Transcript:
The pandemic of 2020 has highlighted the needs for educators to grow in their use and comfort with instructional technology. Teachers who have been resistant to using digital tools no longer have the option to ignore them now that all schools have gone to virtual education. Once schools are able to go back to physical classrooms again, I believe the use of technology in education will continue to be an important instructional strategy, and more teachers will include technology tools as part of their regular instructional strategies because they have had to become more familiar with technology. This is a positive development for our students.
However, virtual education has been very difficult for students with special needs. I spent several years as a special education teacher, and I cannot imagine how difficult it has been for their teachers, parents, and the students themselves. I incorporated many digital tools in my classroom, but I had to be very involved in helping my students use technology. After several weeks of direct instruction, some would begin to become more independent, but they would still require some assistance from a teacher. My students needed help with logging on, remembering passwords, reading instructions, navigating between websites and website pages, etc. I also had several students come to me throughout the day to have me read their tests to them as their testing accommodation.
A 2020 study by Neece, McIntyre, and Fenning found that students who have special needs saw a 77.9″ reduction in their special education services, and in some cases, their services were eliminated altogether.
Meeting the needs of all our students in a virtual environment is more difficult, but it we are intentional in our approach, we can help alleviate some of the frustration for our students who have disabilities.
Some of the challenges that these students face are related to size of text, struggles with broken or missing links, and confusion about table layouts. Because the teacher is not in the classroom with the student, the teacher is not always aware of the struggle or cannot do anything about it in a virtual environment (Massengale & Vasquiez, 2016).
The text by Robyler and Hughes (2019) was written before the pandemic so they could not have predicted how relevant their words would be when they discussed the importance of ensuring that digital resources are accessible to students with special needs. They shared some helpful resources for educators: Center for Online Learning and Students with Disabilities, the Knowability website, Usability.gov and the WebAIM website. The authors also suggested some practical tools that we can use to make the content of our courses accessible to students with disabilities are the following:
• “The ability to enlarge text
• Alternatives to mouse controls, such as special switches and joy sticks for students with mobility issues
• Alternative keyboards
• Alternatives to videos (e.g., podcast descriptions) for students with visual deficits
• Alternatives to audio (e.g., transcripts or closed captioning) for students with hearing impairments
• Alternatives to text presentation (e.g., podcasts or text readers) in all areas for students with visual deficits” (Roblyer & Hughes, 2019, p. 295).
Microsoft has incorporated several useful tools as well – Immersive Reader is compatible with all of its products, but I especially like it for Word and OneNote. I look forward to hearing what my classmates are using in their classrooms to help your students be successful.
References
Massengale, L. R., & Vasquez, E. (2016). Assessing accessibility: Are online courses better than face-to-face instruction at providing access to course content for students with disabilities? Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 16(1), 69-79. doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.liberty.edu/10.14434/josotl.v16i1.19101
Neece, C., McIntyre, L. L., & Fenning, R. (2020). Examining the impact of COVID‐19 in ethnically diverse families with young children with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 64(10), 739-749.
Roblyer, M. D., & Hughes, J. E. (2019). Integrating educational technology into teaching: Transforming learning across disciplines. Pearson Education, Inc.