Oregon Technology Access Program

09/09/2025

A proposal to convert IDEA funding into block grants would drive up costs, create inefficiencies and widen disparities, two experts write.

09/05/2025

We are excited to announce our Student Advocacy Keynote speaker! Meet Todd" Hammer" Semmes. Hammer has worked on safety and stunt rigging, production management, and assistant directing on countless productions. He is the co-owner of Spydercam ! With over 20 years in the film business, Hammer turned his dyslexia into a superpower for creative problem-solving making him a key player and it's like Game of Thrones, Avengers, Jurassic World, and more. As an Oscar and Emmy winner, he inspires others by sharing his journey from student to film entrepreneur! Can't wait for you to meet him !! Register herehttps://conta.cc/3HdQOXo

09/03/2025

We are excited to welcome Elizabeth Barker, accessibility program manager at Khan Academy back to our student advocacy workshop. She will be leading a session for students on how to use their accommodations. She was last year's keynote speaker at our first student advocacy workshop and generously agreed to join us again. Elizabeth cares deeply about helping students make the most of their accommodations and we are looking forward to learning from her once more this year.

09/03/2025

It is a long way from national legislation to the classroom. Thanks to NCADEMI for keeping it real!

The National Center on Accessible Digital Educational Materials and Instruction (NCADEMI) has released Accessibility Basics, a practical guide designed to help educators enhance the accessibility of their classroom content. The guide outlines nine core skills, from selecting readable fonts to writing effective image descriptions, that make both digital and printed materials more inclusive for all learners. Each tip is easy to implement and aligned with best practices in accessibility, helping educators create materials that support diverse learning.

Making digital instructional content accessible means ensuring that learners with disabilities can access and engage with the materials provided for learning. The nine core skills below will help you create more accessible digital documents, videos, and images.

08/30/2025

Directionality and writing letters play crucial role in your child’s development! https://ilslearningcorner.com/2016-02-directionality-why-directionality-and-writing-letters-is-part-of-a-greater-problem/

08/30/2025

Suggested Guidelines for Communication Accessible In-Person and Online Presentations, and Meetings Submitted by The North American Alliance of Communication Access (NAACA), a volunteer working group dedicated to improving communication access for people who use Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC). NAACA includes members from Communication Disabilities Access Canada (CDAC), ISAAC Canada, USSAAC (U.S. Chapter of ISAAC), and CATIC in Mexico. NAACA’s goal is to make sure AAC users can fully participate in conferences, meetings, and online events by promoting awareness, accessibility and inclusion.

NAACA proposes the following guidelines to enhance communication accessibility for individuals who use AAC during conferences, online events, and meetings. We encourage you to use or adapt these tips to make your events communication accessible. Read more at https://isaac-online.org/english/communication-access/naaca-resources/

08/30/2025

Teaching individuals using AAC how to read and write is a unique challenge! Are you wondering how the science of reading aligns with comprehensive literacy instruction for your AAC users? As many school districts now follow the science of reading research for instruction, special educators, speech-language pathologists, and parents may feel unsure how to proceed. In this session, we’ll draw comparisons to comprehensive literacy and science of reading interventions, discuss research-based components of emergent and conventional literacy instruction, develop lesson plans that target these areas, and review numerous resources.
https://www.aaclearningjourney.com/learn/courses/665/aac-literacy-fusion-comprehensive-literacy-science-of-reading-awesome-sauce

08/30/2025

These skills are key to building a strong AI literacy!

08/30/2025

New on LearningGrids for Clicker subscribers this week! Some three-level books with supporting resources to help children read and write about the features and behaviours of spiders 🕷️. You can find them here: https://bit.ly/4mFxm5s

08/30/2025

Registration is now open for our Student Advocacy Workshop. Sessions are available for both new and returning students. Register here:
https://conta.cc/3HdQOXo