Oregon Technology Access Program

🌍 Today is World Day for Assistive Technology — and it’s wild (in the best way) how fast AT is evolving. Tools are getting smarter, more portable, and more customizable, which means more people can communicate, learn, work, and participate with less friction and more independence.

A reminder many folks don’t know: every state has a federally mandated Assistive Technology Act program. Oregon’s is Access Technologies, Inc. (ATI) in Salem—a fantastic statewide resource if you support people who use AT.

And here at OTAP, we’re proud to be part of Oregon’s AT ecosystem through our AT Lending Library for children and youth (birth–21). We’re bringing in new switch-adapted toys, a hot new adapted music creation device, and a whole lineup of additional items to help teams and families problem-solve access in real time.

👀 Keep an eye out next month for an update in the Loan Library newsletter with what’s new in inventory and how to request loans!

🌍 Global Accessibility Awareness Day is tomorrow (GAAD).
Accessibility is the difference between “available” and usable—and AEM + AT are often the bridge.

GAAD is a great moment to recommit to advocacy: ensuring students don’t just have accommodations on paper, but real access to instruction, tools, and materials in formats they can use.

📌 Need Oregon-focused resources you can share with teams? Our OER Commons library includes:
• IEP Teams’ Guide to AEM in Oregon
• Empowering Early Learners: A Teacher’s Guide to AEM and Self-Advocacy for Elementary Students
• IEP Teams’ Guide to Assistive Technology in Oregon
• Advocating for My AEM Workbook (Grades 5–8)

✅ GAAD quick prompt: What’s one “small” accessibility fix (captioning, doc structure, TTS, alternative format, keyboard access, etc.) that makes a BIG impact? Drop it below—let’s steal from each other. 🙌

AT-TIES was a success—and honestly, I’m still smiling. 😄
✅ Higher attendance than expected
✅ Powerful speakers
✅ Real networking (the kind you can feel)
✅ Exhibitors who showed up with solutions

Big thanks to our sponsors Everway and Scanning Pens/ Pens US for supporting this community. And a special shoutout to our featured presenters: Chris Bugaj, Mike Marotta, Beth Poss, Karen Janowski and Mo Buti—outstanding.

To our exhibitors: thank you for being part of what made this conference work. I’ll be tagging you and sharing photos—if you attended, drop your favorite moment or takeaway below. 👇

Today is AT Awareness Day!

At the Oregon Technology Access Program, we believe assistive technology helps open doors to access, learning, communication, independence, and participation.

Assistive technology is not one-size-fits-all. It can be high-tech or low-tech, simple or complex, temporary or long-term. What matters most is that students have the tools and supports they need to engage meaningfully in school, demonstrate what they know, and participate alongside their peers.

Today, we celebrate the students, families, educators, service providers, and teams across Oregon who use assistive technology to remove barriers and create more accessible learning opportunities.

What assistive technology tool, strategy, or success story are you celebrating today?

Want to know more about how you can make a difference with AT? Check out this video Bridging Ability & Activity with Assistive Technology in Adapted PE with Matthew Barker M.Ed
https://youtu.be/w8G7gIimfIA?si=-BXs1CsL7SPp0CLW

🎉 Big thanks to Ed Hill + Scanning Pens for sponsoring our Sunday evening fun at AT-TIES!** 🎉

We’re especially grateful to Scanning Pens for sponsoring the Sunday Networking Event entertainment—including two virtual game booths to help us kick off the conference with connection, laughter, and a little friendly competition. 🙌

Scanning Pens was founded by two assistive tech champions, Jack Churchill (who is dyslexic and open about his journey) and Toby Sutton, with a simple, powerful goal: help more people **scan, listen, and understand** through portable literacy tools like the award-winning C-Pen. Find out more at https://www.scanningpens.com/.

📍 **Sunday, April 19 | 5–8 PM | Top Golf Lounge**
Come hang out, decompress with your team, meet vendor reps in a casual setting, enjoy appetizers, join a scavenger hunt, or… yes… play **Zombie Dodgeball**. 😄

👋 Be sure to stop by the Scanning Pens exhibitor table and meet Ed Hill—he’s traveled from the UK to be here with us!
🎤 Don’t miss his session: “Tools, Not Labels: Rethinking Dyslexia Support Through Everyday Access Technology.”

🚨 **New Session Alert (Tuesday):**
Hannah Erickson from Irisbond — The Spectrum of Access: Customizing Eye Gaze Setups for Diverse User Profiles on iPad

It's not too late! Register from our site or forward to a friend!
ℹ️ Conference hub: https://at-ties-2026-knmpzbq.gamma.site/

Real talk: we keep hearing, “Wait… I didn’t know AT-TIES was happening!” 😩

We’re doing everything we can to get the word out, but the best outreach has always been people sharing with people—a quick tag, a team email, a post share.

If AT-TIES has helped you (or your students), would you take a minute to help us reach the folks we’re missing?

✨ Please share this post and tag someone who should be there.

✅ Register: https://bit.ly/2026AT-TIES-Register

ℹ️ Conference hub: https://bit.ly/2026AT-TIES-HUB

Drop a comment with your role (OT/PT/SLP/Teacher/Admin/etc.) and I’ll reply with the session strand most relevant to you. 👇

2026 AT-TIES Conference Get ready to learn, collaborate, and be inspired at our annual conference dedicated to Accessible and Assistive Technologies (AT), Augmentative & Alternative Communication (AAC) and Therapy in Educational Settings (TIES). Oregon Technology Access Program (OTAP) and Regional & Statewide Services for

🚨 Early Bird rates are gone… but it’s not too late to register for AT-TIES!
If you’re looking for practical tools, fresh ideas, and the kind of AT conversations you can actually use on Monday—come join us.

🔥 EXHIBITOR SPOTLIGHT: EVERWAY (Top-Tier Sponsor) 🔥
We’re excited to welcome Everway—the new organization formed by Texthelp + n2y—bringing a clear mission we’re fully behind: breaking down barriers, valuing differences, and empowering people to understand and be understood. That’s the heart of accessible learning.

🍎 Snack Sponsor Alert: You asked for them… Everway is bringing them! 🙌
(Yes—there will be snacks. Yes—you can thank Everway.)

🔗 Learn more about Everway: https://www.everway.com/

✅ Register for AT-TIES: https://bit.ly/2026AT-TIES-Register

ℹ️ Conference hub: https://bit.ly/2026AT-TIES-HUB

2026 AT-TIES Conference Get ready to learn, collaborate, and be inspired at our annual conference dedicated to Accessible and Assistive Technologies (AT), Augmentative & Alternative Communication (AAC) and Therapy in Educational Settings (TIES). Oregon Technology Access Program (OTAP) and Regional & Statewide Services for

Good news! The Graduate has increased our hotel block and extended the deadline to March 19!
If you haven't reserved your room for AT-TIES yet, you have two more days!
Early bird rates ending March 19, too!

👉 Register now (Early Bird through March 19): https://reg.learningstream.com/reg/event_page.aspx?ek=0022-0005-7CE6F40205FB40C1B4CECDD55811C6DD

ℹ️ Conference hub: https://at-ties-2026-knmpzbq.gamma.site/

👥 Groups of 6+ get a discount (contact Cindy Doyle — [email protected])

2026 AT-TIES Conference Get ready to learn, collaborate, and be inspired at our annual conference dedicated to Accessible and Assistive Technologies (AT), Augmentative & Alternative Communication (AAC) and Therapy in Educational Settings (TIES). Oregon Technology Access Program (OTAP) and Regional & Statewide Services for

"What switch activated games do you recommend?"
This is the number one question I get through OTAP's AT/AAC Lending Library.
This is a great opportunity to crowdsource! PLEASE SHARE.

What do you recommend for single switch digital games for beginners? What are the best free options? Paid option?

We appreciate your contribution!

📣 School-based therapists: Transition planning isn’t “extra”—it’s where our therapy impact becomes real life...and it needs to start earlier than we think!

Oregon is putting major energy behind improving outcomes for youth with disabilities (including a new $20M federal investment supporting transition work through the University of Oregon). And we’re seeing why this matters: in Oregon’s most recent post-school outcomes results, about 1 in 4 former students weren’t engaged in work or education/training one year after leaving high school.

That’s exactly why we built strong, practical transition strands into AT-TIES—with sessions that connect therapy, AT, and real-world systems:

✅ Les Rodgers — Accessing Community College Accommodations: Navigating the Transition from High School to College
✅ Mike Marotta — Utilizing AT to Promote an Inclusive Transition Process to Support Employment
✅ Family to Family (OHSU) — Using IEP’s and Transition Plans to Empower Youth Moving from Pediatric to Adult Health Care

If you support students beyond the classroom—this is your conference. Bring your OT/PT/SLP team, your transition specialist, and your case managers.

👉 Register now (Early Bird through March 19): https://reg.learningstream.com/reg/event_page.aspx?ek=0022-0005-7CE6F40205FB40C1B4CECDD55811C6DD

ℹ️ Conference hub: https://at-ties-2026-knmpzbq.gamma.site/

👥 Groups of 6+ get a discount (group help: Cindy Doyle — [email protected]
)

UO receives $20 million Education Department grant to serve youth with disabilities A new $20 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education is set to expand the University of Oregon’s work helping students with disabilities.