ERIC (and many other) databases are conducted by searching for all documents that contain a particular keyword descriptor (See Boolean connectors).

Kurzweil Reader: A machine, about the size of a desktop copier, that converts printed pages into spoken text. For example, a book can be placed on the glass top of the machine, which then scans each line of text. As each word is scanned, the machine pronounces it aloud. It is used by those who are blind or others who are unable to read.

Learning strategies: Procedures, systems, and techniques that are taught to students with learning disabilities to enable them to perform specific tasks, such as dissecting unknown words, studying new material, or participating in tasks of daily living. Direct instruction is used to teach students how to use learning strategies.

Low-tech: Assistive devices that do not require mechanical or electronic manipulation. For example, Velcro can replace buttons or zippers; a plastic overlay with holes in it to correspond to a keyboard can enable a person with limited muscle control to locate and press keys on a computer keyboard; and a comb with an extra long handle can assist a person who has limited arm movement with grooming.

Medium-tech: Relatively uncomplicated mechanical or electrical devices that people can use to increase their independence. Examples include wheelchairs, hand-held audio recorders, and hand-operated automobile driving controls.

Menu: There are menus for each level and lesson in an Academy module. Links to the level menus appear in the center of the menubar. Access any level menu by clicking the level titles in the center of the menubar. Click the up arrow (top right) to access the menu for the current level or to go to the next higher menu level. For example, if you are viewing a page in a lesson the up arrow takes you to the current Lesson menu then to the menu for all Lessons then to the Table of Contents (ToC) for the entire module.

Microfiche: A form of microfilm in which up to 96 miniature photos of pages of text are displayed on a 4 by 6 inch card-like form that can be enlarged and displayed on the screen of a machine called a microfiche reader. Documents in the ERIC system are available on microfiche at most education or research libraries.

Microprocessors: Computer chips that have special instructions encoded on them to enable machines to perform specific functions. These include the central processing units or "brains" of computers, the devices that make sophisticated toys "talk," and control the operation of hand-held message devices and cell phones.

Navigation: Navigation refers to the technical process of moving from one feature to another in an online module. The navigation system for Academy modules allows students to follow a critical path, but also to exercise flexibility when they wish to vary from the normal path of progressing through a module.

Near-errorless learning: A type of learning that results from direct instruction presented in such a fashion that the errors learners make when mastering a specific skill are minimized (see Response prompting).

No-tech: Procedures or services that do not require the use of devices or equipment. For example, a physical therapist may provide assistance in strengthening a student's back muscles to enable the student to sit upright. Another example is the use of a guide dog for a person who is blind.

Observational data: Information about the performance of individuals that is based on their observable behaviors and collected by teachers and other specially trained personnel. Observational data are usually collected and analyzed for the purpose of designing instructional programs, measuring progress, and evaluating the effectiveness of interventions.

Perkins Brailler: A device, analogous to a typewriter, for producing printed braille materials (see Braille).

Problem solving software: A type of computer software that is used to determine whether students can apply skills they have previously learned. Such software programs are primarily used in the application or generalization stages of learning.

Rehabilitation Act of 1973: Federal legislation that bans discrimination on the basis of disability (Section 504). It is considered to be the civil rights act for people with disabilities. A later amendment added Section 508, which ensured that federal offices, including equipment and computers, be accessible to people with disabilities.

Resources in Education (RIE): A print periodical that is produced by the ERIC system. An issue of RIE contains copies of all abstracts produced since the prior issue. It can also be used to conduct manual searches for articles using keyword descriptors.

Response prompting: A form of instruction based upon principles of applied behavior analysis in which the teacher either shows the student what to do (in the case of physical skills) or repeats the correct answer (in the case of cognitive skills). Time Delay is one such instructional strategy. Students are instructed to wait if they don't know the answer and the teacher will provide the correct answer. Theoretically, students who learn to wait can master tasks without making errors using this procedure (see Near-errorless learning).

Response strategy: A set of actions that are designed to respond to an environmental demand.

Simon Says: Traditionally, a game played by groups of children. Game participants take turns giving directions to the group, such as "Simon says": Wave!" According to game rules, the participants must follow the directions if they are preceded by a "Simon says." Participants who respond to directions NOT preceded by a "Simon says," such as "Wave!," must exit the game.

Spelling checker: A computer program that automatically scans text files, comparing spellings with words that are spelled correctly in a dictionary file. Words that do not match a word in the dictionary are flagged by the program. The user is given the opportunity to correct the word manually or have the spelling checker change the spelling automatically to match the word in the dictionary.

Synthetic speech production: The capability of a computer to convert printed text to spoken words. Synthetic speech is a significant assistive technology for those who are blind or who are unable to read.

Table of Contents: Each module includes a general Table of Contents (ToC) covering the entire module. Click "ToC" in the top right of the menubar to access the Table of Contents

Tech Act: The Technology-Related Assistance for Individuals with Disabilities Act (PL 100-407) provided financial assistance to so enable the States to provide assistive technology services to people with disabilities.

Technology and Media Division (TAM): A division of the Council for Exceptional Children that focuses on technology applications in special education. Professionals interested in such applications join CEC and then the TAM division. TAM publishes the Journal of Special Education Technology.

Technology continuum: A concept that is used when making decisions about the selection of assistive technologies. The spectrum of the continuum ranges from no-tech, to low-tech, to medium-tech, to high-tech. When making technology decisions, it is advisable to start at the lower end of the continuum prior to moving further up the continuum.

Telnet: A special computer program that allows people who are using telecommunications to log on to other sites. Telnet is most often used to log on to large mainframe computers. If someone is using a Web browser, such as Netscape or Internet Explorer, a special helper application must be installed in order to use Telnet.

Testing software: Computer software that is designed to assess mastery of skills, such as math facts or spelling words. Such software is used in several stages of learning, but most frequently in the maintenance stage, when the teacher wants to analyze whether students remember previously taught information.

Tutorial software: A type of computer software that is designed to teach new skills and concepts. Such software is used primarily in the acquisition stage of learning.

Uncontrollable body: A condition in which a person has difficulty making voluntary movements. For example, some people with cerebral palsy have difficulty controlling the muscles that are used in talking, walking, or other movements.

Virtual library: Resources that one might find in an actual library, but are available only via a computer-mediated experience. In the context of this lesson, AskERIC maintains a virtual library that consists of a variety of educational resources and media that can be accessed via the Web.

Word processing: The use of a computer to create, enter, manipulate, and print text.