KS5: Ways assistive technologies can be used to support the learning of children with various forms of disabilities
Part of the beauty of technology is that it truly has the capacity to level the playing field in education like no other time before. In fact, the movement to personalize learning may well help us identify all learners as just that--learners.
Until then, apps offered to address special needs are constantly changing, but this is a good indication of some of the offerings out there. While studying Universal Design for Learning in a workshop at Castleton this summer, I discovered CAST--a gem of a website for resources on UDL and technology integration.
I have worked with high school special educators to provide support for students with difficulty accessing text both on iPad and Chromebook platforms, and regularly hold meetings with staff to educate them on accessibility options that our technology provides. Below is an example of me reaching out via email to meet with our middle level special educators about the accessibility tools on the iPads.
We have some students currently enrolled who are nonverbal, and one special educator reached out to me about apps that might help support one of these students. I found one that many people had used successfully--Proloquo2Go--but it was quite expensive. Unsure about its effectiveness for this student, I was met with resistance about trying it out. So I reached out to the company to request a trial, and as you can see from this email clip, we were granted one. The student uses the app regularly and it helps him communicate with peers, his paraeducator, and the special educator on a daily basis.
