This week’s class was lead by guest speaker, Chantelle Morvay-Adams, from BCEdAccess. BCEdAccess is volunteer-run organization helping to bring equitable access to education for families of students with disabilities and complex learners. Chantelle plays a big role in the organization, bringing her own familial experiences into her advocacy, pushing for true inclusion within school communities.
Hearing her speak from a professional stance, as well as personal through her experiences as a parent navigating these issues, was such a treat as a future-teacher. I was furiously scribbling down notes, as there was just so much good information to remember! These are some of the bigger points I took away from her chat with us:
Lack of Tech
While this didn’t come as much of a surprise, it wasn’t something I’d thought a huge amount about yet – the lack of technology available for those who would benefit from it most. For learner’s with certain disabilities or designations, diagnosed or not, having tools available for them to successfully participate at, or close to, grade level makes a world of difference in their continued learning, social wellbeing, and personal feelings towards school and learning.
This helpful tech, whether it be certain seating for a child with ADHD, or a keyboard for a student who had difficulties writing, is often difficult to acquire. The job of advocate lands on the teacher and the parent to push for these tools.
Lack of Tech Support
Even if/when the tech is available to use, there is often a huge learning curve in terms of how to use it.
Teachers may not know what specific approach or tool is best for a student and there is no go-to person for technology at schools.
Parents are often suggested to use certain tools, with no guide or prior knowledge of how to use them. Especially for parents who may be working through the initial struggle of a fresh diagnosis, this can add another layer of overwhelm to an already tough situation. A way that schools can help with this, may be to offer videos or tutorials on how to use specific pieces of technology.
Communication
Through any step in the process of working with a learner who has a learning disability (diagnosed or not), it’s crucial to keep communication open between teacher and student, and teacher and parent.
One of the best ways to get through to a student and figure out their struggles is to simply ask: What they liked/didn’t like? What works well for them? What is frustrating for them? This can help you gauge what approaches to take or tools to use to help them thrive in class.
For parents, creating an open, and inviting channel of communication can help both parties feel comfortable reaching out. This can be a tricky situation to navigate though, as every family will be at a different stage of their journey. One parent may be working with you and pushing towards getting helpful resources, another may still be working through a new diagnosis and seemingly less receptive, as they’re already feeling overwhelmed, and another parent may be refusing test and diagnosis all together. Regardless of where they are at, it’s important, as their child’s teacher, to read the situation and respond accordingly, but always have the door open for if/when they’re read to talk.