Accessibility in the Classroom

Within the classroom our diverse range of learners need assistive technology in order to have learning and success in the school system. I have seen very minimal use of these tools during my experience in local schools. I believe the main reason for digital accessibility practices not being used is that many teachers view it as a form of cheating, or think it causes distraction within the classroom. I really liked the analogy in the “Using Technologies to Support Diverse Learning Needs” that compared assistive technology to using glasses. A teacher would never refuse to allow a student to wear their glasses, so why are so many teachers refusing the use of assistive technology. The small amounts of assistive technology that I have seen in the classroom had large benefits. In my grade six classroom that I was in for Link2Practice had two students who used computers since they had a learning disability that made writing difficult for them. The talk-to-text feature on Microsoft Word was invaluable to these students, they were able to get their thoughts down without them feeling like they are behind the other students. Before when they didn’t have the technology, they would distract their peers since they weren’t able to do the writing task since it was extremely difficult for them. Therefore, the use of assistive technology actually lessened the distraction, and allowed them to build up their confidence. I could see that in the future these students would try again to write, once they have more self-confidence.

Another form of assistive technology that I have seen not being fully utilized is an AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) device. In the past when I worked as a one-on-one support worker in the daycare setting, I worked with a child who used an AAC device to communicate. With proper guidance and encouragement, the child was extremely proficient at using the device to communicate. I saw how validating it was for him when the staff and his peers respected his device, and valued his words. Sadly, I did not see the same treatment in a grade two classroom that I volunteered in. A student in this room also used an AAC device to communicate, but the teacher did not put in any effort to learn about the device, and in turn she never encouraged the student to participate in class discussions. It seemed as if she ignored the student because he was non-speaking, rather than validating his words. If he was talking on the device she would instruct the educational assistants to turn down the volume. I could only imagine how this would make the child feel about the in-importance of his words. These experiences have taught me how important it is to value and respect the use of assistive technology within the classroom.