Students with special needs refers to students who struggle with academic and/or physical challenges. Resources include information on assistive technology, instructional strategies, and professional development opportunities.

 

Related Resources

Access and Equity in Online Classes and Virtual Schools (PDF)

The focus of this Issues Brief is to increase the awareness of the importance to students, teachers, and administrators of making online courses accessible to meet your legal obligations. This Issues Brief references civil rights legislation in the United States, but the issues of access and equity are relevant to all online programs.

Access, Adequacy, and Equity in Education Technology

This report examines the state of educational technology resources and support in public schools across the country, as reported by classroom teachers and instructional assistants.

Accessibility Resources

This is an extensive list of resources linking to information on making computers and software more accessible to persons with disabilities.

Human-Computer Interaction

Art Education 2.0

Learn to explore ways of using technology to promote effective art education practices, encourage cultural exchanges and joint creative work, and support artistic projects, curricular activities, and professional development opportunities with Art Education 2.0. Discussion forum topics include taking art to the hearing impaired and computer art programs for middle school students.

Assistive Technology in K-12 Schools

This resource provides a range of information on assistive technology, assessment and selection of tools, examples of best practice and classroom success stories, and a list of built-in access features for various operating systems.

Assistive Technology Policy Checklist

The items on this checklist can be used as a framework for guiding the development of assistive technology policies. The checklist also can be adapted for use in analyzing existing assistive technology policies or obtaining feedback from stakeholders about the appropriateness of such policies.

NATRI

Assistive Technology Services in Shawnee Mission School District: Shawnee, Kansas

This brief case study describes how one school district moved away from a referral-based system for student assistive technology needs to a student-centered, team-based solution.

Learning Point Associates

Association of University Centers on Disabilities

The AUCD's mission is to advance policy and practice for and with people with developmental and other disabilities, their families, and their communities by supporting our members in research, education, and service activities that achieve our vision. On their website you can find information about ways technology is being used to educate students with disabilities.

Association of University Centers on Disabilities

Classroom 2.0 LIVE Conversations

Classroom 2.0 LIVE Conversations are community-scheduled opportunities to talk on specific topics with other members of the Classroom 2.0 using one of the online voice/video/sharing programs. Using this wiki page you can find discussions to participate in, or schedule to host additional ones.

Closing the Gap: AT Resources for Children and Adults with Special Needs

Closing The Gap highlights hardware and software products appropriate for people with special needs, and explains how this technology is being implemented in education, rehabilitation, and vocational settings around the world.

ConnSENSE Bulletin

This website provides a variety of resources, articles, legal updates and conference information centered on educational and assistive technology issues.

CoSN Small District Technology Leadership Wiki

The Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) is a voice for K-12 education leaders who use technology strategically to improve teaching and learning. The objective of this wiki is to provide a space for collaborative work around topics regarding effective planning for and use and implementation of technology.

Critical Issue: Enhancing System Change and Academic Success Through Assistive Technologies for K–12 Students With Special Needs

This article describes successful assistive technology initiatives in Wisconsin and Schaumburg School District 54, Illinois, focusing on key elements of effective systemic change to improve schools. It details the promising benefits of assistive technology, evidenced by projects currently in place in Maryland, Kansas, Texas, and Michigan. Readers will consider research-supported and evidence-based answers to questions such as: (1) What are key issues around assistive technology? (2) How can assistive technology stop enabling special needs students' dependency on others and empower them? (3) How can it help in reducing achievement gaps and increasing access? and (4) What are some ways to increase teacher quality and collegial support?

Learning Points

Described and Captioned Media Program

The Described and Captioned Media Program (DCMP) provides services designed to support and improve the academic achievement of students who are blind, visually impaired, deaf, hard of hearing, or deaf-blind. These services include (1) a library of free-loan described and captioned educational media; (2) a clearinghouse of information related to educational media access, including a gateway to Internet resources related to accessibility; and (3) a center for training and evaluation of any service provider desiring to appear on the DCMP’s approved lists of description and captioning service providers. There are no user registration or service fees. The DCMP is funded by the U.S. Department of Education and administered by the National Association of the Deaf.

Described and Captioned Media Program

District Assistive Technology Program Implementation Models

Learn what North Attleborough Public Schools are doing with their district wide model incorporating Assistive Technology into the classrooms. This resource includes forms that are a result of the collaboration of ideas among various Assistive Technology sites.

Ed-Tech Online

This website that compiles all of the funding sources for educational technology provided by the U.S. Department of Education. Rather than search the multiple websites of various organizations, a visit to Ed-Tech Online will lead you to grant program summaries, strategic objectives, appropriations, contact names and telephone numbers, as well as direct links to the government agencies offering specific grants.

Bridge Multimedia

Effect of Assistive Technology on Educational Costs: Two Case Studies (PDF)

This paper looks in detail at the costs associated with the education of two children who have used assistive technologies developed at Boston College and compare them with the educational costs had they not used the assistive technologies. The authors contend that, for these two children, the costs of the technologies and special teachers hired are offset by savings from the tuition and transportation of sending them to special schools.

Boston College

Emergency Info Online

Emergency Info Online is dedicated to collecting standards, legislation, resources, and guidance on emergency preparedness and communications for inidividuals with special needs. Keep up to date with the Emergency Alert System requirements and emerging solutions to make your campus and preparedness plans inclusive of all students' and families' needs.

Emergency Management for Schools

The U.S. Department of Education's Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools (OSDFS) sponsors Emergency Management for Schools trainings to provide support to school staff and administrators interested in enhancing their preparedness efforts. On this site, viewers can access four one-hour Web casts, each featuring one of the four phases of emergency management: Prevention-Mitigation, Preparedness, Response, and Recovery. These Web casts can be played in conjunction with the Power Point presentations made available to enhance schools' training experiences.

Great Schools: The Parents Guide to K-12 Success

Founded by a former teacher, GreatSchools helps parents choose schools, support children's education and improve schools in the community.

1 2 3