Special Education and Assistive Technology Blog

Problems with Accessibility Online: Online accessibility can be difficult for some students. For example, students with visual impairments might have trouble with websites that don't work well with screen readers. Students who are deaf or hard of hearing can struggle with videos that don't have captions. Students with cognitive disabilities might find complicated websites confusing. Those with physical disabilities might find it hard to use websites that need precise mouse movements. Resources for Teachers on Accessibility: There are resources to help teachers make their classrooms more accessible. The Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) provides guides to make websites easy for everyone to use. The National Center on Accessible Educational Materials (AEM) offers resources to create learning materials that everyone can use. CAST (Center for Applied Special Technology) gives tools and strategies for Universal Design for Learning (UDL), which helps teachers support all students. H...

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  ST Math IXL ABCya! Geoboard  SplashLearn References: ST Math. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.stmath.com/ IXL. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.ixl.com/ ABCya! First Grade Math. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.abcya.com/grades/1 Geoboard by Math Learning Center. (n.d.). Retrieved from  https://www.apps.mathlearningcenter.org/geoboard/ SplashLearn. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.splashlearn.com/

Evernote is a note-taking and organizational tool that helps users capture, organize, and share information. It can be particularly beneficial for students with writing difficulties, providing a platform to organize their thoughts, research, and drafts in one place. Pros Cons Organizational Features : Users can efficiently organize their notes and ideas by creating notebooks and tags within the system. Cost : The no-cost version comes with limited storage and features, whereas the premium version may be costly. Cross-Platform Syncing : Synchronizes data across various devices such as computers, tablets, and smartphones, guaranteeing the availability of notes from any location. Complexity : New users may feel overwhelmed by the variety of features available. Multimedia Support : With the capacity to support text, images, audio recordings, and file attachments, this platform proves to be highly adaptable for various forms of information. Offline Access : Restricted offline capabilities i...

  1. Low-Tech AAC Device: PODD Communication Book Device: Pragmatic Organization Dynamic Display (PODD) Communication Book Description: The PODD Communication Book serves as a low-tech AAC tool designed to systematically organize vocabulary for individuals with communication challenges. It features different sections containing symbols and words categorized by topics, enabling users to easily locate and express their needs by navigating through the pages. Characteristics of Students: Appropriate for students who find visual aids helpful in organizing information and need a wider range of vocabulary compared to a typical communication board. It is beneficial for students with developmental disabilities, speech delays, or those in need of structured support to convey complex ideas. This is suitable for individuals who can handle physical books and require a wide range of vocabulary choices without the use of technology. Usage Idea: Group Storytelling: During a storytelling activit...