VIDBE-Q Volume 69 Issue 4
received. This powerful information provides a preview of our students' futures
and can help practitioners to work backwards and provide more specific training
while students are still in high school.
Finally, for people inspired to learn more about AT, the last two articles in
this issue provide perspectives and opportunities for the future. Dr. Kevin
McCormack shares his experience of going back to school for assistive technology
certification after working as a COMS for 17 years. As the new chairperson of
AERBVI's Division 5, Dr. McCormack hopes to promote awareness of the
importance of access technology within our field. To close out the issue, Sessler
Trinkowsky et al. provide information on the Assistive Technology Certificate at
University of Massachusetts-Boston. As a graduate of this certificate program,
myself, I can attest to its rigor and quality.
My career has given me the opportunity to serve as a special educator, a
Teacher of Students with Visual Impairments, a regional assistive technology
consultant, a RESNA-certified Assistive Technology Professional (ATP), a
Certified Assistive Technology Instructional Specialist (CATIS), and an assistant
professor. My youngest student was 11 months old, while my oldest client ever
was 95 years old. The more I learn about accessibility and technology, the more I
realize there is to learn. While the steady pace of technological advancement
ensures I will never "know it all," it also means that our students and clients will
