Autism Expressed & Digitability: Digital Life Skills for All Styles of Learning

Session 4

Michele McKeone — Autism Expressed & Digitability

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, “more than 50% of today’s jobs require some degree of technology skills, and experts say that percentage will increase to 77% in the next decade. ” However, the lack of access to digital skills training is creating a critical barrier for individuals with disabilities, especially during transition planning, and is limiting postsecondary outcomes for these students, further supporting an existing paradigm of pigeonholing into unemployment or low-wage paying jobs. it is limiting the extent to which they can participate in our technology driven society and economy.

Not to have the opportunity to develop these essential skills is to be denied access to and participation in the most vital information and communication modalities of today’s society.

Autism Expressed and Digitability makes digital literacy accessible to mobilize and integrate this growing population into the workforce and social fabric of society. Designed to reach a wide range of learning styles, the Autism Expressed and Digitability program is an online curriculum that feels like a game. It’s design enhances social and emotional development, time and task management skills and preparation for transition to a life of independence in a technology driven society.

The goal behind programming is to empower both learners and educators and change the paradigm and approach to educating individuals with disabilities.

Conversational Practice

Audience members will collaborate to identify common behavioral, cognitive and developmental issues and delays that can be circumvented through the use of technology. Participants will have access to our learning platform and supplemental materials. Using the Equity Protocol and principles of Applied Behavior Analysis, participants will evaluate given scenarios and share common experiences to determine appropriate adaptations for diversified learners. Through this collaborative process, groups identify ways to differentiate given activities to meet the needs of diverse learning profiles they work with, thus creating new materials and approaches for use in homes and schools. The conversation will focus on shifting the perspective on the current approach for educating students with disabilities of all age and ability.