Moving Toward Digital Inclusion: Insights From the COVID-19 Pandemic About Special Educators' Technology Use

• In Event: Special and Inclusive Educators and Teaching During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Technology integration is an increasingly important equity issue, but little is known about the important factors for teachers' technology use in special education. The rapid shift to remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic offers an opportunity to explore access to technology-enabled learning for special education (SPED) through teacher-level insights. Using in-depth interviews (N=20) with special educators during remote learning, the present study describes important enablers and barriers for technology use in K-12 public schools both prior to and during the shift to remote learning. SPED teachers described significant barriers to providing accessible technology-enabled instruction, largely due to school-based structures for resource allocation, student digital literacy training, teacher training, decision-making for technology, SPED job roles, and home-school communication.

Authors

• Allison Starks, University of California - Irvine

• Stephanie Reich, University of California - Irvine