Once a student does have a specific AT in their IEP schools must provide that particular piece of technology, but finding funds for such purchases (while it cannot be a reason for not making a purchase) is still a long and arduous process, especially for districts with limited income. Wealthy families will often take it upon themselves to make personal purchases or use their own private insurance to provide for their child, while low income families usually resort to Medicaid. Unfortunately those families that fall somewhere in-between low and high income may be subject to more financial hardships because they will not qualify for Medicaid, and using personal insurance or paying out of pocket may have a larger impact on their financial stability due to higher deductibles and premiums or a larger percentage of personal income being spent.
The process of applying for financial coverage for AT is not an easy process either, it seems that there are more hoops to jump through, and more paths to go down, all without a guarantee of funds being received. The articles all talked about claims being denied, and to go into the process with the expectation that you will be denied at least once and be required to either appeal the process, or to apply with a different agency providing the previous denial letter as proof of why this new group should pay for your child's AT. I cannot imagine how frustrating it must be as a parent of a child with a disability having to watch your child's needs not being met, when the technology is in existence, and available and all that stands in the way is a simple "yes" to funding. This becomes even more frustrating when many technologies such as iPads, which could serve the same function as some AT devices and are cheaper, are being denied simply because they are not labeled as strictly an AT device.
Overall I think it's great that "legally" students have the right to AT if it is deemed a necessity for their overall functioning and that schools must provide the technology at no cost to the parent, however in practice I think the complexities of the system causes more harm than good.