neurodivergent/special needs

Three resources for those interested in home-schooling

On 09/28/2021, in education, education reform, face-to-face, faith, homeschooling/homeschoolers, K-12 related, neurodivergent/special needs, policy, student-related, teachers, technologies for your home, United States, user experience (UX), youth, by Daniel Christian

Holt (1923 – 85) homeschooling and unschooling — from donaldclarkplanb.blogspot.com by Donald Clark

Excerpt:

John Holt graduated from Yale in 1943 but signed up to be a submariner in WW2. On discharge, he eventually became a teacher, in various schools. This led to a disillusionment with the US education system so deep that he became an advocate for homeschooling and unschooling. This emerged from his belief that education was so deeply embedded, structurally and culturally, that it was unreformable. Neither did he believe that alternative schools were the answer. He retains his reputation as the founding father of homeschooling.

National Home Education Research Institute (NHERI)

Excerpt:

NHERI is the National Home Education Research Institute. NHERI conducts and collects research about homeschooling (home-based education, home schooling), and publishes the research journal called the Home School Researcher. The institute has hundreds of research works documented and catalogued on home schooling, many of which were done by NHERI. Simply put, NHERI specializes in homeschool research, facts, statistics, scholarly articles, and information.

Homeschooling – home education or home-based education – has grown from nearly extinct in the United States in the 1970s to just over 2 million school-age students. NHERI focuses on homeschooling research, homeschool facts, homeschool fast facts, and in-depth scholarly articles.

The Home School Legal Defense Association

Living With a Learning Disability: Challenges, Helpful Advice & Improvements [Kreisa]

On 09/17/2021, in accessibility / UDL, assistive technologies, Bias | Diversity Equity & Inclusion (DE&I), digital audio, digital learning, digital video, education, education reform, engagement / engaging students, homeschooling/homeschoolers, learning, neurodivergent/special needs, parents/guardians, participation, society, by Daniel Christian

Living With a Learning Disability: Challenges, Helpful Advice & Improvements — from inclusionhub.com by Meredith Kreisa

Excerpts:

While it is critical to remember that symptoms, comorbidities, and coping mechanisms vary, we’ll outline some of the challenges individuals with learning disabilities may face and highlight common strategies utilized by community members to address them.

Also see:

Improving Digital Inclusion & Accessibility for Those With Learning Disabilities — from inclusionhub.com by Meredith Kreisa
This comprehensive guide outlines common learning disabilities, associated difficulties, accessibility barriers and best practices, and more.

Some psychological benefits of remote learning in k-12 sector [Bates]

On 09/07/2021, in Canada, K-12 related, learner profiles, learning, learning ecosystem, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, learning preferences, neurodivergent/special needs, online learning, parents/guardians, remote teaching and learning, student teaching/teacher education, student-related, teachers, teaching & learning, teaching online, youth, by Daniel Christian

Some psychological benefits of remote learning in k-12 sector — from by Tony Bates

Excerpt:

There have been many criticisms of the move to remote learning during the pandemic for students in schools, but there also appear to have been some unexpected benefits. This article looks at these from a psychological point of view, and how some of these benefits could be continued post-pandemic. The article lists the following benefits…

Several resources that have to do with accessibility — from Google’s point of view

On 07/27/2021, in accessibility / UDL, education technology, Google, neurodivergent/special needs, by Daniel Christian

7 Good Chrome Extensions for Students with Dyslexia — from educatorstechnology.com

Excerpt:

In today’s post I am sharing with you this collection of Chrome extensions to help particularly students with dyslexia enhance their reading skills. The tools bring added functionalities to Chrome browser converting it into a clutter free space where students can focus on their reading. Most of these extensions offer features such as annotations, OCR services, speech to text, special fonts, dictation, and many more.

From DSC:
Here are some other resources that have to do with accessibility and Google as well:

Present slides with captions
Chrome now instantly captions audio and video on the web — from theverge.com by Ian Carlos Campbell <– speech-to-text for certain cases
Open up an MP4 file or an MP3 file using Google Chrome, Chrome will now freely provide automatic captioning for you
Type with your voice — for Google Docs and Google Slides
Speech to text within Chrome — an extension
Google: Accessibility for every student

The Beginner’s Guide to Web Accessibility [deque.com]

On 07/27/2021, in accessibility / UDL, assistive technologies, neurodivergent/special needs, by Daniel Christian

The Beginner’s Guide to Web Accessibility — from deque.com

Welcome to the Beginner’s Guide to Accessibility! We’re glad you’re here. This guide is designed to teach you enough about the ins-and-outs of accessibility to get your bearings and to serve as a springboard for deeper investigation into the areas of accessibility that are most relevant to you and your needs.

If you’re completely new to accessibility, we recommend starting at the beginning and reading the sections in order. However, if you aren’t a complete beginner, are pressed for time, or simply prefer to jump around in order of personal interest, each section was written to stand alone as it’s own little module of information.

Table of Contents

10 Best Accessibility Tools For Designers [Hongkiat Lim]

On 06/28/2021, in accessibility / UDL, assistive technologies, design, instructional design, interface design, neurodivergent/special needs, productivity / tips and tricks, tools, vendors, web design and production, by Daniel Christian

10 Best Accessibility Tools For Designers — from hongkiat.com by Hongkiat Lim

Excerpt:

Today is the world of inclusive technology – websites, apps, and tech gadgets that are made for people with different kinds of abilities and inabilities. So when you’re designing a website, you include features that make your design accessible to as many people as possible. And this is where accessibility tools come into play.

Instead of creating everything from scratch, here’s a list of cool accessibility tools for designers. From creating color combinations according to WCAG standards to adding different reading modes to your website, these tools are a must-haves for every designer. Take a look at the list to know about each tool in detail.

New accessibility features for students and teachers using Chromebooks [educatorstechnology.com]

On 06/26/2021, in accessibility / UDL, assistive technologies, digital learning, education technology, Google, K-12 related, neurodivergent/special needs, student-related, teachers, by Daniel Christian

New accessibility features for students and teachers using Chromebooks — from educatorstechnology.com

Excerpt:

After the new Google Meet updates, Google introduced new features in Chromebooks, ones that will definitely enhance the overall usability and accessibility of the device. Starting with the new PIN logins’ feature for education users, students, teachers, and educators will now be able to log in to their assigned devices using a six digit pin code. This new feature will be standard on all new Chromebooks.

Students with special needs will particularly benefit from the introduction of new accessibility features. There is the novel Live Caption functionality which allows students to caption videos. There is also the Switch Access feature which allows users to control their cursor either using the built-in keyboard or through connecting an external USB or Bluetooth.

Technology Made Special Education Parents Better Advocates During the Pandemic [Tamez-Robledo]

On 06/05/2021, in accessibility / UDL, assistive technologies, collaboration, communications, communities of practice, education, education reform, neurodivergent/special needs, parents/guardians, by Daniel Christian

Technology Made Special Education Parents Better Advocates During the Pandemic — from edsurge.com by Nadia Tamez-Robledo

Excerpt:

Those are lessons that should stay in place long after our current era of remote learning, says research analyst Lane McKittrick, who focuses on special education and families at the Center on Reinventing Public Education. She recently co-authored a report on how charter schools effectively supported students with disabilities during the pandemic and is blogging about the topic.

McKittrick’s disappointment didn’t just come from her role as a researcher. She’s also a mom to four children, three of whom are deafblind.

The schools that most successfully served their special education groups were those that prioritized communication and learning about families’ needs, McKittrick found in her own analysis.

Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) 2021 Fundamentals Bootcamp: Recording and Slides

On 06/03/2021, in accessibility / UDL, assistive technologies, neurodivergent/special needs, society, by Daniel Christian

The Basic Accessibility Fundamentals Bootcamp!
Use this table of contents to jump to specific chapters of the video:

00:00 Introduction
16:24 Inclusion and Accessibility
43:11 What is Digital Accessibility
53:31 Accessibility User Persona
1:04:26 Accessibility Statistics
1:20:53 Accessibility Laws and Legal Landscape
1:44:08 Screen Reader Demo
2:03:32 Accessibility Demographics
2:33:57 Wrap Up Reflection
2:35:19 Q&A

GAAD 2021 Fundamentals Bootcamp Slides.pdf

Transcript

Recommended Accessibility Books:

Unleash Different – Rich Donovan
Mismatch – Kat Holmes
The End of Average – Todd Rose
Design for Real Life – Eric Meyer & Sara Wachter-Boettcher

Companies like Apple and Spotify are making it easier for people with disabilities to use their products.

On 05/25/2021, in accessibility / UDL, Apple, assistive technologies, Microsoft, neurodivergent/special needs, platforms, society, by Daniel Christian

You’ll Soon be Able to Use Your Apple Watch Without Touching the Screen — from wsj.com by Katie Deighton
Companies like Apple and Spotify are making it easier for people with disabilities to use their products. Accessibility advocates hope more follow suit

AssistiveTouch, a new feature coming to the Apple Watch, will let users operate the device without having to touch the screen or controls.

AssistiveTouch, a new feature coming to the Apple Watch, will let users operate the device without having to touch the screen or controls. It was designed with people who have upper-body limb differences in mind.

PHOTO: APPLE INC.

Excerpt:

Later this year, Apple Inc. will introduce features that allow users to control an iPad with their eyes, and its smartwatch with gestures like a pinch or a fist clench.

The company announced the moves this week as part of Global Accessibility Awareness Day on May 20, an event established in 2011. Other big tech players revealed initiatives and commitments of their own, from automatic podcast transcriptions by Spotify Technology S.A to the updated design of a specific virtual block in Microsoft Corp.’s “Minecraft” to make it more visible to colorblind players.

Today is Global Accessibility Awareness Day!

On 05/20/2021, in accessibility / UDL, Apple, assistive technologies, neurodivergent/special needs, society, by Daniel Christian

Global Accessibility Awareness Day is today!
Help us celebrate the tenth Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD)! The purpose of GAAD is to get everyone talking, thinking and learning about digital access and inclusion, and the more than One Billion people with disabilities/impairments.

Also see:

Professional Development for Digital Accessibility: A Needs Assessment — from qualitymatters.org

As the EdTech article, “Improving Accessibility for Students and Faculty with Disabilities,” points out, the approach to accommodations for many institutions is still reactive instead of proactive.

So what can institutions do to become more proactive in their approach to digital accessibility? A 2019 survey of Higher Education Quality Matters Coordinators conducted by Barbara Frey, D.Ed., Point Park University, and Rae Mancilla, Ed.D., the University of Pittsburgh, identified the need for more professional development on the topic. Now, in the final white paper from their three-part series on digital accessibility, Drs. Frey and Mancilla provide a summary and analysis of the survey data on digital accessibility professional development needs.

Highlights include:

- The key training areas that course developers can focus on to help faculty
- How administrators can address common barriers to participation in digital accessibility training
- How faculty can contribute to a meaningful accessibility training curriculum

Also see:

Apple previews powerful software updates designed for people with disabilities
New SignTime service launches Thursday, May 20, to connect Apple Store and Apple Support customers with on-demand sign language interpreters.

Thursday, 5/20/21, is Global Accessibility Awareness Day!!!

On 05/18/2021, in accessibility / UDL, adjunct faculty, adult learning, colleges, communities of practice, community colleges, computer science, content development, aggregation, repositories, corporate / business world, corporate universities / corporate training, digital audio, digital learning, digital photography, digital storytelling, digital textbooks, digital video, distance education, education, education technology, elearning, faculty/staff, flipping -- inverted learning, higher education, homeschooling/homeschoolers, human-computer interaction (HCI), hybrid learning, instructional design, internet, IT in HE, K-12 related, languages and translation, law schools, leadership, learning, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, learning hubs & pods & microschooling, learning spaces, library / librarians, lifelong learning, marketing/social marketing, multimedia, Natural Language Processing (NLP), neurodivergent/special needs, new media literacies, online learning, online media, online tutoring, participation, presentations, productivity / tips and tricks, reading, remote teaching and learning, society, storytelling, teachers, teaching & learning, teaching online, telelegal, telemedicine / telehealth / virtual health, tools, training / L&D, universities, user experience (UX), user interface design, vendors, videoconferencing, Virtual courts and law firms, virtual field trips, virtual K-12 schools, Virtual Reality (VR) / worlds / learning, virtual tutoring, visualizing information, voice recognition / voice enabled interfaces, web design and production, web-based collaboration, writing, youth, by Daniel Christian

Global Accessibility Awareness Day is this Thursday, May 20, 2021
Help us celebrate the tenth Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD)! The purpose of GAAD is to get everyone talking, thinking and learning about digital access and inclusion, and the more than One Billion people with disabilities/impairments.

Also see:

Learning Ecosystems

Living With a Learning Disability: Challenges, Helpful Advice & Improvements [Kreisa]

Several resources that have to do with accessibility — from Google’s point of view

The Beginner’s Guide to Web Accessibility [deque.com]

10 Best Accessibility Tools For Designers [Hongkiat Lim]

Technology Made Special Education Parents Better Advocates During the Pandemic [Tamez-Robledo]

Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) 2021 Fundamentals Bootcamp: Recording and Slides

Companies like Apple and Spotify are making it easier for people with disabilities to use their products.

Today is Global Accessibility Awareness Day!

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