Advocating for Digital Equity in Special Education Classrooms

Written By Michael Bodine

In this digital age, it seems everyone has access to technology of some sort, but when we dig deeper, especially in education, we can see a divide or lag in access.  Much of this has to do with region, funding, and overall mission and vision of various education systems.  This ultimate need for access becomes even more prevalent when we look at students with special needs.  On the surface, some may read the term special needs as addressing profoundly disabled students in school systems, but this also must include students who spend most or all of their day learning alongside their non-disabled peers yet struggle with various learning disabilities. 

A study published by the National Center for Education Statistics in 2021, based on data from the 2019-2020 school year stated that 45% of schools reported having a computer for each student.  Much of the same reported that students have access to these devices at home, but in the same time frame, over 9 million of these homes did not have adequate internet services to access the educational information while not at school. The obvious conclusion we should draw from this is that in-class technology access, along with the proper instruction to facilitate the learning environment in the digital realm is crucial.

If we wait for someone else to advocate for our students, then the result very well may be that they will never receive the resources they need to help them succeed.

In analyzing this concern for Special Education classrooms, it becomes exponentially more complex, mainly because there isn’t a “one size fits all” technology resource that will service the student population.  Because of the enormous amount of various diagnoses and disabilities these students work to overcome, the often singular resource of a Chromebook, laptop, or iPad used in regular education classrooms simply won’t suffice on their own. 

Other technology resources often necessary for Special Education students include:

·      Text-To-Speech programs (vision impaired, dyslexia, nonverbal, etc.)

·      Dictation programs (motor skill impaired, such as dysgraphia)

·      Interactive Boards and Touchscreens (nonverbal, etc)

·      Virtual Learning (necessary for homebound students)

·      Virtual Planners and Timers (autism)

·      FM Listening Systems (autism, hearing impaired, and language processing disorders)

·      Graphic Organizers

“We need technology in every classroom and in every student and teacher’s hand, because it is the pen and paper of our time, and it is the lens through which we experience much of our world.” – David Warlick

"If we teach today as we taught yesterday, we rob our children of tomorrow." - John Dewey

Mossholder, T (2019). Love To Learn. https://unsplash.com/photos/WE_Kv_ZB1l0

Zolkin, S. (2017). Work on notebook. https://unsplash.com/photos/_UeY8aTI6d0

Park, T. (2020). Kindergarten little boy student looking at a laptop computer while participating in distance home learning during coronavirus quarantine. https://unsplash.com/photos/PjQ8VIZrZRE

Michael Bodine
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