In 2004, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act outlined specific considerations for students with individual education programs in relation to their needs and application of assistive technology (AT) devices and services used to access school curriculum. Teachers will interact with a variety of assistive technologies during their career and must have an understanding of how their individual students are accessing lessons and school-based activities. This practitioner article presents a vignette about a hypothetical second-grade teacher and two of his students using AT during a science lesson. Steps the teacher should consider in understanding and embedding AT are presented, as well as discussion about how future technologies may play into students’ access to curriculum.
For rural locations, the use of remote learning may provide schools the opportunity to meet student needs without the need for students to travel long distances to access services. It is critical that teachers of students with disabilities understand how to support learning and know how to use the accommodations, modifications, and assistive technologies listed in student Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) in online classrooms. Students with language disabilities sometimes require augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems to effectively communicate. This article provides teachers with practical tips of teaching students to use AAC online and supporting its continued use in the virtual classroom.
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