Trends to help meet needs

Trends in meeting the technological needs of students with disabilities

Research indicates to best meet the educational needs of students with disabilities and to ensure their access, participation, progress and assessment within the general education curriculum, teacher technological competence should be viewed as a critical teacher skill for addressing and meeting student’s educational needs (Sylvia S. Martin).

• NCLB –look for scientific evidence that an approach works better than another choice in a given situation.

• CEC- Council for Exceptional Children list the following as priority in addressing the needs of disabled students

• Technology should be address way to improve academic achievement for all children and to expand academic achievement to include domains beyond academic such as outcomes related to functional skills, development, and transition.

• The social domain (Including areas of social skills, social relationships, social behaviors, emotional regulation), the career domain (including post-secondary transitions, post secondary outcomes), and other critical outcomes for students with disabilities related to responsible citizenship.

• Involvement of family and cultural /linguistic considerations, as well as race, ethnicity, poverty, limited English proficiency, disability and family circumstances.

• Each of these areas has a relationship to the use and the impact of technology either at the teacher level or learner level.