States across our country with schools that dedicate themselves to educating children with various special needs are continuously looking to technology for better ways to communicate with and educate their students, and it looks as though technology is coming through.

In her article, Tech Accessibility Makes Strides for Deaf, Blind Students Tanya Roscorla highlights what IT leaders in states such as Mississippi and South Carolina have done for their schools who serve the deaf and blind population of students.

These schools face the same challenges that all school districts face however these technology leaders have to think differently about the technology they purchase and spend more time determining whether email systems or blogging platforms for example are accessible.

It seems that many of the large technology companies such as Apple and Google have made great strides in making technology accessible to students. Their services and hardware give students graphics and visuals to help students learn. The challenge is that while these

large companies have the budget to make this happen, smaller companies that develop educational software do not have the funds to make their software accessible to a smaller population who can really use it.

School districts across the country continue to try to find ways to bring the benefits of technology to all students. This is not only beneficial for learning but also for emergency notifications and regular announcements. Including a combination of audio and video notification for example would help make sure that all students have the information they need and that school officials are complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Technology can be the great equalizer in a classroom with diverse learners and most students with special needs can and do benefit from technology in and outside of the classroom.