Today we were lucky to have Tracy Humphreys, founder and chair of BCEdAccess talk to us about why her organization was formed and what they do. She explained to us the challenges students with a disability face in pursuing equitable access in the public school system. She was able to speak from personal experience as a parent of more than one child with a disability.
Technology can be a great assistive tool in the classroom for students with a disability, but here are some of the challenges Tracy hears about from parent’s:
- Tech is always outdated
- Access to tech is hard
- There’s no support to learn how to use tech for parents
What can I do to help once I am a teacher?
- Read students IEP
- Ask family
- Ask student (they know themselves better than anyone)!
- Do some research on how to help the family. What is available for them? Is there something that would help them I could advocate for?
- Connection is everything! Help this student by making sure you have a strong relationship with them. As well, try and help them form connections with other students in the class, this will foster a sense of belonging for them.
Technology can make such a difference to students at school when it honours their strengths and challenges (Humphreys, 2021). Technology does just this for Damon Kirsebom, a seventeen-year-old autistic boy who has non-reliable speaking.
https://unitedforcommunicationchoice.org/damon-kirsebom-when-people-see-me-typing/851/
Check out this great recourse put together by EDCI 336 Admin –> Assistive Technologies
