Accessibility Festival
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Technology has the power to reduce barriers to learning; and, when coupled with passion and the expertise of people who want to find new solutions, innovative applications emerge. The Accessibility Festival will launch the conference on the afternoon of October 17th and will celebrate ingenuity in learning.
NEW!! The festival will kick-off with a keynote address Living, Learning and Communicating in a Diverse World by Jutta Treviranus, Director of the Adaptive Technology Resource Centre (ATRC) at the University of Toronto. Jutta brings more than 25 years of experience in the field of access technology and inclusive design to the symposium. She has lead a large number of national and international multi-partner research networks (including The Inclusive Learning Exchange (TILE), the Canadian Network for Inclusive Cultural Exchange, the Network for Inclusive Distance Education, CulturAll, Stretch, Fluid and the Barrierfree project), that have led to a range of broadly implemented technical innovations that support inclusion.
In her keynote Jutta will challenge Alberta Educators to consider how digital resources can and should be made to include the widest range of learner needs. Jutta will also be presenting a concurrent session on the Fluid Project during the Symposium.
Following this keynote, attendees will be invited to explore with teachers and students some of the ways they are using assistive and emerging technologies to address the diverse learning needs of 21st century learners across a lifelong learning continuum.
The Accessibility Festival will feature a variety of displays and presentations focusing on supporting students with a range of needs, skills and interests. Classroom teachers and students will host demonstrations featuring best practices of teaching and learning using digital tools and resources. Delegates will also have opportunities to participate in hands-on exploration sessions and to engage in facilitated discussions on living, learning and communicating in a world of diversity.
Accessibility Festival Schedule:
2:00 to 3:00 pm Keynote Address: Jutta Treviranus: Living, Learning and Communicating in a Diverse World
Accessibility Festival Poster Presentations and Student/Teacher Demos to follow the Keynote Address – Everyone is invited to drop by explore, and learn.
NEW! - Special Rates for Attendance on Wednesday: |
Download The Application to Participate or Present
For more information please contact: Pauline Auld pmauld@cbe.ab.ca or Kathy Howery Kathy.Howery@gov.ab.ca
Ray Kurzweil: How technology's accelerating power will transform us
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Assistive Technology Videos
Assistive Technology: Enabling Dreams: http://www.edutopia.org/node/1241
Exploring the Frontiers of Assistive Technology: http://www.assistiveware.com/podcasts.php
Microsoft Accessibility Video Case Studies:
http://www.microsoft.com/enable/casestudy/videos.aspx
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A Global Perspective: Conferences Focusing on Accessibility
Closing the Gap – Assistive Technology Resources for Children and Adults with Special Needs
October 18-20, 2007 – Minneapolis, Minnesota
http://www.closingthegap.com/
Technology Reading & Learning Diversity Conference
January 24 – 26, 2008 – San Francisco, CA
http://www.trld.com/
ATIA 2008 Conference
Showcasing Excellence in Assistive Technology
January 30 – February 2, 2008 – Caribe Royale Resort – Orlando Florida
http://www.atia.org/conf_2008.html
Technology & Persons with Disabilities Conference
March 10-15, 2008 – Los Angeles, CA
http://www.csun.edu/cod/conf/
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Increasing Accessibility: Assistive Technology Software & Devices
Assistive Technology enables students to perform tasks and functions that would otherwise be difficult or impossible to accomplish without it. Assistive technology is specialized in that it allows access to learning for students with disabilities.
Text-to-Speech Software
Kurzweil www.kurzweiledu.com)
Read and Write Gold http://www.texthelp.com/page.asp
Speech-to-Text Software
Dragon Naturally Speaking http://www.nuance.com/naturallyspeaking/
WordQ/SpeakQ http://www.wordq.com/
iListen http://www.macspeech.com/
Language Skills
Rosetta Stone http://www.rosettastone.com/en/
Mind Mapping
Inspiration http://www.inspiration.com/
SMART Ideas http://www2.smarttech.com/st/en-US/Products/SMART+Ideas/
Word Prediction
Word Q http://www.wordq.com/
Other
Clicker 5 http://www.cricksoft.com/us/products/clicker/
Boardmaker http://www.mayer-johnson.com/
Writing with Symbols http://www.mayer-johnson.com/ProdDesc.aspx?SKU=M165
Intellitools http://www.intellitools.com/
Devices
AlphaSmart Computer Companion http://www.alphasmart.com/
The Reading Pen http://www.wizcomtech.com/
Quick Link Pen Elite http://www.wizcomtech.com/
Franklin Speaking Dictionaries/Spell Checkers http://www.franklin.com/
Docupen Portable Scanner http://planon.com/)
General Resources
Abledata
http://www.abledata.com/abledata.cfm?pageid=19327&ksectionid=19327
American Foundation for the Blind
http://www.afb.org/Section.asp?SectionID=4
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Universal Design for Learning
Universal design (UDL) is an approach to designing course instruction, materials, and content to benefit people of all learning styles without adaptation or retrofitting. Universal design provides equal access to learning, not simply equal access to information. Universal Design allows the student to
control the method of accessing information while the teacher monitors the learning process and initiates any beneficial methods.
A Universally Designed Curriculum offers the following:
- Multiple means of representation, to give learners various ways of acquiring information and knowledge,
- Multiple means of expression, to provide learners alternatives for demonstrating what they know,
- Multiple means of engagement, to tap into learners' interests, offer appropriate challenges, and increase motivation (Cast, 1999)
Universal Design for Learning: http://www.cast.org/research/udl/index.html
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