The T.R.E. Center - Assistive Technology for New York State since 1989

Stay tuned for more of the "History of The T.R.E. Center"

1989 - Tech-Net Center, Albany

We had a staff of 3 people in 1990 when the present day project coordinator, David Grapka, and technology coordinator, Jeff Dorr began to work at the TRE Center with a secretary as the only other staff person.

It began as a project aimed at training teachers to train other teachers in the latest software programs. 

Technology Changes at the Center

We started with a Apple IIgs & IIe localtalk network served by a single Macintosh II running AppleShare Server.  The Center had a lab of these computers and one 386 PC and was also networked to the entire Maywood School building and served Jostens Learning software to each classroom.  Our network has changed in many ways as the years passed from a localtalk with apples, to adding PS2 PCs, to moving up to Cat2 ethernet on PCs and upgrading the PS2 with hardrives and memory for apples, routing to the localtalk on apples, creating a multi-line dial-up BBS Server, "TREBBS",   fax machine and shared, then dedicated line, Added more Macintosh Computers to replace Apple II family, Updated computers, Added newer iMac computers, Upgraded Macs and Added more PC computers, Cat5 and 10BaseT ethernet began taking hold, and its hubs, and then switches began replacing our Cat2 Bus network & Appletalk network.  Our latest equipment includes the latest in 1Gig & 100BaseT Ethernet switches, VoIP, AppleTalk Server, Windows Server, and SNAP server,  servicing the building, and the internet. In 2005-06 year we added a Smartboard, Symposium, AirLiner and network video cameras for distance learning as well as many new PCs to update our training facility.

Our "Software" has made many evolutions over the last 15 years as well.  I started out creating single user databases to keep track of contacts, and mailing lists, etc and simplified the computer use by creating batch file menuing systems for the PC in lab as well as the secretarial PC. Eventually I created a multiuser office automation system based on our then current form to handle requests of service, called the "RFS" form to manage our day to day activities and help in our reporting requirements to VESID.  The mailing list database was transferred to this system as well as a new Library "Resource Mangement System" ("RMS") that managed our "Library Patrons" and materials that were loaned out to them, processing checkouts/checkins/billing and reporting as well as a second program just to search our ever growing library of software and AT hardware for our patrons.  My early BBS system was desolved as the internet was catching on and my original single page web site for TRE became more used than the BBS.  Now the TRECENTER.ORG website has hundreds of files and many Gigabytes of information and serves the world instead of just the local area with over 950 successful downloaded pages/day on average.  We received a 3 year pilot grant from DDPC to expand our lending library, so I developed the ATLASTS website with online database search and request features for the public to get information on items in our library and request loans. As UDL became a strong initiative in New York, I created a third domain, UDLinNYS.org to offer people a direct, centralized spot for the latest UDL information concerning NY'rs so they didn't have to wade through all of our other Assistive Technology information on our TRECENTER.ORG website. Now we are beginning to move our staff's data collection to the web as well since we are all pulled in many directions and are "On location" most of the time. This began in 2006 with the creation of the "Who, What, Where, When, Why and How" online database to collect data for VESID on the present activities being done on a statewide basis for them.

Staffing

We later, increased our office space to twice what it was in 1990 and have added 6 coordinators for a total of 9 staff now

TO DATE - TRE Center, Global A.T. & UDL

The T.R.E. Center is the New York State Education Department's (VESID) Designated Assistive Technology and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Resource and Training Center for Parents, Educators, Therapists, Agencies and Anyone with Disabilities.