Assistive Technology is Not Cheating: Debunking Literacy Learning Myths with Universal Design for Learning
Date
Monday, September 25, 2023
Time
4:00PM –
5:00PM ET
Presenters:
- Kelli Suding, CAST Technical Assistance Specialist
- Susan Shapiro, CAST Implementation Specialist
Description
When educators use Universal Design for Learning (UDL) as a lens for designing literacy instruction, they increase the likelihood that all students will have access to learning and agency as learners.
UDL helps educators remove potential barriers to learning by providing all students with options for how they engage, which representation of the content they use, and how they navigate and communicate their thinking and understanding. Some options are available to all learners (e.g. anyone can use a graphic organizer to plan their composition) and some options are available only to students with disabilities (e.g. Max is using a communication device to engage in a book discussion).
One of the most powerful special education options is assistive technology, commonly referred to as “AT”. And yet sometimes the use of AT, in the context of literacy instruction, is viewed as “cheating”. This webinar debunks this myth and describes the ways AT is a powerful tool for building access and agency into literacy learning!