Digital technologies have the potential to enhance the learning experience for learners with SEND when used appropriately. Understanding how to create accessible resources or being able to signpost learners to guides on how to change their own device to support their learning needs can really make a difference. This page brings together resources that will help you to use digital technology with SEND learners.
Technology can help to make learning accessible to all learners, and particularly learners with SEND. Watch the Assistive technology to support learners with SEND webinar (52 minutes) to find out about specialist technologies, tools built into the software we use every day (e.g. Windows) and useful free apps and online tools that can really make a difference.
Take a look at the case studies and resources (zip folder) produced as part of the project, which include an assistive technology assessment process map and an IT access assessment proforma.
We have reviewed and updated our Keeping Safe Online training for our Entry Level learners. This Keep Safe Online resource (ppt), created by City College Norwich, Centre for Excellence in SEND (community), covers passwords, personal information, what you say, socialising, bullying, sharing feelings and sharing photos.
Weston College, Centre for Excellence in SEND (people) have been using 3D interactive tours to assist learners manage their anxiety around transition to the college environment.
Use of this technology has benefitted other areas of the college business. They delivered a Interactive tour to aid transition webinar to explore the use of 3D interactive tours as a tool to support both staff working in inclusive practice and SEND teams and learners with a SEND need.
This professional development Making presentations accessible video shows you ways in which you can make your presentations accessible, why this is important for learners with SEND and introduces Microsoft’s Accessibility Checker in PowerPoint.
To support you to quickly access individual sections within the video use the following links:
Weston College, Centre for Excellence in SEND (people) delivered the webinar Inclusive Digital Learning – Opportunities and Challenges in Supporting Learners with Complex Learning Needs as part of their Communities of Practice offer.
The Education and Training Foundation (ETF) delivered a series of Digital technologies to support remote delivery webinars as a guide to help teachers across the Further Education (FE) and Skills sector work remotely to support learners studying at home. Many of the webinars in the series highlight ways to make learning inclusive and support learners with SEN including:
The ETF’s Essential Digital Skills (EDS) programme is focused on digital skills for life and work as set out in the new national standards. Supporting teachers and trainers who work with learners with SEND is a priority to ensure they do not miss out on these vital digital skills. The programme offers a wide range of resources, including a series of online training resources with a self-assessment that signposts training needs and recorded online EDS training events, an online community of practice.
These are bite-sized EdTech training modules to help you learn the digital skills. The modules are mapped to the Digital Teaching Professional Framework, which is a national EdTech competency framework which underpins the EdTech offer. It provides a set of professional standards for technology enhanced learning. EdTech has seven categories of resources and two of these specifically focus on accessibility and dealing with difference and diversity.
To help you to understand how technology can be used to improve learner outcomes, TechAbility, with partners, has produced Techability Standards and supporting resources. These include an audit tool to help you determine where you are and what you need to know. And the TechAbility YouTube channel is worth a look, with lots of videos showing you how to use both mainstream and specialist technology to support your learners.
Find out how to make simple changes to your computer settings with AbilityNet’s My Computer My Way website.