Campaña del mes: cómo ayudar a que más estudiantes con discapacidad visual puedan tener libros accesibles

Education for children with autism can be a costly challenge to procure, but an app called Otsimo aims to democratize education by providing software designed specifically for autistic children. Now 3 years old with over 70 games and 100,000 users in three countries, parents, specialists, and kids testify to its efficacy and engagement.

Governments and schools are investing in technology to better serve people of different abilities. Innovations include text-to-911 for deaf and hard-of-hearing citizens, robotic telepresence for remote students, and the Vitals app, which allows families and caregivers to alert police officers of ways to help developmentally disabled family members.

The School of Special Needs ensures students with disabilities have equal access to education by making attending school more accessible. Students who attend the school have their fees paid for and are also provided with helpful resources like guiding canes and special typewriters for those with vision impairments.

A teacher in San Diego took matters into her own hands when she couldn't find a social justice curriculum tailored to students with disabilities. That’s partly why she created what she calls the “Social Justice League,” a group of students at her school who meet weekly by Zoom and discuss a variety of issues, such as Native American land, gender privilege, the representation of disabilities in the media and systemic racism.

Centennial School in Pennsylvania has dramatically reduced its need for student restraint over the last 20 year, challenging the notion that seclusion or restraint is an option when dealing with students with disabilities. Its approach replaces previous drastic measures and instead relies on teaching what good behavior looks like rather than punishment, placing two teachers in the classroom rather than one, and increase emphasis on weekly professional development.

The Andrew Heiskell Braille and Talking Book Library is a branch of the New York Public Library system that offers a wide array of services for vision-impaired adults and children. They hold the largest physical collection of braille books in the country, as well as thousands of downloadable digital braille books, audio books, and newspaper subscriptions. Included amongst these offerings are also the Talking Books program which records and distributes their collection of 200,000 recorded books, hardware and software tech to help illustrate things like tactile maps or diagrams, and simple community classes.

The Phoenix School of Discovery is an alternative school designed for students with learning and social challenges, with roughly half of students on an individualized education plan, or IEP. The school prioritizes hands-on learning, has multiple teachers in each classroom, and offers accommodations like sensory-friendly lighting and a space for “quiet lunch” for students who find the traditional cafeteria over-stimulating.

La aplicación móvil Bufeo, desarrollada por Faunagua, convirtió a pescadores amazónicos en científicos ciudadanos que monitorean al delfín rosado boliviano, logrando duplicar los avistamientos registrados (de 3 a 7 bufeos cada 10 km), generar más de 500 registros en 1,500 km de ríos, e impulsar la aprobaciónes de protección de la especie.

Potrero Digital es una iniciativa argentina que ofrece formación tecnológica gratuita e integral a jóvenes vulnerables, logrando que más del 60% acceda a empleos formales en la economía digital y mejore significativamente sus habilidades socioemocionales y autoestima.

The Wisdom Hub Nursery and Primary School enrolls students alongside those who are differently-abled, allowing them to learn in the classroom together. The combined classroom approach teaches students to embrace diversity, nurturing an inclusive educational environment where each child can thrive. The Wisdom Hub opened in 2013 and has since seen over 300 children with special needs cross into secondary school.