Building Bridges: Accessible Technology for ALL Students

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Building Bridges Accessible Technology for
ALL Students
Consortium for School Networking
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Consortium for School Networking

• For students with disabilities, technology can be
  a lifeline that allows them to communicate and
  participate in school-based education in ways
  that would have been impossible a few decades
  ago.

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Consortium for School Networking

• What is Assistive/Adaptive Technology?
• Any piece of equipment or product system that is
  used to increase, maintain, or improve the
  functional capabilities of individuals with
  disabilities.

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Consortium for School Networking

• Educational technology and special education
  leaders MUST work together
• To ensure NCLB compliance
• Because modifications for students with
  disabilities can be helpful to others
• To avoid costly mistakes

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Consortium for School Networking

• Dialogue is Critical!
• Without it, teachers are left to make decisions
  regarding assistive technology WITHOUT benefit of
  technical advice or awareness of available
  resources.

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Consortium for School Networking

• Advice from the Educators
• Know the students with disabilities
• Provide stakeholders continuing access to
  training
• Work with the parents of students with
  disabilities
• Collaborate to find funds

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Consortium for School Networking

• Advice from the Educators
• Think about universal design
• Involve students with disabilities and their
  families in purchasing decisions
• Be aware of age differences
• Remember NCLB regulations

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Consortium for School Networking

• The Promise of Universal Design
• What is it?
• Designing products with the widest possible
  range of functional capabilities

What can it do? Reduce the need for a separate
device and allow the use of assistive technology
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Consortium for School Networking

• Examples
• Closed captions
• Digital books and libraries
• Allowing multiple formats for students work
• Accessible websites
• Professional development is KEY!

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Consortium for School Networking

• Technology will not be a tool for helping ALL
  students unless decision-makers are well versed
  in the needs of students with disabilities and in
  the principles and potential of universal design.

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Consortium for School Networking

• The Building Bridges monograph is available as
  part of the 2004 CoSN Compendium, and is also
  available for individual purchase, at
  www.cosn.org/catalog/.

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Consortium for School Networking

• Special Thanks
• Founding partners and sponsors
• Sprint
• IntelliTools
• CAST
• CEC
• eSchool News
• Editor Judy Saltpeter

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Consortium for School Networking
Consortium for School Networking 1710 Rhode
Island Avenue NW 900Washington, DC
20036 www.cosn.org