Resources for incorporating technology into children's learning when they are experiencing special needs

By: Carrie Portrie, EC-SEAT Project Coordinator

Last year, Erin Phillips, a former EC-SEAT scholar now preschool special educator in Laconia, NH wrote about Bookshare in the post "Bookshare an Untapped Resource.". After re-reading this post this morning, I began to search for Assistive Technology for young children and accessible instructional/education materials (AIM, AEM).

I found a blog post shared on Reading Rockets (a website coordinated by WETA Public Television) by June Behrman a former special educator for children Pre-K through 6th grade titled, "Aiming for Access." The post highlights webinars from the April 2016 National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)'s "Week of the Young Child." The webinars were presented by Beth Poss of the Center on Technology and Disability. 

As I continued down a rabbit hole of information, I wondered how best to share all these great resources for teachers, families, and researchers?

Below is a list of resources to consider when thinking about and selecting technology for children with and without special needs. Technology (e.g., Assistive Technology, Accessible Educational/Instructional Materials) can provide access to curricula and learning environments so all children can participate.  What resources do you turn to?

• Technology and Interactive Media Tools in Early Childhood Programs Serving Children from Birth through Age 8 - A Joint Position Statement of the National Association for the Education of Young Children and the Fred Rogers Center for Early Learning and Children’s Media at Saint Vincent College

• Early Childhood and Assistive Tech Apps to Share During NAEYC's "Week of The Young Child" - Aiming for Access blog by June Behrmann on Reading Rockets.

• National Center on Accessible Education Materials - CAST, Inc. 

• Assistive Technology for Infants, Toddlers and Young Children and Universal Design for Learning - Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center (ECTA) 

• National Instructional Materials Access Center (NIMAC) - "Created by IDEA 2004, NIMAC is a federally funded, online file repository of source files in the NIMAS format. Here, authorized users can access more than 43,000 K-12 NIMAS-format files that can then be converted to accessible content for students with disabilities." 

• National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard (NIMAS) on the NH Department of Education Website

•  Early Childhood Resource Library and Webinars - Center on Technology and Disability: A one-day conference is planned for November 29th, 2016 from 8:30am to 2:00pm funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Special Education Programs (OSEP). Participants can register for in-person or virtual participation. 

As educators we need to be sure children who need access to educational materials can get them. Use your resources wisely and find what technology and AEM/AIM children with special needs have the right to access in order to learn amongst their peers.