Today, Kaori Lau and Neesha Blajberg from the BCEdAccess Society zoomed in for a presentation with our class. BCEdAccess is a volunteer-run, non-profit organization supporting families with disabled members that struggle with equal accessibility in British Columbia schools. Their goal, largely, is to provide resources and education to educators so they can better help those that need the support. One thing we spent a lot of time discussing was how technology can be used in the classroom or school environment as a support tool for students that require it. Through a number of polls on Mentimeter, which I’m including here because it’s a great interactive tool for presenting and I would like to come back to it one day, the presenters were able to gauge where we’re at when it comes to what we know of tech as an accessibility tool. Some of the tools the class came up with were:

  • Text to speech
  • Subtitles
  • Translators
  • A microphone and speaker for the teacher
  • Hearing aids
  • iPads with accessibility apps
  • Chromebooks
  • Noise-cancelling headphones
  • AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) devices
  • Audio recorders
  • Alternative keyboards
  • Spell checkers and grammar correctors

We also discussed how technology can be normalized as an accessibility tool in the classroom, as there are many people who view technology as little more than a distraction or a temporary support tool rather than something that can be utilized by a student indefinitely. Another prompt that we participated in as a class over Mentimeter was how we as teachers can help with this issue. Some of my classmates’ potential solutions were as follows:

  • Have discussions about the use of technology as an assistive tool.
  • Provide caregivers and school staff with open communication about its use.
  • Provide training to teachers and EAs about assistive technology and how to implement it in the classroom.
  • Speak up for the students.
  • Research new technologies and share with students, parents, and school staff.
  • Work with parents and students to set up appropriate uses of technology. This might look like setting time limits and restricting some apps and websites, but keeping the helpful ones available for use.
  • Have assisted technology listed in the students’ IEPs.
  • Advocate for the many benefits of assistive technology.
  • Advocate for funding and grants (SET-BC a good place to start).

One of the points our presenters made that resonated with me the most was a simple comparison made that shed light on how important it is to have technology as an accessibility tool in the classroom. One of them mentioned that we don’t tell students to take their glasses off when they write an exam, despite needing their glasses as an accessibility tool so they can see. Why then, should students who use technology as an accessibility tool have their use of it restricted? I feel like so many people shun the thought of using technology as a regularly occurring tool in the classroom simply because they did not grow up with it and have associated the word “technology” with entertainment and distractions. I believe technology should be common for its assistive purposes in the classrooms so it’s normalized as such and better understood by the wider population.

Here are some ways to keep up with BCEdAccess:

  • Website: bcedaccess.com
  • Email: info@bcedaccess.com
  • Instagram, Facebook: @bcedaccess

Here’s a video I found on the importance of assistive technology in the classroom:

Denver Public Schools. (2017, June 5). How assistive technology supports students with disabilities [Video file]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIPZyXuD5XM