McCoy honored by peers at conference
Nancy Horst, Special to the Gazette
Friday, October 3, 2008
Elizabeth McCoy, director of the Flint Hills Special Education Cooperative, was recognized last week for her role in a state coalition that helps accommodate the needs of students and improve their academic achievement through assistive technology.
McCoy received the first Kansas Infinitec Coalition Outstanding Assistive Technology Award during an awards luncheon Friday at Emporia State University. She was selected for the award by her peers across the state for her support of assistive technology and her leadership in creating the coalition.
The Kansas Infinitec Coalition includes approximately 270 districts that share assistive technology resources. These resources include medical equipment, cooperative purchasing, online instructional materials and lesson plans, a web-based library, video lessons, and training for general education and special education teachers. Much of the training is hosted by FHSEC at Mary Herbert Education Center because of Emporia’s central location.
Assistive technology is “any type of assistive device or material a student must have to access the regular curriculum,” according to Janelle Miller, the assistive technology team leader for FHSEC. Items can range from low-tech materials such as anti-skid surfaces to high-tech word prediction software.
“Assistive technology is mandated (by federal law) for any student who otherwise would not have the same learning opportunities as their peers,” Miller said. “A lot of it is differentiated instruction that occurs in the regular classroom.”
The Flint Hills Special Education Cooperative has been a leader in the formation of the Kansas Infinitec Coalition, which was started four years ago with a grant written by Education Commission Alexa Posny in her position as deputy commissioner.
McCoy’s award was presented during the 2nd annual Outstanding Student Technology Awards program on Friday. Awards were presented to 10 students for their successful use of assistive technology. Among the award recipients was Garrison Pyle, a student in the Madison-Virgil school district.
Photos from the event can be found on the Emporia Public Schools web site, www.usd253.org.