INTERNAL PD OPPORTUNITY: Assistive Technology Integration for All Students with Kelli Suding

Special Education Directors,

The ADE/ESS Assistive Technology (AT) team is excited to announce the 2022–2023 National Presenter Series with Kelli Suding, MEd. This workshop is designed for special educators and related service providers.

“Assistive Technology Integration for All Students”

Date: Tuesday, October 25, 2022

Time: 8:30 a.m.−3:30 p.m.

Fee: $17 (Lunch only)

Where: Laveen Elementary School District

Address: 5001 W Dobbins Road, Laveen, AZ 85339

About Kelli Suding, MEd

Kelli has a background in general and special education classrooms. She holds a master’s degree in Learning and Technology and is certified in both general and special education instruction. Kelli has national, state, and local presentation and training experience. She has a strong understanding and experience in connecting theory to practice. Her instructional experience has been with students requiring mild, moderate, and intense intervention. Kelli’s specializations include universal design for learning, autism, accessible educational materials, assistive technology, Google Chrome accessibility and integration, and specific learning disabilities.

Workshop Description:

“Assistive Technology Integration for All Students”

Creating our classroom instruction with learner variability in the forefront will allow us to be mindful in meeting the needs of all of our students. Oftentimes, the use of assistive technology is the appropriate accommodation to meet those needs. Statements such as “That’s cheating. They need to do that by themselves,” are often comments aligned with the use of appropriate accommodations of accessible educational materials (AEM) and assistive technology (AT) for students with specific disabilities. But how can we promote a culture of universal design for learning (UDL) and at the same time step outside of our “No, it’s not cheating,” echo chamber to have meaningful conversations with educators who may see AT accommodations as a crutch?

This workshop will explore ways to debunk the mindset of “it’s cheating” through personal stories, understanding learning disabilities, short simulations, discussion of the different skill sets of reading, the “what” of AEM, and most importantly, the “why.” Attendees will learn about and have access to free/low-cost simple AT tools for Mac, PC, iOS, and Chrome extensions to turn classroom worksheets and documents into accessible formats, instruction for independent student access, and other assistive technology options.

If you have questions regarding this training, please email our AT inbox.

Register for Assistive Technology Integration for All Students.