The Macomb Projects REFERENCE: Macomb Projects. (1994). About Macomb Projects [brochure]. Macomb, IL: Western Illinois University, College of Education.
The following is a description of the work done by the Macomb Projects, a group of projects whose work focuses on young children with disabilities. It is reprinted with the permission of the Macomb Projects.
Macomb Projects under the direction of Patricia Hutinger, Ed.D., professor of Early
Childhood in the Department of Elementary Education/Reading at Western Illinois
University, was begun in 1975. Because of Dr. Hutinger's background, interests, and
experience, all Macomb Projects' work has centered on young children, ages 0-8.
"Macomb Projects" today is an umbrella title for a group of one state and six
federally funded grant projects that deal with young children with disabilities.
Project ACTT (Activating Children Through Technology) was begun in 1983 to demonstrate
that young children with disabilities could benefit from using computers and adaptive
devices to help them play, learn, communicate, and interact with their environment. Since
1986, Project ACTT has trained teachers, program assistants, therapists, and parents to
implement technology in the classrooms and homes with their students and youngsters with
disabilities. Training is held on the Western Illinois University campus three times a
year, and our trainers are available to do workshops throughout the United States. We are
proud that in 1990 the State of Hawaii adopted our computer curriculum and philosophy for
the entire state's Birth to Three programs. One of ACTT's outreach efforts is an assistive
technology conference held in March in Macomb, IL. Project ACTT is funded through the U.S.
Department of Education's Early Education Program for Children with Disabilities,
PR#H024D20044.
Beginning in the fall of 1994, Project TTAP (Technology Team Assessment Process), a former
Macomb Projects' model demonstration project, began its outreach work. TTAP provides
replication training on our technology assessment model to teams of early childhood
personnel, service providers, and families. TTAP's team assessment training provides teams
the ability to determine the most effective hardware, software, and adaptive devices for
an individual child and to avoid the "hit and miss" approach of making assistive
technology recommendations. Three-day traning sessions are conducted in Macomb several
times throughout the year, and TTAP trainers are available to provide workshops anywhere
in the United States. A manual describing the TTAP process, as well as an observation
instrument developed by the Project, is available. TTAP is funded by the U.S. Department
of Education's Early Education Program for Children with Disabilities.
Access to activities in the arts that are an accepted part of regular early childhood
programs in typical settings are equally, if not more, important for young children with
disabilities. Our Expressive Arts Project, which began in the fall of 1992, will design a
developmentally appropriate activity-based expressive arts curriculum model for young
children with disabilities. The curriculum will contain components for the visual arts,
music, and creative dramatics. Computers and other assistive technologies are part of the
curriculum activities. Staff works with teachers, children with disabilities, and families
at four model development sites (two are birth to three sites and two are preschools).
Findings indicate that children with disabilities progress through the developmental
stages of children's art as detailed by Rhoda Kellogg. The Expressive Arts Project is
funded by the U.S. Department of Education's Early Education Program for Children with
Disabilities, PR#H024B20010.
"Something's Fishy!," a Macintosh CD-ROM under development by our Technology
Assessment Software Project, will feature developmentally appropriate software designed to
be used during technology assessments of children 18 months through 8 years of age who
have moderate to severe disabilities. Part 1 of "Something's Fishy!" is called
"Splish! Splash!" and features as series of activities to assess levels of
alternative input, beginning with the single switch. Part 2, "Anchors Aweigh!"
is a series of activities to assess complexity of task, ranging from direct select to
scanning. Part 3, "Oh Buoy!" contains activities designed to determine the
child's preferences for color, size, sounds, volume, movement, image types, and nature of
stimuli (visual, auditory, combination). The Project, which is funded by the U.S.
Department of Education's National Institute on Disabilities and Rehabilitation Research,
PR#H133G40141, began in the fall of 1994.
Our Early Childhood Emergent Literacy Technology Project is developing and studying the
effects of an interactive technology literacy curriculum on the emergent knowledge and
abilities of 3, 4, and 5 year old children who demonstrate mild to moderate disabilities.
The Project's curriculum is implemented in four different types of classrooms, ranging
from those having no experience with technology to those having a great deal of technology
experience. The interactive technology literacy curriculum is based on an emergent
literacy approach and includes software selected via an analysis of the quality and
interactive levels of the programs, their appropriateness, and their appeal to children.
The curriculum includes on-computer and off-computer activities which contain important
elements of emerging literacy. This Project began in the summer of 1994 and is funded by
the U.S. Department of Education's Technology, Educational Media, and Materials Program
for Individuals with Disabilities, PR#H180G40078.
Our state-funded project, Project APPLES (Assistance for Preschool Personnel in Learning
Environments)/R*TAS Regions I and III, is funded through the Illinois State Board of
Education's Regional Technical Assistance System (R*TAS). APPLES provides inservice
opportunities for early childhood special education personnel through numerous
conferences, workshops, and training sessons. The Project hosts APPLES Magazine, an
interactive satellite program aired each month of the school year. Each program features a
guest who covers a timely topic of interest to those in the early childhood field. The
program is extremely popular not only in Illinois but also in many other states as well.
Videotapes of each program are available. APPLES also offers mini-grants in an effort to
provide opportunities for early childhood special education professionals to implement
creative ideas, explore innovative concepts, or develop unique curricular practices that
benefit children, families, and professionals.
A catalog of products (software, instructional materials, curriculum guides and
videotapes) developed by Macomb Projects is available.
CONTACT(S): Macomb Projects, 27 Horrabin Hall, WIU Macomb, IL 61455; (309)
298-1634. Carol Schneider, a Child Developmental Computer Specialist for Macomb Projects
is a registered user of NCIPnet.
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This material was developed by the National Center to Improve Practice (NCIP), located at Education Development Center, Inc. in Newton, Massachusetts. NCIP was funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs from October 1, 1992 - September 30, 1998, Grant #H180N20013. Permission is granted to copy and disseminate this information. If you do so, please cite NCIP. Contents do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Department of Education, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by NCIP, EDC, or the U.S. Government. This site was last updated in September 1998. |