Why Pay Full Price? Co-operative Buying Makes Sense!
Why Pay Full Price? is more than just the title of a presentation Susan Garber made at the MICCA Conference on March 11, 1999. It is a belief system shared by MDTAP, MSDE and seven Maryland public school systems: Co-operative Buying Makes Sense!
Since reducing the high cost of assistive technology devices is such a priority to directors of special education, a new non-profit organization, A.T.:L.A.S.T., Inc., has established a buyers' co-operative. Doing business as the Maryland A.T. Co-op, the purchasing power of multiple school systems is combined to negotiate discounts from manufacturers and vendors. Seven major metropolitan systems, representing approximately two-thirds of the special education students in the state, have joined in this inaugural year. Baltimore City, Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Harford, Howard, and Montgomery County Schools are poised for significant savings. Carroll County alone will realize savings of more than $35,000 on their purchases this year. They are opting to stretch their budgeted funds to buy more technology to serve more students-exactly what the Co-op wishes to support! While savings on devices (low and high tech hardware items) are ranging from 2 to 20%, savings on individual software titles and software licenses are running as high as 72%! Example: For a little more than the regular cost of a single copy of Write:Outloud, a popular talking word processor, schools can now acquire four copies for installation anywhere within their system. This will be of benefit not only to students with I.E.P.s, but also to young students with emerging literacy skills, to students for whom English is a second language, and for "unidentified" students with learning difficulties.
Bringing down the cost of 'specialized' software facilitates its placement in computer labs and classrooms to benefit all students. This in turn facilitates greater collaboration between assistive technology and instructional technology staff, while assuring that special needs students are not restricted to a single, "different" workstation. While the A.T. Co-op initially focused on augmentative communication devices, adapted access products and software, energies are being turned to negotiate discounts on products for students with vision and hearing impairments as well. In addition, the Co-op is looking to expand its membership to include non-public special education facilities before the end of this school year.
"Ultimately," says executive director Susan Garber, "I want the Co-op to develop the capability to serve individual teachers and parents as well as school systems. Teachers, therapists, and parents are hampered in their ability to prepare materials for students using programs such as BoardMaker, because the high cost of this extremely powerful program ($399) prohibits purchase for home use. By combining the purchasing power of the members, the Co-op has already been able to reduce the cost of that program by 40 to 52% this inaugural year."" I'd like to add the purchasing power of other state agencies such as the Infants and Toddlers Program, Family Support Network, the Division of Rehabilitation Services, the Developmental Disabilities Council, and the Office on Aging. Just imagine the impact on the market we could have then!"
By bringing the large systems on board first, the Co-op created a substantial market base. Now when smaller systems join, they will immediately realize truly significant savings.
Schools can currently join at the introductory rate of one thousand dollars per school year. The Co-op guarantees savings of at least $1200, or there is a partial rebate of fees. Special education and instructional technology staff are being encouraged to share the fee to signify the realization that ALL students should have access to appropriate technologies to reach curricular goals. It has been calculated that a school or school system may only need to be purchasing approximately $4000 a year in order for Co-op membership to be of benefit. Membership fees partially fund the staff necessary to collect data on anticipated purchases, negotiate the discounts, administer site licenses, etc.
During the '97-'98 school year both MDTAP and Volunteers for Medical Engineering held focus groups to identify barriers to the provision of assistive technology devices and services to Maryland's school children. The barriers identified were familiar ones, ones which have been cited for over 10 years now:
· lack of a pool of loaner equipment so systems could "try before they buy";
· lack of trained evaluators knowledgeable in school culture;
· lack of trained local staff to implement technology strategies;
· lack of systems in place to deal with parental demands;
· and, of course, the high cost of devices. MDTAP set out to break down these barriers to services by establishing A.T.:L.A.S.T. Inc. as a systems change agent. Each letter in the name is significant to describing the goals of the organization, helping schools to provide:Assistive Technology: Loans, Acquisitions, Services and Training.
As a non-profit, membership organization, the goals will continue to be pursued after MDTAP's federal funding has expired. The Maryland State Department of Education, Division of Special Education is partnering with MDTAP to fund the organization's pilot activities. As a 501c3 non-profit organization, A.T.:L.A.S.T. looks to receive grants from foundations to expand its services. With its Acquisitions component well underway, planning has begun to address Loans. An on-line database of used and new equipment will be established to facilitate the loan of devices among schools and other organizations later this year. This is another cost efficient strategy to assure more students receive the devices they need.
For additional information, to join, or to support the activities of the Maryland A.T. Co-op, contact Susan Garber at 410-554-9244, 1-800-999-6827, or jmg@erols.com.
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