Webinar Wednesday: 5 Ways to Be An A-1-1-Y Hero

Is accessibility ("A11Y") for learners with disabilities among the criteria you, your school, district, or state use when selecting educational materials and technologies? Then be sure to vote for Luis Perez and Cynthia Curry's #A11Y Hero proposal on SXSQ PanelPlicker. By doing so you'll gain the opportunity to learn five guidelines that should be a part of any procurement process and leave with your first action step toward making learning more accessible. You'll be an A11Y hero!

Source: PanelPlicker

Motivational Monday: TED Ed with Luis Perez

TED Ed talks are often known for their ability to inspire, promote new ways of thinking or offer insights into worlds unfamiliar to our own. For me, the TED Ed talk, What losing my vision taught me about accessibility, did all of the above. Luis Pérez delivered this TED ed talk at the 2018 ISTE Conference in Chicago and has been a major topic of conversation since then. It brings to the surface the ever important discussion of accessibility and being able to view the world outside of our lens. Through Luis' own personal experiences lives between two worlds he was able to understand the important of accessibility and how to "be the spark and light the path" for those students we work alongside. 

A little background about Luis Pérez, as stated on CAST.org, "As a technical assistance specialist for the National Center on Accessible Educational Materials, Luis promotes the creation, delivery and use of high quality accessible educational materials and technologies to support equitable learning opportunities for all students.

Prior to joining the AEM Center, Luis was an independent consultant focusing on mobile learning, UDL and assistive technology. He was recognized as an Apple Distinguished Educator (ADE) in 2009 and as a Google in Education Certified Educator in 2014. Luis is President-Elect of the Inclusive Learning Network of the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), which named him its 2016 Outstanding Inclusive Educator. He also serves on the board of the Florida Alliance for Assistive Services and Technology (FAAST)."

Webinar Wednesday: Access Abilities Podcast with Luis Pérez

UMass Amherst Assistive Technology Center's Kelsey Hall and Josh Pearson recently created the Access Abilities podcast. Their first podcast features educator, photographer, and published author/consultant Luis Pérez. To learn more about UDL [Universal Design for Learning] and assistive technology, be sure to listen to this informative and insightful interview. 

Click on the link to follow the AccessAbilities Podcast

A transcript of the podcast can be found at bit.ly/2F3YxBV

Webinar Wednesday: Wearables as Supports for Executive Functioning and Independence

In this session, you will learn about a number wearables and smartwatches in order to help you select the device(s) that best meets your access needs while staying on budget. Following an overview of the built-in accessibility features of these devices, you will then learn about a number of apps that can assist in improving executive functioning capabilities and promoting independence for a variety of learners. These include apps for managing time and information, staying on task, and successfully completing daily living goals.

Click to RSVP for this Event

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Luis Pérez is a technical assistance specialist for the National Center on Accessible Educational Materials. In this role, he promotes the creation, delivery and use of high quality accessible educational materials and technologies to support equitable learning opportunities for all students. He holds a doctorate in special education and a master’s degree in instructional technology from the University of South Florida. While at USF, he was project manager for Tech Ease for All, a collection of free assistive technology and web accessibility resources for educators from the Florida Center for Instructional Technology. He was selected as an Apple Distinguished Educator (ADE) in 2009, and the Inclusive Learning Network of the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) named him its 2016 Outstanding Inclusive Educator.

Event Date: 

Wednesday, February 7th, 2018 - 5:00pm to 6:00pm EST

Location Details/Address: 

To connect to the webinar....
Go to https://ctd1.adobeconnect.com/ctd2

To connect to the audio via telephone: 

Dial: 1-866-668-0721
Conference Code: 2934 42 2503