Assistive Technology in Tennessee IEPs: How to Get the Tools Your Child Needs

Your child's occupational therapist told you that a specific text-to-speech app would make a significant difference in their ability to complete written assignments. Your child's reading specialist agrees. But the school says they'll "look into it" and nothing happens. Two semesters later, your child is still typing laboriously while their classmates move twice as fast.

Assistive technology is one of the most contested—and most frequently ignored—areas of IEP services in Tennessee. Understanding what the law requires, and how to push for what your child needs, can change their educational trajectory.

What Counts as Assistive Technology

Assistive technology (AT) is any device, item, piece of equipment, or software that improves the functional capabilities of a child with a disability. The legal definition under IDEA (20 U.S.C. § 1401) is intentionally broad and covers:

• Low-tech devices: pencil grips, specialized keyboards, communication boards, graphic organizers
• Mid-tech devices: audio recorders, talking calculators, adapted mice and joysticks
• High-tech devices: speech-generating devices (SGDs), eye gaze communication technology, AAC apps (like Proloquo2Go), screen readers, text-to-speech software (like Kurzweil or Read&Write), and learning management system accessibility tools

AT also includes assistive technology services: evaluating a child's AT needs, purchasing or leasing devices, customizing or maintaining devices, training the child to use the device, and training family members and staff.

The fact that Tennessee includes both devices and services in the AT definition matters. It's not enough to give a child an iPad. The district must also provide training so the child can actually use it effectively.

Tennessee's Legal Obligation

Under IDEA and Tennessee State Board Rule 0520-01-09, IEP teams in Tennessee must consider assistive technology for every student with a disability during the development, review, and revision of the IEP. This is a "must consider" requirement—not optional, not discretionary.

If the IEP team determines that the child needs AT in order to receive a Free Appropriate Public Education, the district must provide it at no cost to the family. This includes devices that will be used primarily at home if home use is necessary for the child to benefit from special education.

"Must consider" does not mean "must provide." The team considers AT needs and makes a determination. But the determination must be documented, and if the team concludes no AT is needed, they should be able to articulate why based on the child's present levels and needs. A team that checks "no AT needed" without discussion is not meeting its legal obligation.

Getting an AT Evaluation

If you believe your child needs assistive technology and the school has not addressed it, the most effective first step is to request a formal AT evaluation in writing. This is a request for the school to assess your child's specific AT needs across relevant settings.

Tennessee districts can conduct AT evaluations using their own staff or external specialists. Some districts have AT specialists on staff; others may contract with a regional educational cooperative or independent evaluator. The evaluation should assess:

• What the child is trying to do (communicate, read, write, access the curriculum)
• What barriers exist to doing that without AT
• What AT features or devices might address those barriers
• How the child responds to trial use of specific devices

Request the evaluation in writing, specifically asking for an "assistive technology assessment as part of the IEP process." Once the district agrees to evaluate, the standard 60-day evaluation timeline applies in Tennessee.

If the district refuses to conduct an AT evaluation and cannot provide a data-based rationale for why AT consideration has been satisfied without one, that's grounds for a state complaint.

Common AT Battles in Tennessee Schools

"Our district doesn't provide that software." The district is obligated to provide the specific AT the child needs, not whatever is most convenient for the district's existing inventory. If an evaluation determines that a specific tool is necessary, the district must obtain it.

"The iPad is only for use at school, not at home." If your child needs the device to complete homework or to practice skills that are part of their IEP goals, home use may be required. Get the determination in writing and push back if the justification is only cost.

"The child is too young/low-functioning for that technology." This argument is frequently made without data. AAC devices and text-to-speech tools have been used effectively with preschool-age children with complex communication needs. Demand the AT evaluation if the team is making categorical assumptions.

"The child should learn to do it without accommodations first." This is an educational philosophy, not a legal standard. FAPE means providing what the child needs to access and benefit from education now—not a program designed to reduce accommodations over time by withholding them.

"The family can buy it themselves." No. If the AT is necessary for FAPE, the district pays. Period. This is true even for expensive speech-generating devices that cost $8,000 or more.

What to Include in an AT Request

When requesting AT consideration or an AT evaluation, your written request should:

1. Name the specific functional area of concern (written expression, reading, communication, motor access)
2. Reference current IEP goals that the child is struggling to make progress toward
3. Note what informal accommodations or low-tech tools have been tried and why they are insufficient
4. Request either a formal AT evaluation or a discussion of AT at the next IEP meeting with documentation of the team's consideration

Keep a copy of every AT-related communication. If AT was recommended by a private evaluator or therapist, include that documentation with your request.

After AT Is Added to the IEP

Once AT is included in the IEP, monitor its implementation. Common post-IEP problems include:

• The device was ordered but never arrived
• Staff were not trained on how to use the device
• The device is only in the resource room, not available in the general education classroom
• Software licenses expired and were not renewed
• The child's iPad was lost or broken and not replaced

Any of these is an implementation failure. Document it, communicate with the team in writing, and if services are consistently not delivered, that's a state complaint issue.

For parents in Tennessee who need help getting assistive technology included in their child's IEP—or enforcing AT provisions that aren't being implemented—the Tennessee IEP & 504 Advocacy Playbook includes AT-specific request templates and guidance on citing IDEA's AT provisions in your communications with the district.

The tools exist. The law supports your child's access to them. The gap is almost always in advocacy—knowing how to ask, how to document, and how to push back when the district defaults to "no."

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