Electronic Learning: Special-Needs
Solutions
Use technology
to reach every learner in your classroom
By John Sacco
Our
work as educators requires us to be flexible in order to meet
many students' learning needs. Our goal is to make sure every
student receives the information we present in a way that
mobilizes their best strategy for learning and applying it.
As we include more students with
special needs in our classrooms—students with sensory,
cognitive, or physical disabilities—we need access
to a larger set of skills and tools to meet their diverse
learning requirements. Fortunately, there are many technology-based
resources available to help us. Here are some to get you
started and a few ways to use them.
A useful first step is to explore
the many comprehensive and easy-to-use Web sites on the
Internet. An excellent starting point is the Alliance for
Technology Access Web site: www.ataccess.org
Use the "vendors" link to scan through a comprehensive
listing of all the vendors associated with special needs.
Another good site features a
directory organized by The National Center to Improve Practice
(NCIP): www2.edc.org/NCIP/
The organization promotes the effective use of technology
to add to the educational outcomes possible for students
with sensory, cognitive, physical, and social/emotional
disabilities.
You can also adapt your existing
software and hardware for your special-needs students. Both
Apple and Microsoft make it easy to adapt their products
to meet these students' needs. For Mac computers, go to
the Apple.com/disability
Web page. If you use a PC, be sure to visit www.microsoft.com/enable/default.htm
for links to accessibility aids for individuals with disabilities.
Many mainstream software companies
provide tools that help ease the process of reaching students
with different learning styles. For example, Reading for
Meaning (Tom Snyder Productions) uses audio recordings along
with on-screen text to help boost students' reading comprehension
skills. For additional examples of products and resources
to help you reach all of your students' learning needs,
click here.
John Sacco is the director of professional
development for Tom Snyder Productions.
