Assistive Technology
Read more about the technology students with disabilities use, including physical devices like wheelchairs, as well as digital tools
Special Education
Q&A
This Teacher Helps Students With Disabilities Find Agency Through Communication
An award-winning special education teacher shares insights on pandemic recovery and building agency for students with disabilities.
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Equity was a priority for school systems prior to 2020; however, the pandemic has focused attention on the continuing need to create more equitable education environments.
Reading & Literacy
5 Ways to Remotely Support Students With Dyslexia
The COVID-19 pandemic has shed light on the needs of students with dyslexia, but also made it more difficult to support them.
Special Education
Are Students With 'Reading Barriers' Ready to Start the New School Year?
Benetech, which oversees a federally-funded initiative to provide accessible texts, says teachers are more likely to see their students as prepared if their technology needs are met.
Special Education
Website Accessibility: Ten Things School Districts Should Know
The Education Department's civil rights office is looking at school districts' websites for accessibility issues. How should you prepare your website so that it's available to all users?
Special Education
Opinion
Dyslexia and the Power of Teacher Expectations
All teachers need to understand that dyslexia is a mechanical disability, not an intellectual one.
Special Education
Opinion
Don't Wait: Six Simple Ways to Support Your Struggling Learners Tomorrow
"These modifications all embrace the principles of UDL (Universal Design for Learning) which caution against teaching to the imaginary average student. The truth is, our classrooms are full of students who are difficult to categorize because they present quirky profiles."
Special Education
Seattle Settles Lawsuit Over Ed-Tech Accessibility
The National Federation of the Blind, a co-plaintiff in the lawsuit, says the agreement to make the Seattle district's online materials accessible is a "model for the nation."
Special Education
Accessibility Concerns Delay $30M Amazon E-Book Contract in N.Y.C.
New York City schools postponed action on an Amazon contract for creating an online storefront where educators will buy e-books, after the National Federation of the Blind raised questions about it.
Special Education
School Boards Group Disputes Recent Guidance on Communication Supports
The federal government is using a California special education case to try to create guidance that applies to every state, says the National School Boards Association.
Special Education
S.C. Charters Agree to Accessibility Changes After Federal Investigation
The Education Department's office for civil rights said that the district needed to make courses fully accessible for the 9,000 students enrolled in online schools.
Assessment
Students With Disabilities and the Common Core: Challenges, Opportunities
A recent special report from Education Week explores the common core from the perspective of students with specific educational needs.
Standards
Smarter Balanced Adopts Accessibility Rules for Common-Core Tests
The 25-state group decided that read-aloud accommodations for text passages will be limited, for now, to students in middle and high school.
Special Education
Ed. Dept. Finds Areas to Improve in Review of Common-Core Test Accessibility
The department's technical review process also found areas that both consortia have handled well.