This week, we had guest speakers Kaori Lau and Tracy Humphries visit from BCEdAccess, a volunteer-run organization that aims to ensure equitable access to education for students with disabilities and complex learning in British Columbia.

This association helps to serve families of students with complex needs, offering parent peer support groups with over 5000 members, along with crucial information on inclusivity for families, educators and organizations about the human right to equitable access to information.

BCEdAccess Website

How can educators, parents and schools work together to ensure technology becomes a bridge to opportunity rather than a barrier?

Lau & Humphries, personal communication, March 14, 2024

Step 1: Understanding Ableism, defined as a discrimination, prejudice, or social prejudice against people with disabilities. It involves attitudes, behaviors, and practices that devalue individuals based on their physical, mental, or cognitive impairments. Ableism can manifest in many ways, including:

  • Physical barriers: Lack of access to ramps, elevators, or accessible restrooms.
  • Social attitudes: Stereotyping people with disabilities as “less capable” or assuming they need pity.
  • Language: Using derogatory terms or making negative assumptions about someone’s abilities.

Exclusion: Limiting opportunities for education, employment, or social participation because of someone’s disability.

Exclusion Tracker

Step 2: Identifying common challenges for families and students with complex needs. Educators can identify common challenges by observing and engaging with students and their families in various ways, such as building strong relationships and trust through open communication and collaborating with support staff. Here are some challenges that were highlighted by Lau & Humphries (2024):

  • Lack of access: Lack of funding for devices and/or internet in home
  • Lack of support: Families and/or teachers may feel underprepared or overwhelmed 
  • Resistance to change: Hesitation from support
  • Privacy concerns: Worried about data security
  • Technology as a distraction: Perceptions of misuse

Step 3: Find out what kind of support a student needs. Educators can become better informed on their students through methods such as observing classroom behaviour and academic performance by recognizing behavioural patterns and differentiation of needs or reflecting on student-centred data by tracking progress on academic assessments, socio-emotional reports or behaviour logs. Lau & Humphries (2024) recommends that teachers:

  • Get to know your students
  • Questionnaires
  • Observation
  • Read IEP
  • Ask student and/or families
  • Ask other students if appropriate
  • Talk with previous teachers/admin
  • Time for self-reflection

Step 4: Implementing Solutions. Along with tailoring teaching methods to meet varying abilities and learning styles, providing accommodations and modifications to learning content, and fostering safe and supportive learning atmospheres that are accepting and respectful of all differences, Lau & Humphries (2024) suggest that educators:

  • Advocate for funding, loaner programs and grants
  • Include assistive technology in IEPs
  • Use tools that promote independence and fit IEP goals
  • Normalize assistive tech and make it accessible to all

Step 5: Implementing technology that can support students in the classroom. Lastly, Lau & Humphries (2024) offer some assistive technology options for educators to incorporate into the classroom for diverse learners:

  • Google read and write
  • Ipads (AAC & Translation tools)
  • Speech-to-talk & Speech-to-text
  • Nova chat
  • Assisting visual learning
  • Microphones/speakers 
  • Translation tools
  • Subtitles
  • Language games
  • Microsoft edge browser

By approaching complex learners with empathy, patience and a collaborative mindset, educators can better support families and students with their diverse educational needs. Taking a proactive and multifaceted outlook on teaching diverse learners can allow teachers to create a classroom where all students can thrive, through flexible and responsive ways that are individualized and meaningful to them.

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