STAR Point Transcript - PACER Simon Technology Center
Guest: Annette Ceretta, Assistive Technology Specialist
Host: Earle Harrison
Intro music and ID:
From the depths of ingenuity to the heart and soul of assistive technology for people with disabilities, STAR is a System of Technology to Achieve Results.
STAR Point does not endorse or recommend any product, individual or agency. The information expressed on STAR Point is informational in nature and does not imply endorsement by STAR's funders, the National Institute of Disability Rehabilitation Research, or the State of Minnesota.
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Earle Harrison: Hello, and welcome to another installment of STAR Point. STAR Point is a project of the Minnesota STAR Program. Star stands for a System of Technology to Achieve Results. Today in this studio we've got Annette Ceretta of PACER Center. Specifically -- more specifically, of the Simon Technology Center. Welcome, Annette, and thanks for joining us today.
Annette Ceretta: Thank you, and it's great to be here.
Earle Harrison: Why don't we start out by discussing exactly what PACER and Simon Technology Center are.
Annette Ceretta: Okay. Well, yeah, the PACER Center is a non-profit organization for parents or, I should say, families of children with disabilities. And what the PACER Center does is provide support, advocacy and other services to families around issues of special education, health advocacy and other issues related to children with disabilities.
Earle Harrison: PACER is actually an acronym for something, isn't it?
Annette Ceretta: Yes, it is. It's an acronym. It's kind of a long acronym, but it stands for Parent Advocacy Coalition for Educational Rights.
Earle Harrison: Okay. And is it specifically for children?
Annette Ceretta: Well, most of the programs that are part of PACER are geared to children and families, children with disabilities and their families. However, we do have a transition project that addresses the needs of youth in transition to either employment or higher education. And then there's the Simon Technology, of which I'm a part, the Simon Technology Center serves people of all ages. So that's a little bit different than the rest of PACER.
EARLE HARRISON: When did Simon Technology Center come about?
ANNETTE CERETTA: That came about -- that project came about in the early '80s. They started with a very small, I think it was a couple thousand dollar, grant from Apple Computer to start an assistive technology center in Minneapolis. And so I think they just had one room and a couple of computers. But it's definitely grown to be a lot more than that, which I'll be happy to tell you more about.
Earle Harrison: Sure.
Annette Ceretta: We have several services now that we provide, and once again, we provide these services, assistive technology services, to people of all ages. And many of our services are free. First of all, we have free technology consultations that we offer people in Minnesota, people with disabilities. And what those are are just one-on-one times where a family can come in with their child, or an adult can come in and just experiment and learn about different assistive technology and work one-on-one with one of our staff that has knowledge in the field of assistive technology. And so that's a really good free service.
In order to sign up for that, all you need to do is contact our center. We can get you going on that.
Earle Harrison: So you've already indicated that it's all ages. Is it also all disabilities as well?
Annette Ceretta: Yes. That's a good point. It is all disabilities. We don't really focus on any particular type of special need. So really we work with people who have physical disabilities, cognitive disabilities, learning disabilities, other special needs, sensory loss and so forth. It really doesn't matter.
Earle Harrison: So take me through a typical scenario. Let's say somebody with a physical disability contacts PACER or contacts you and they want to check out what there is in the way of technology that might be able to help them out.
Annette Ceretta: Right. The process for that is that they can contact us either through our website, which is www.PACER.ORG, and they can fill out an application process for the consultation. We do have people complete an application so we can get some background on what their needs are. Or they can just give us a phone call. Our number at PACER is 952-838-9000, and we will send them an application out if they want to do it that way. Once we get the application, we can set up an appointment, and they can just come in and they'll work with one of our staff. So that's how the consultation services work.
Earle Harrison: We'll go ahead and repeat this contact information before we end the program. Let's say that a person has come and they've -- is it essentially an assessment that you do?
Annette Ceretta: Well, that's a good point. It's an informal consultation. It's not a formal assessment. And we do want that to be clear to people. It's not something that they have to pay for. But it's also not as structured as a formal assessment. Does that make sense?
Earle Harrison: It does. Do you then refer people on so they can receive more formalized --
Annette Ceretta: Exactly, if they need more formalized assessments, we definitely refer them on. And before the consultation we may refer them to vendors of technology. We figure out that a certain technology really works for them, or if we're not really sure, you know, we might get some ideas about what assistive technology is helpful. We do have a lending library where they can borrow different devices or software to try out for a limited period of time. Our loan period is about three to four weeks. And that way they can preview the technology at home or at their leisure so that they really can find out whether or not it's something that they would want to use and that would be helpful to them.
Earle Harrison: That's great. Do you monitor that so after the fact you can actually see how far along they've come?
Annette Ceretta: Well, we do in an informal way. We keep in touch with a lot of the people through the library, because a lot of families, especially, continue to borrow all different types of software. They don't just borrow maybe one device one time, or one piece of software. And so they tell us, you know, if it worked or if it didn't for them. And they often, you know, contact us for more suggestions on technology. So we do keep in touch with a lot of the folks that use our library and consultation services.
Earle Harrison: Okay. And what about children with disabilities? Do you get involved with the school system at all?
Annette Ceretta: We do work a lot with the schools, in different ways. First of all, teachers and school professionals are always -- are welcome to come to the consultations if the family wants them to come along. So often school personnel attend the consultation. So we work kind of as a team.
Also, we do all kinds of trainings for professionals in the schools in Minnesota on assistive technology. So we have a lot of connections with schools in that way. And then we work with families to make sure they understand the IEP process, which part of the IEP requires schools to consider assistive technology for any child that has an IEP. So we make sure that parents know that so that they're really getting the services that are available to them in the schools.
Earle Harrison: If you're just tuning in, you're listening to STAR Point, a project of the Minnesota STAR Program. We're talking with Annette Ceretta of PACER Center and Simon Technology Center. And you're located in Bloomington; is that correct?
Annette Ceretta: That's correct. Our address is 8161 Normandale Boulevard in Bloomington.
Earle Harrison: What about folks in outstate Minnesota, do they still need to come to you, or are there any arrangements you can make with people where transportation might be an issue?
Annette Ceretta: Right. It can be a little tricky in that way. What we often do, if people are very far away, is refer them to the services that are more local to them. And there are a couple different ones. I can't really -- at the moment I don't remember names and locations, but we would probably refer them to a more local service.
Otherwise, people are always welcome to come in from as far as they feel like traveling. But, unfortunately, one thing we don't do is we don't go out to do the consultations because we just don't have the staff to do that. But we try to accommodate families however we can. Let's say they come into town for an appointment or something, then we'll try to set up a consultation around that. And also the loan library, we mail things out to people all over Minnesota , so they don't have to come in to pick up the items they borrow.
Earle Harrison: That's great. Software, the licensing must get a little tricky there.
Annette Ceretta: Well, yes. We have checked with our lawyers. There are some exemptions to the copyright law. And apparently they do apply to the software that we lend out, because I don't know the details, but I do know that there are exemptions to copyright for people with disabilities and for loaning. So we have that covered, but sometimes it does get a little bit, a little tricky. But it's all legal and on the up and up.
Earle Harrison: I'm sure it is. What types of software do you loan out?
Annette Ceretta: We loan out a great deal of educational software. So it's learning software. We do have some games and just-for-fun stuff, but a lot of it is very educationally oriented, because we work with children who are in school.
We also do have quite a bit of special needs software. So, for instance, for a person who is visually impaired, we have some screen reading software. And, for instance, a virtual keyboard that is on the computer screen versus a standard keyboard. We have that type of software. So that's sort of what we call special needs software.
Earle Harrison: Sure. And the virtual keyboard, that would be somebody with a physical disability, more or less?
Annette Ceretta: Yes, most likely, right. That way, if they couldn't use a regular keyboard, they could maybe access the keyboard on the screen with a mouse or perhaps a head-pointing device. And then we do have devices, things like augmentative communication devices that we loan out, special notebooks for students like the Alpha Smart. I don't know if people are familiar with that. But it's a portable little notebook. We have alternative computer access tools.
Earle Harrison: Let's go back to the Alpha Smart and talk a little bit about what that is.
Annette Ceretta: It's a portable, what they call a portable note taker. It's a very scaled-down, computer almost, but it's durable and it's designed for kids to take to school. And it basically has very simple functions that a computer would have. For instance, it has word processor and maybe a scheduler and things like that. But they're more inexpensive and less delicate than a laptop. They're good for, if you don't want to give a child a laptop they might drop or leave somewhere, it's a good alternative.
Earle Harrison: Does it double as an aug-com device?
Annette Ceretta: Most of them do not have speech output. They're very good for kids who struggle with handwriting or it takes them so long to write or to spell, that if they had a keyboard, they would produce better work. And that's often what they're used for in school situations.
Earle Harrison: I understand you have a used equipment referral service.
Annette Ceretta: Yes, we do have a used assistive technology listing service. And it's on our website which is www.PACER.org, and it's a free service where people who have assistive technology to sell can list their equipment on line and then buyers can shop for the equipment on line as well.
Earle Harrison: Wow, it's an actual shopping cart?
Annette Ceretta: It's not quite like that. Because they have to contact the seller directly. We don't keep any of the equipment there at PACER. But there's quite a bit of assistive technology on there, ranging from, you know, things like wheelchairs, scooters. We have a lot of daily living aids, ramps, and lifts are listed. I mean it's a very broad range. And also vision technology, computer access and augmentative communication, and that's just some of what we have listed.
Earle Harrison: Kind of the eBay for assistive technology.
Annette Ceretta: Exactly. So it's really good to know about because I think you could definitely get some good deals on equipment.
Earle Harrison: If you are just joining us, you're tuned to STAR Point, a project of the Minnesota STAR Program. We're speaking with Annette Ceretta from PACER Center and Simon Technology Center. She's an assistive technology specialist for PACER and Simon Technology Center. So you really cover the whole gamut. You work with children. You work with professionals and consumers as well. Are there any training opportunities for folks, maybe family members of people with disabilities?
Annette Ceretta: Yes, absolutely. That's one of our major focuses is to help families learn about assistive technology that's available out there. And so we offer a number of free workshops throughout the year on assistive, on various assistive technology topics. And the best way to learn about those is to go to our website. And again I'll repeat that. It's www.PACER.org, and just click on -- there should be a link to workshops. And that should have the current workshops coming up on assistive technology and also other related issues related to special education and so forth.
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Earle Harrison: If you are just joining us, you're tuned to STAR Point, a project of the Minnesota STAR Program. We're speaking with Annette Ceretta, from PACER Center and Simon Technology Center. She is an assistive technology specialist for PACER and Simon Technology Center.
I understand you've got lots of training for parents and things like that coming up as well.
Annette Ceretta: We do. We have a training that we're doing that helps parents learn about IDEA, which is the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and how that relates to assistive technology, and so we have a training coming up on that. I don't know if I should get into the dates of that. I don't know if I have that.
Earle Harrison: I think the best thing for folks to do is go to PACER.org and check it out, because you're always adding events. And also, if you're listening to this in our realtime stream, our automated stream, most of the time, when we're not hosting live events, you will probably from time to time hear public service announcements about what's going on at PACER. You guys have been real good about submitting those to us, and we've certainly been working those into the rotation.
Annette Ceretta: Well, thank you. We appreciate it.
Earle Harrison: You're welcome. Because there's lots of good stuff going on. You guys have sponsored some pretty heavy projects in the past, haven't you? As I recall, was it last May you actually had Bonnie Raite as a performer.
Annette Ceretta: Yes, we have some pretty big names that -- she came for our benefit. Every year we have an annual benefit concert. And so we had Bonnie Raite, and that was fabulous last year. We've had Aretha Franklin. We've had a lot -- we had Bill Cosby one year. A lot of big names. And that's a lot of fun, and they have a silent auction along with the concert, or before the concert, I should say. It's always a really fun event. And that's usually held in May. And the date -- well, just check our website for the date.
Earle Harrison: Anything we should know about for this coming May?
Annette Ceretta: I wish I could tell you, but I don't know who the performer will be. I'm not sure if they've decided on that yet either. So sorry, I can't give you any special information there. Just check the website.
Earle Harrison: We'll do it. So what does the future hold for PACER and Simon Technology Center, anything new in the works?
Annette Ceretta: Well, I'm sure we'll keep doing what we're doing, because there's still a big need in the community to help people learn about assistive technology. But I guess what I would say is new is the trend towards universal design of technology, so that it's designed to be accessible to a broad range of people from the get-go. One project that we have in the Simon Technology Center that addresses universal design of technology is, well, we call it Accessible Information Technology in Schools, and we're working with the Great Lakes ADA out of Chicago to try to help promote awareness about making technology more accessible, and especially in K through 12 settings.
What that means is we're providing -- if people have questions on ways to maybe design computers to be more accessible to students in schools, we would help them out with that. Or maybe let's say there's educational software programs that students who are hearing impaired or visually impaired, they can't access those. And the other students can. And what can schools do to make those types of programs like multi-media and educational software accessible to all students.
So we're providing some technical support in that area.
Earle Harrison: What are the types of barriers that you come up against?
Annette Ceretta: Some of the typical barriers might be that, let's use the example, again, of an educational software program. A lot of educational software programs are great because they're very animated and they have lots of sound and they have all kinds of visual effects. But the barriers that are there from all those special features are that students who have hearing impairments, they won't be able to use the software because they don't get any of the audio, any of the narration, any of the special sound effects. And students who are visually impaired can't really see what's going on the screen and they can't really get the benefits of all the graphics and so on. So that's an example of a barrier that's posed by the technology itself.
Earle Harrison: So are there any vendors who you might consider all-inclusive in terms of meeting these needs?
Annette Ceretta: Well, there are very few right now, because this is just a new trend that's begun to have vendors create universally designed software, especially for educational settings. There is one vendor, Digital Frog. They make science educational software. And they have a program called Digital Rain Forest, and I think they have another one that has a lot of accessibility features built right into the software. So I could recommend -- you could visit their website. I think it's DigitalFrog.com to learn more about that software. So that's the kind of information we're trying to share with families and with schools and disability advocates.
Earle Harrison: What about recreational technology?
Annette Ceretta: Well, there's all kinds of recreational technology out there. And at the Simon Technology Center we focus a little bit more on computers and software. But we can refer people. Let's say they want maybe some adaptive equipment for fishing or something like that or adaptive playground equipment. We will definitely give them resources on where they can find out more about that kind of technology.
Earle Harrison: Cool. Adaptive playground equipment.
Annette Ceretta: Oh, yeah.
Earle Harrison: What are the types of things would we find in an adaptive playground?
Annette Ceretta: For instance, I've seen -- have you ever seen those shovels you can dig sand with and they're kind of automated?
Earle Harrison: I used to own one.
Annette Ceretta: Oh, all right.
Earle Harrison: But then I became 25 and....
Annette Ceretta: And had to give it up. Well, kids like to play with those, Earle, and they've designed some that are wheelchair accessible, so that a child could come approach it in the wheelchair and grab onto the handles because they're at the wheelchair level. That's just one little example.
Earle Harrison: Well, that's fabulous, because there's certainly more to life than work and school.
Annette Ceretta: I agree with you there.
Earle Harrison: Speaking of work and school, what types of things does Simon Technology Center get involved with, or PACER Center get involved with, with regard to transition from, say, a secondary to an employment situation?
Annette Ceretta: Well, we're trying to get more involved because it's a very important stage of transition, obviously. And what we're doing right now is we've done some training with the WorkForce Centers to help their staff understand a little bit more about how to work with youth with disabilities. And that's one thing. But we also provide all kinds of technical support to youth and their families. For instance, on how to get hooked up with the vocational rehabilitation system and what they need to do to start preparing for life after high school. And what they need to, what kind of skills they need to develop, especially in terms of advocacy skills, for when they get out there in the work world or in a secondary setting.
Earle Harrison: You mentioned technical support. Does PACER/Simon Technology Center offer any technical support for some of the vendors that you recommend?
Annette Ceretta: Well, we try to help vendors who are trying to become more compliant with, you know, principles of universal design in terms of technology. If they call us -- I mean I've talked with some local software developers who would like to make their software more accessible, and we give them recommendations on that and resources for designing better software.
Earle Harrison: What about tech support for consumers?
Annette Ceretta: Well...
Earle Harrison: That wasn't my question earlier, but I'm glad you answered it.
Annette Ceretta: I went a little different way with it.
Earle Harrison: That's okay.
Annette Ceretta: We provide just a little bit of just general support, but not a lot of technical support, like my computer won't turn on, what can I do? Because that would be beyond the scope of what our staff does. But as far as assistive technology, we would probably -- and other computer technology -- we would refer people. As far as like technical problems with equipment, we don't do that. Other types of technical problems, maybe we'd cover. But...
Earle Harrison: Okay. You're listening to STAR Point, a project of the Minnesota STAR Program. Our guest is Annette Ceretta, an assistive technology specialist for PACER Center and Simon Technology Center. Annette, why don't we go ahead and let people know how they can get in touch with you or Simon Technology.
Annette Ceretta: Right. The Simon Technology Center is part of PACER, and you can contact us by calling the main PACER number, which is 952-838-9000 and then just ask for the PACER Simon Technology Center. Or you can contact us via Internet and e-mail. Our website, let me make sure I get this, is STC which stands for Simon Technology Center, at PACER.org. So that's STC@PACER.org. We have also a TTY phone number, which is 952-838-0199. And in Greater Minnesota we have a toll free number, which is 800-537-2237.
Earle Harrison: You're listening to STAR Point, a project of the Minnesota STAR Program. My name is Earle Harrison, and I'm speaking with Annette Ceretta of Simon Technology Center from PACER, which is an organization. And PACER stands for Parent Advocacy Coalition of Educational Rights; is that right?
Annette Ceretta: That's correct. Very good, Earle.
Earle Harrison: Let's just go ahead and recap some of the categories under which PACER operates in terms of the services that you offer.
Annette Ceretta: Okay. Sure. Well, PACER in general offers advocacy services for parents or families who have children with disabilities. We also, in the Simon Technology Center, have a number of services. We offer free technology consultations.
Earle Harrison: That's available for people of all ages?
Annette Ceretta: All ages, yes. And we have a lending library, an assistive technology lending library as well, and we do have open hours where people can come in, try things out, I just wanted to mention that, on Tuesdays from 12 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 to 4:00 p.m.
Earle Harrison: Those are walk-in hours?
Annette Ceretta: Walk-in hours, right. Then we have a used assistive technology referral service that's on our website. That's a free listing for people who would like to sell assistive technology and buy used assistive technology as well. And we do free assistive technology-related workshops for people, for professionals and families and consumers around the state of Minnesota. And, finally, we do information and referral. So, in other words, if you have a question about assistive technology, where to find it or a service related to assistive technology, just give us a call and we'll try to help you out.
Earle Harrison: So visit the website, PACER.org, all the Ws, PACER.org. And since it's such a dynamic organization, there's always something new going on. So thanks for joining us today.
Annette Ceretta: Thank you.
From the depths of ingenuity to the heart and soul of assistive technology for people with disabilities, STAR is a System of Technology to Achieve Results.
STAR Point does not endorse or recommend any product, individual or agency. The information expressed on STAR Point is informational in nature and does not imply endorsement by STAR's funders, the National Institute of Disability Rehabilitation Research or the State of Minnesota.
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Earle Harrison: You've been listening to a broadcast of STAR Point, a production of the Minnesota STAR Program, System of Technology to Achieve Results. If you would like to provide feedback, become a guest on our program, or if you'd like to find out more about the STAR Program, please visit our website at www.admin.state.mn.us/assistivetechnology. My name is Earle Harrison. Thank you for listening.