Tracy's Reflection

Along with my classmates, I feel it is incredibly important for special education students to have the best of the best with respect to technology. In reading the articles there is so much available as far as software.

This being said, I also come from a state with much less funding then Maryland by comparison. Priorities need to be set in this case, and certainly no funding choices should be wasteful decisions where software or technology is just for show, or to meet a mandated requirement.

In my previous coursework, I was made aware of and came across through research resources which were available for free, with no instruction required. Granted, they were not specialized, yet being free all teachers have access to them. Many universities provide "accessibility scans"
for free.

http://www.vcu.edu/accessibility/scan.html

These sites are primarily for the vision impaired, where web pages are scanned for things such as alternate text for graphics, making sure there are clear sections within a document, and other items which make it easier for a vision impaired student to read a webpage. Though there are specific screens for the vision impaired, the use of the zoom on the screen can provide a simple solution to this when a special screen is not available.

As teachers, we all want the best for our students, but as teachers, we also know we only have so many hours in the day, and we certainly know funding is limited. Ideally, all teachers would have access and training to software for special education students, but not all teachers are in an ideal situation.

Tracy