by Marci Revelli, MS, CCC-SLP (Speech-Language Pathologist); NWACS Board Member

reading time: 3 minutes

The views expressed in this post are that of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of NWACS. No endorsement by NWACS is implied regarding any device, manufacturer, resource, or strategy mentioned.

Can a speech-generating device or other assistive technology that is owned by the school and used at school also be used in the home setting?

This question comes up frequently. Some school districts, schools, speech-language pathologists, or other school team members may state that a device provided by the school cannot travel home. There may be practical reasons why they say this. The equipment may be shared by multiple students during the school day. Staff may use this equipment after school hours to plan or prep lessons. The school district may not have a stated policy or procedure for equipment to be used in the home setting and so the default answer is no.

These reasons are insufficient and inaccurate. There are three federal laws that address the obligations of public schools to meet the communication needs of students with disabilities:

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA),
Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA Title II),
and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504).

For the purposes of this blog post, we will be using what is listed in the Washington State Administrative Code or WAC:

Availability of assistive technology. On a case-by-case basis, the use of school-purchased assistive technology devices in a student's home or in other settings is required if the student's IEP team determines that the student needs access to those devices in order to receive FAPE.

The first part of the statement says “on a case-by-case basis”. The law does not state that all school-purchased assistive technology devices are required to be used at home.

Then, the statement continues “if the student’s IEP team determines that the student needs access to those devices…”. So, the way I read this, it is up to the IEP team. It is the IEP team’s decision. It is not a decision of just one person on the team. We SLPs need to explain the importance of carryover of communication goals as listed on the IEP in the home setting. We need to advocate for the consensus of the team that this will benefit the child. Since parents are also a part of the IEP team, they, too, have a say about wanting a device to be used in the home setting.

Finally, is the end of the statement “…in order to receive FAPE”. Is device use in the home necessary for the child to access a free and appropriate education? Well, families co-create goals with the rest of the IEP team that support the child's education across settings. If the family does not have the same or similar materials to access these goals, then the child’s education is restricted in the home setting. Communication does not just happen in a 6-hour school day. It undermines the efforts and hard work of the IEP team to integrate a communication device into a school day if all that effort and hard work are not supported during the other 18-hours of a child’s day. Schools are also required, by law, to provide training and technical assistance to families (https://sites.ed.gov/idea/regs/b/a/300.6).

A speech-generating device that travels between school and home should be listed under accommodations, then modifications for assistive technology. This should indicate that the stated device will travel between home and school to enable the child to advance toward attaining the annual goals and to communicate during extra-curricular and other non-academic activities.

Other references:

IDEA Sec. 300.105 Assistive technology (U.S. Department of Education)

Frequently Asked Questions on Effective Communication for Students with Hearing, Vision, or Speech Disabilities in Public Elementary and Secondary Schools (U.S. Department of Justice/U.S. Department of Education)

PrAACtical Questions: Can Students Take Their AAC Devices Home? (PrAACtical AAC)

Augmentative and Alternative Communication and the IEP (TechOWL)