Educator Preparation Programs
Preparing educators to make digital learning accessible to every student begins in higher education. Educator preparation programs help shape how future PreK–12 teachers and administrators design learning that works for every student. Yet, research shows that most educators are not fully prepared to evaluate digital educational materials for accessibility or to create accessible digital materials themselves (Fontinele, 2024; Shaheen, 2022).
Studies examining how assistive technology (AT) is addressed in preparation program curricula reveal similar challenges. Both general and special educators often leave their programs without enough preparation to teach students with disabilities who use AT (Albalhareth & Saleem, 2023; Kurtz et al., 2022; Park et al., 2023).
Taken together, these findings point to a clear need to strengthen educator preparation for accessibility practices. As technology becomes more deeply embedded in teaching and learning, programs that prepare educators have a vital opportunity to ensure that every future teacher and school leader has the knowledge and skills to evaluate, create, and use accessible digital materials and technologies.
Technical Assistance for Prep Programs
In early 2025, NCADEMI gathered input from educator preparation programs to learn more about their technical assistance needs. Through a national survey and focus group, the study team explored the challenges that faculty, administrators, and clinicians face when incorporating digital accessibility into general and special education coursework. The report, Technical Assistance Needs of Educator Preparation Programs: Summary of 2025 Data Collection, summarizes key findings and insights.
Building on these findings, NCADEMI is partnering with Teach Access to launch the Preparing Educators for Digital Accessibility Community of Practice (CoP). This CoP is designed to help preparation programs strengthen how they prepare future educators to provide and use accessible materials in PreK–12 settings. This collaboration brings together NCADEMI’s expertise in PreK–12 digital accessibility policies and practices with Teach Access’s proven model for training higher education faculty to teach accessibly and embed accessibility within course curricula. Together, we are developing learning opportunities and resources to support preparation programs in equipping future educators with the knowledge and skills to apply best practices for digital accessibility in their careers.
Preparing Educators for Digital Accessibility CoP meetings are held the third Wednesday of each month, 2:00 – 3:15 p.m. ET.
References
Albalhareth, A. H., & Saleem, S. S. (2023). Teacher satisfaction with the availability of assistive technologies for students with sensory impairments in inclusive schools. International Journal of Education in Mathematics, Science and Technology, 11(5), 1204-1218.
Fontinele, G. (2024, January 31). Learning, teaching and capacity building for accessibility — messages from TechShare Pro. Accessibility, assistive technology and inclusive practice. https://accessibility.jiscinvolve.org/wp/2024/01/31/learning-teaching-and-capacity-building-for-accessibility-messages-from-techshare-pro/
Kurtz, H., Lloyd, S., Harwin, A., and Guo, B. (2022). Teaching students with learning differences: Results of a national survey. EdWeek Research Center. https://www.edweek.org/research-center/reports/teaching-students-with-learning-differences-results-of-a-national-survey
Park, J., Gremp, M., & Wook Ok, M. (2023). Effects of assistive technology on pre-service teachers: a systematic review. Journal of Special Education Technology. https://doi.org/10.1177/01626434231210988
Shaheen, N. L. (2022). Technology accessibility: How US K–12 schools are enacting policy and addressing the equity imperative. Computers & Education, 179, 104414. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2021.104414