The FAME (Faculty & Administrator Modules in Higher Education) website was designed as a professional development tool for use in higher education. It contains information on how college faculty, administrators, disability service providers, and students can work individually and collaboratively to improve the accommodations, teaching-learning process, and overall campus environment for students with disabilities.

Check out this article from LD Online: Boosting Inclusion in After School Activities with AT and Supplemental Services (2006) by National Center for Technology Innovation and Center for Implementing Technology in Education

The Individuals with Disabilities Improvement Act (IDEA 2004) mandates that supplemental services and assistive technology be provided when necessary to students who receive special education services. While the benefits of such supports can be used to meet the academic needs of students with disabilities, supplemental services can also contribute to the social needs of students in activities outside the regular school day. NCTI has suggestions for how assistive and accessible technologies and other supplemental services can help make activities more inclusive for students with special needs...It is critical that education professionals keep pace with students' desire to be involved with extracurricular activities by making certain that they have access to the necessary assistive and adaptive technology and other supplemental services. This is important not only because such resources are often necessary for students to be successful, but also because federal legislation mandates that students with disabilities have access to after school programs that take place on school grounds. Because many staff members and volunteers involved with after school activities are outside of the field of special education, it is imperative that they are informed of students' abilities and needs, as well as strategies, assistive and adaptive technologies, and other supplemental services that can help address their needs while capitalizing on their strengths.

Check out this article from WestEd: Using Flexible Technology to Meet the Needs of Diverse Learners: What Teachers Can Do by Julie Duffield and Lisa Wahl

Many general education teachers are turning to differentiated instruction to help them meet their students' diverse learning needs. This Knowledge Brief explains how some standard technology resources already available at most schools — talking text, web resources, graphic organizers, and word processors — can be used to support more tailored instruction. It also tells readers where to find more technology tips.

Check out this article on LD Online: Assistive Technology at Work (2006) by the National Center for Technology Innovation and Center for Implementing Technology in Education.

This Info Brief addresses assistive technology on the job by outlining employers' and employees' responsibilities related to AT, identifying appropriate AT, exploring various types of solutions in the workplace, and providing a list of further resources.

Check out this article fron Schwab Learning: Resources for Locating Electronic Text on the Internet: A Valuable Tool for Students with LD .

Electronic (computer-displayed) text can be an important resource for students with learning disabilities (LD), because it can be altered to meet their needs. A child with LD may benefit from changes to the appearance or organization of electronic text. These and other strategies are described in the article, Making the Most of Standard Technology to Enhance Learning.

If you and your child are looking for a specific piece of literature or information on a particular topic related to a school assignment, you will find the Internet is a rich resource. You may also search the Internet to locate high-interest material that appeals to your child. There are thousands of books and a growing collection of electronic texts on the Internet, including books still in copyright. Some websites have been enhanced with sound, images, and text that can support struggling readers.

This article details some particularly useful Internet resources for electronic text that may be helpful for your child.

Check out this article on LD Online: Making Technology Work in the Inclusive Classroom: A Spell CHECKing Strategy for Students with Learning Disabilities (1999) By Tamarah Ashton. From the article:

The CHECK strategy was developed to help students become more effective and independent in the usage of spell checkers. A preskill must be taught before teaching the actual strategy. Since the spell checkers in most word processing programs will allow the user to type in the "Change To" box, it should be explained to students that they can make a change in the spelling of their word and then click on "Change". If the new word is closer to the intended word it may appear in the next list of suggested words. This can be repeated as many times as is necessary. However, it is best to make one type of change at a time. The following strategy, which can be used cross-platform and with any word processing program which includes a spell checking feature, helps students remember a sequence that will get them to the desired word in the most direct fashion.

Our January Technology Tuesday highlighted the software program from Soft Touch called Test Me, Score Me. Participants learned how easy it was to create a way of assessing the understanding of content specific concepts for students with significant disabilities. This software program imports pictures and images for multiple choice questions. Text entries can be spoken. The student can respond through use of a mouse click, switch, or Intellikeys. It also has scanning capablitilies. The test is automatically scored and data is generated for the teacher. Both the test and the data can be printed out for collection of evidence for students taking the VAAP. For those of you who have access to Test Me, Score Me,import this test regarding American Symbols that was demonstrated during the Test Me, Score Me workshop.

The web is becoming a great resource for finding ready made materials for students needing extra support. Slater software, publishers of PixWriter and Picture It software, has a free stuff section of their website. A quick browse through this website I found stories that were created using Picture It Software. The stories have been saved into a pdf document that can be downloaded and printed. Numerous stories and activities are available and added monthly. Check it out!!

Dr. David Rose of the Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST), will be the featured speaker on an upcoming webcast on UDL. For more details, visit:

Next LD Talk - Universal Design for Learning: Effective Technology-based Teaching Practices
for All Struggling Learners

Can't put your hands on that Boardmaker disc?? Have no fear, now available on the Slater Software web site is a free seach of literacy support pictures. Type in a word and a picture becomes available that you can copy to your desktop and use right away. Be sure to credit them with this great gift!!! What a find. Thanks to Slater for making our life so much easier.

Excerpt from the LD Online article Environmental Modification of APD at Home by Teri James Bellis (2002):

In spy movies, key characters get together and synchronize their watches before a caper. Football players gather in the locker room and go over game plans before the big game. These types of activities can be very useful when a family member has APD. Set a time to get together and make plans, assign chores, and handle important business. This may be a daily or weekly event, depending on the circumstances. Write everything down on a notepad or, even better, a reusable write-on/wipe-off board. As decisions are made, list who is responsible for what and the expected timeline. The board then serves several functions: it clarifies any potential misunderstandings, serves as a visual reminder of expectations and responsibilities, and provides a convenient means of follow-up.

The IPOD, and other Mp3 players, are growing in popularity

Hello to everyone who came to the Slates and Tablets and Auggies, Oh My! workshop today...if you didn't, or just want to follow up on some of the things we did, here are the links to the Auggie, Motion Computing, and the free downloads of what we played with:

At the recent EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative (ELI) 2007 conference, Julie Evans - CEO of Project Tomorrow/ NetDay noted in a national study of K-12 students and their use of technology, preliminary findings suggest (a) social computing is the #1 use for technology, (b) self-directed learning is on the rise, (c) their is a continued disconnect between schools and adults, and (d) technology sophistication is observed in the youngest of learners.