"Accessibility" - Google News - Wednesday, June 12, 2019 at 3:10 PM
When adopting ed tech tools, keep accessibility a top priority - Education Dive
Dive Brief:
Diane Brauner, manager of the Paths to Technology website at the Perkins School
for the Blind in Watertown, Massachusetts, is excited about new educational
apps designed for visually impaired students, such as braille displays that
work with touchscreens to support reading and writing skills, she wrote
recently in eSchoolNews.
Other tools also take advantage of technology to bring more accessibility to
learning materials. These include earcons, which translate visual information
into specific, audio cues transmitted through a digital device such as a
computer.
Brauner notes that companies developing educational tools for the visually
impaired work on building teacher guides, as well, helping educators learn how
to best weave these tools into a student’s individual education program.
Dive Insight:
As schools and districts adopt more technology tools for students, it’s crucial
that they make sure all the resources are compliant with the Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act. Failing to do so can result in legal action for a
school or district. Taking this important step means every student can
participate in and access lessons happening in a classroom. Some tools are
familiar, and found in many devices today from computers to tablets, smart TVs
to smartphones, including video subtitles and text-to-speech tools.
The U.S. Department of Education provides information about educational
resources, such as instructional materials from the Office of Special Education
Programs as well as links to organizations including the National Captioning
Institute and the National Center on Accessible Educational Materials.
As administrators and curriculum designers look to adopt new educational
initiatives and tools in schools — and as more students include students with
disabilities in general education classrooms — taking the extra step to make
sure these new learning programs work for all students is crucial.
https://www.educationdive.com/news/when-adopting-ed-tech-tools-keep-accessibility-a-top-priority/556523/
David Goldfield
Assistive Technology Specialist
Feel free to visit my Web site
WWW.DavidGoldfield.info
