Services
Consultation
Contractual services: In-depth, ongoing consultation (minimum 5 months) with a school district or other agency. Kornreich Technology Center staff will work on-site, surveying, assessing, training consumers and professionals, and making recommendations — all related to use of assistive technology and instructional technology within that agency. The Kornreich Technology Center will use its own hardware and software for assessment, demonstration and training purposes.
Short-tem consultations: One-time consultation events (e.g., 5 days to 6 weeks) regarding a specific aspect of assistive technology and instructional technology. Examples:
- a one-day consultation at the Kornreich Technology Center with a service agency wanting to set up an augmentative communication device loan program;
- a two-day inventory of all the assistive technology within a particular school building, with advice on what to discard, keep, upgrade, get serviced, etc., plus setting up a structure for keeping track of the technology going forward;
- consultation with a developer of a new assistive technology product, with feedback on the viability and features and/or testing of the product.
All consultation services are available at the discretion of the Kornreich Technology Center, dependent largely on staff availability.
Staff development
Kornreich Technology Center professionals are available to provide training to groups of staff who work with children or adults with disabilities. A wide array of topics are available, suitable for participants at introductory through advanced levels of assistive technology expertise. Training may be provided at the Kornreich Technology Center or at other requested sites within the New York City metropolitan area. Where appropriate, the Kornreich Technology Center may provide hardware and software for demonstration and trial during staff development workshops. A list of suggested workshops (PDF) is available; many other workshops are available. Custom workshops can also be designed.
Materials development
The Kornreich Technology Center and its affiliate, the Smeal Learning Center, can help educators comply with current legislation mandating that academic materials be provided in alternate formats to students with special needs. Services include conversion of print materials into Braille or a variety of digital formats, preparation of custom materials for individual consumers, plus advice on the most efficient ways to obtain, duplicate, and organize alternative materials for the use of current and future consumers.
Community support
Family groups
To provide support regarding assistive technology to consumers and their families or other support people, the Kornreich Technology Center is developing informal groups intended for largely for non-professionals. Monthly meetings may include demonstrations of technology products, discussion and demonstration of non-technology solutions to a variety of problems, education about factors affecting the success of assistive technology and instructional technology interventions, etc.
Open lab sessions
At a convenient after-school or after-work time, these sessions are an opportunity to independently preview software, review our extensive collection of assistive technology devices, or browse the Rae C. Kornreich Library’s resources in an informal setting. These are not individual consultation or training sessions. A staff member will be available to get you started exploring the technology on your own. A nominal fee is charged. Wednesdays, 3:30 PM – 6:30 PM.
Equipment rental
If a consumer’s device is out for repair, or s/he is waiting for delivery of a new device, the Kornreich Technology Center can provide low-cost rentals (up to four months) for some communication devices and other assistive technology. This service is intended for devices previously recommended by a qualified assistive technology service provider, and is limited by the availability of hardware (software is not available for rental) owned by the Kornreich Technology Center.