Special Education

Assistive Technology Assessments are available for students with physical, orthopedic, communication, or learning disabilities who attend local district schools. Either individual assessments or a combination of assessments are provided.

Alternative Augmentative Communication Evaluations are provided by speech language pathologists who determine the most appropriate communication method for the student. During the evaluation, the speech language pathologist identifies one or more appropriate devices that might be used.

Technology Access Evaluations are provided by occupational and/or physical therapists working collaboratively with a special education teacher. The evaluation states the student's cognitive ability, readiness for computer use, and provides recommendations for the purchase of equipment and for the initial training of staff in its use.

CoSer: 237.500

Hearing Services are provided for students attending local district programs who have hearing disorders or central auditory processing disorders and include the following:

• Audiological Evaluations are provided for students with hearing impairment. Evaluations include pure tone audiometry and tympanometry. The following can be included in the evaluation for an additional fee: aided testing with hearing aids, hearing test with student wearing hearing aids; aided testing with FM unit, and hearing test with student wearing FM unit.
  
  FM Evaluations include an initial FM evaluation that provides a hearing test to determine the appropriate FM unit for the student. Calibration of the FM unit is included in this service.
   
• Earmolds for FM Amplification are provided for students who require FM amplification and are made by audiologists who individualize this equipment to meet the student's needs.
   
• Central Auditory Processing Evaluation is provided for students, who are seven years and older, with normal hearing and intelligence who have an impaired ability to attend, discriminate, recognize or comprehend auditory information. The Central Auditory Processing Evaluation includes: a peripheral audiological evaluation; tests of speech recognition in quiet and noise; testing to assess central auditory processing disorders, including but not limited to dichotic listening tests, distorted speech, speech in noise, and temporal ordering tasks; and an evaluation report.
   
• FM Amplification Trial is designed to assist district personnel in determining if low gain amplification could benefit students who have been diagnosed with: mild hearing loss; fluctuating middle ear hearing loss; learning disabilities involving auditory deficits; and sensorineural hearing loss. To determine if a student can benefit from such amplification, trial use of equipment is available. This includes provision of equipment for one month; in-service workshops for staff on proper use of equipment; classroom management techniques; and pre- and post-data using standardized checklists of auditory behaviors.
   
• FM Equipment Services provide for the rental of FM equipment for one month when it is necessary for a district to provide short term use of this equipment and in-service workshops are not needed. If FM equipment is not working properly, the unit can be brought to the BOCES Audiological Center at the Rosemary Kennedy Center – Room 1301G. A computerized evaluation of the unit will be provided and simple repairs, when possible, can be made.
   
• Consultant Services include in-service consultation provided to assist district staff in meeting the needs of students with either hearing impairment or central auditory processing disorders.

CoSer: 503.009

Nassau BOCES offers transition to employment services to students with disabilities who will be graduating from their local district to prepare them for the world of work. Services may include vocational counseling, internship site development, job coaching, training and benefits advisement.

CoSer: 207.500

Vision Services, including Assistive Technology and Orientation and Mobility Assessment and Training, are provided for students attending district programs.

Vision Assistive Technology Evaluations identify assistive technology devices and services that will help the student access the general curriculum and achieve academic success. Some of the technologies include screen reading software, speech output, scan-and-read systems, computer screen magnification, electronic note takers, and magnifying Closed-Circuit Televisions (CCTVs).

Orientation and Mobility (O&M) is an important and integral part of the curriculum in the comprehensive delivery of services to children with visual impairments. Orientation is the process of using sensory information to establish and maintain one's position in the environment; mobility is the process of moving safely, efficiently, and gracefully within one's environment. The ultimate goal of O&M instruction is for visually impaired persons to be able to travel in any environment as independently as possible. To reach this goal, O&M instruction must begin at the earliest possible age.

CoSer: 503.109