Currently Project Director of the Center for Best Practices in Early Childhood, Western Illinois University, Linda Robinson has spent 26 years as an expert in early childhood education. But it wasn't until late in that time span that her ninth grade son was diagnosed with an anxiety disorder that would leave him house bound through his high school years. "Before that, I didn't have any direct experience as a parent in what had to be done to get a child's special needs met. When my son entered high school I realized that I was suddenly the parent of a child with a disability. Since then I've gone through the entire process, including IEP hearings, from a parent's perspective."

Fortunately, she says, "my son's school was very supportive and provided everything he needed. He was even assigned a tutor because his disability prevented him from physically going into the school." He had the tutor throughout high school. During that period, she recalls, "like any parent of a child with disabilities, I was working constantly with the school on his behalf."

Her initial experience in early childhood education, she remembers, was as an evaluator for an outreach project at Western Illinois University aimed at children from birth through three years of age. In 1983, she helped write a grant for a project that examined how technology could be used with young children from birth through age six. WIU's Center for Best Practices in Early Childhood Education, she notes, was among the first projects nationwide to employ technology with that age group. "I learned how to use the technology," she says. "We had to teach ourselves since no technology training was then available, nor did degrees in educational technology yet exist."

She conducted home visits with children from birth through three years in her area. "I'd bring assistive technology to the child's home. It was a very compelling experience to work with kids to test out various technologies, of which there weren't too many back then, and to adapt materials for children in ways that had not been attempted before."

After earning an undergraduate degree in sociology and dietetics from WIU, she moved through a Masters program, also at WIU, in early childhood education. While studying for her Masters she was employed by the university's early childhood education center where she worked on several projects. "We had a model demo for technology assessment, which enabled me to collaborate closely with families and children as a team member to assess children's technology needs." She also worked on a project aimed at utilizing technology to enhance literacy.

Linda now co-directs the center's online training project, which has removed her from working directly with children. "Yet it's exciting because it's a new method of training. We're reaching many families and individuals via the online workshop whom we would not ordinarily reach." She gets phone calls inquiring about the online training program from as far away as Alaska and Hawaii as well emails from parents and educators who love the online concept, which enables online workshop participants to earn professional development credits.She also serves as an adjunct faculty member in the center's instructional design and technology department.

"I've taught an AT class for the past six years to undergraduate education students," she says. "That's a new audience for me and it's exciting for me to know that these students will be entering the field with a new awareness of how they can help children learn in ways that are unavailable through their other coursework." Supporting our interview with Ms. Robinson are resources to assist parents, educators and others in further understanding the vital role played by AT in early childhood education. We also feature members of our Knowledge Network. The members spotlighted this month focus on various aspects of early childhood education aided by the use of assistive technology. We invite you to contact these members for further information.

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