SNOW Chat & Learn

Welcome to SNOW, our participatory learning and sharing web site.Topics range from adaptive technology and universal design to accessible media in education. Check out the postings on this page or see the menu on the left for access to our current workshops, discussion topics, articles, and a collection of video and audio clips.

Current Offerings:    

• Recently Added Discussions and Workshops
• Featured Videos
• Articles and Web Sites
• Policy and Accessibility

Join the Discussion:     

• Thinking About Assistive Tech in Your Classroom
• AODA - Is This the Right Time?
• Education for All and UDL in the Classroom
• Self-Advocacy for Students
• Teaching to the Test or Teaching the Student

More discusson topics are available in the side menu under the "Current Articles and Discussion Topics" heading. If there aren't any prior postings, be the first and get the conversation going.

Elizabeth Payne's Ottawa Citizen editorial, "The school system is not broke", is a timely reminder that teaching is a complex process, and formalized testing is not about the learning process. As she says:

There is nothing wrong with making sure everybody is on the same page when it comes to teaching, and that schools are achieving the same goals, but critics are right that standardized testing - subtly and not-so-subtly - shifts the focus in classrooms from learning to assessing how everyone is doing. And much of what good teachers do cannot be assessed in standardized tests.

Read the entire editorial. If you're a classroom teacher, EA, or administrator, share your thoughts about the current state of standardized testing.

Troubled Children is a powerful 4 part series in the New York Times that "examines issues including the transition to adulthood, the uncertainty of diagnosis, the use of multiple medications and the role of parents." Free sign-up required.

Living with Autism in a World Made for Others is a fascinating article written by A. Chris Gajilan for CNN about Amanda Baggs, a young woman with autism. Amanda uses a computer for communications and is involved with managing the autistics.org website where a number of her writings are posted.

Accessibility leader found inspiration in daughter, Carol Hazard writes in the Richmond Times-Dispatch about Debra Ruh who started TecAccess:

"Debra Ruh was comfortable working for corporate America ... She risked it all for TecAccess, a Hanover County-based provider of accessibility and workforce solutions for people with disabilities, baby boomers and disabled veterans." ... Where do baby boomers fit in? ..."The day I turned 40, I needed these glasses; I had to have my glasses to see technology," said Ruh, now 50. "As we age, we acquire disabilities."

Passing the AODA's Information and Communications Standard during the current economic crisis represents an opportunity for businesses and consumers alike, Jutta Treviranus writes in her opinion piece, Is This the Right Time?

She suggests that:

"...[f]rom a business prudence perspective this is clearly not a time to increase inventory or invest in non-essential capital. It is however time to diversify our market, increase our customer base and find new markets. Customers are less likely to invest in non-essentials, conveniences and luxuries. It has been pointed out that information and communication technology makes things more convenient for people without disabilities and possible for people with disabilities."

Read Jutta's article and share your thoughts.

Blood is thicker than brand power , Helen Henderson writes for the Toronto Star. She reviews recent efforts by the Ontario government to promote accessibility. "A new Ontario website designed to spread the word about making communities accessible to people with disabilities is getting high marks for good intentions. But as an easy route to information, AccessOn.ca has a way to go, critics say." (see other articles by Helen Henderson.)

Firms are missing out on skills of disabled workers . If the business case isn't enough to convince employers to look past a wheelchair or other impediment, the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, passed in 2005, sets new standards for making workplaces accessible to everyone.