Technology is supposed to work for you, not the other way around!

Accessibility. What is it, and why is it so important in an educational environment? 

Accessibility means that students are provided with the structures and supports to allow them access to their education. It can also mean helping to remove hurdles that are getting in the way of learning. 

“Accessible design is good design - it benefits people who don’t have disabilities as well as people who do. Accessibility is all about removing barriers and providing the benefits of technology for everyone” Steve Ballmer

Accessibility is not only about working on the struggles that you may be able to actually see with a child but about ALL the ways that we can help learners to be able to access the learning materials in a way that works best for THEM. There are so many struggles that kids have that are hidden - they may be subtle or the child may have become good at masking their struggle. The needs and solutions will be unique for each individual learner. 

There are different ways to make learning more accessible for kids who have learning differences such as ADHD, dyslexia or a learning disability (remove the “dis”). These can include support such as additional time allotments, different environmental accommodations, removal of physical barriers, software programs, and assistive technology. The beauty of technology is that it is easy to personalize it for each individual student, often with the quick adjustment of a setting.

“If learning materials are not accessible to learners, then learners’ abilities won’t be accessible to educators.” - Micheál Heffernan

One of the biggest hurdles to accessibility for many families is knowing what is available to them and their children. Technology is rapidly changing, with new hardware and software programs constantly coming out, it is near impossible for families to keep up to date about what is available to their children. However, it is not only about the new technology coming out, there are so many potential opportunities to use the technology you may already own in new and innovative ways. 

It is heartbreaking to think that there are incredible talents, brilliant minds, outside-the-box ideas and creative solutions that are hidden inside heads that are not able to get those ideas out. 

Can tools and technology be the answer for our students? 

For those that are new to the learning difference world, or for those that might not be so technologically-inclined, assistive technology can be overwhelming. We hear these types of comments all of the time: 

• We cannot figure out how to use the program.

• How do I download the app?

• I didn’t know that program could do that feature.

• Does my iPhone/iPad/laptop have that ability? 

• I am not sure there is technology to help with our struggle.

• Don’t I need a special program to do that? 

• Will I need to buy a new device to make this work? 

If you feel even a fraction of this confusion, you are not alone! So we have decided that this needs to be an area of focus at our Summit this year. We are bringing in someone to help all of us through this. 

Sam Goving, an educator, entertainer, Assistive Technology Advisor to the Ministry of Education and computer-whisperer, is joining us as one of our Guest Experts at this year’s Virtual Summit. His areas of expertise include educational tech, English as a second language and literature.

Sam is going to share with us ideas of how to use our devices to make the world around us more accessible. Sam states that his services are designed to make the lives of parents, teachers, students, and administrators easier. Technology is supposed to work for you, not the other way around, and he wants to help us make the most out of our everyday technology. 

This year our Summit will be fully online! But don’t worry, we still have built-in sessions that will be focused on building community, having questions answered and dialoguing. The Summit is FREE to access for everyone, although we would be very appreciative of any donations (donations this year will be directed to a program that we are creating for Youth to support their Emotional and Mental Health!). 

Sign-ups are happening NOW. The summit runs from November 13-15th. Grab your spot by clicking here!