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I know this is tangential to technology, but in my world it’s a very important aspect of accommodation. I’m posting this under students, but it also affects faculty, staff, and administration.

A consequential and under-examined gap is the one between secondary and post secondary. The rules, tools, and responsibilities are all different.

Everything is different:

- the accommodations that are available (e.g. there is no modified curriculum in PSE)

- the documentation required to be eligible for accommodation (IEPs are not sufficient - the student needs a psychoeducational assessment)

- the locus of responsibility (regardless of their age, PSE students are considered adults and parental involvement is not allowed unless the student has signed a waiver authorizing it).

Students (and their parents) show up knowing none of this and assuming that the processes and coping skills they’ve learned in K-12 will carry over to PSE, but to a significant degree they don’t.

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As a secondary school teacher, I have worked with a student (pseudonym: Mary) who has mild dyslexia and benefits from accessibility features such as text-to-speech, read-aloud functions, and visual supports. While many digital learning platforms now offer these features and can be connected through systems such as Google Classroom, the experience is not always consistent. When Mary moves between different platforms, she encounters different interfaces, settings, and support options. Features that are easy to find in one tool may be hidden, unavailable, or require additional setup in another. This can create frustration and increase the cognitive load placed on students who are already managing learning challenges. For students like Mary, the goal should be to focus on learning rather than remembering how to access support features in each platform.

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A gap I frequently encounter is the disconnect between classroom learning environments and assessment environments. Students may use accessibility supports successfully throughout the year, but those same supports are not always available or function consistently within specialized assessment platforms. This creates challenges for both equity and continuity of support.

-Sam Quarterman

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One question I kept returning to while exploring the site was whether we should be cautious about building a system that reads a student’s IEP once and automatically configures all connected tools.

In my experience, student needs are not static. We collect information through IEPs, observations, Circle of Care meetings, digital portfolios, and ongoing assessment, but our goal is not simply to automate accommodations. We are also preparing students for post-secondary education, employment, and adult life, where they will need to understand, evaluate, and advocate for their own learning needs.

I wonder if the future opportunity is not a “set and forget” orchestration layer, but a reflective one. Could students regularly review which supports they used, which were helpful, and whether their needs have changed? This feels more aligned with the IB emphasis on developing reflective learners and self-advocacy.

Denise Mouton

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From my experience as both a teacher and administrator, one of the biggest gaps is the lack of integration between the many tools and systems used in schools. Student information, accommodations, assessment data, and communication are often spread across different platforms, making it time-consuming to get a complete picture of a student's needs and progress. A more unified and user-friendly system could help reduce workload, improve consistency, and allow educators to focus more on supporting students.

I also see a gap in staff training and confidence with educational technology, as many educators are willing to use these tools but do not always have the time or support needed to implement them effectively. More Pro-D is needed, and not just for teachers. There have been times when admininstrators follow trends, or fall for great marketing, and purchase technology without knowing its limitations.

-Jessy

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A gap for teachers is that we are often expected to differentiate instruction and use assistive technology to support diverse learners, but we may not always have enough devices, training, or funding to implement these tools effectively. In my own experience, budget limitations have meant relying on paper-based home reading programs instead of digital reading tools and supports. While these resources still support literacy, it highlights how access to technology-based supports can depend on available funding and resources.

~Jodee

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As mentioned in your OER, the process of creating IEPS could be streamlined better. I had to create, and update many this year in my resource position role. We have to manually populate everything, if the system could auto-populate recurring information rather than re-entering it every-time that could save time. Some things can be carried over (student interests, or strengths for example), whereas other areas may change and the teacher can update information manually. The way the goals are created (selected from a drop-down menu) to create curricular-oriented goals is a hassle too. There should be better district-approved goal banks and goal templates that are easier to read for parents. Often, parents struggle with reading the goals with the way the template lays them out. Moreover, often you have to move through multiple screens and tabs to complete an IEP. A single-page workflow could save time and be more efficient.

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Generic example of a continuum of supports

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As a learning support teacher and math intervention teacher, I believe one of the biggest gaps is not in the supports themselves, but in our understanding of their purpose.

Some supports, such as those used for students with visual impairments or other permanent disabilities, are essential long-term accommodations. However, many other supports should be viewed as temporary scaffolds designed to build students' skills, confidence, and independence.

Digital tools, such as speech-to-text, can be incredibly effective when used intentionally.

In many situations, I see them as "training wheels"—supports that help students develop the strategies and skills needed to become more independent over time. Unfortunately, I sometimes encounter the belief among educators, parents, and even students that these supports are permanent, rather than part of a pathway toward greater independence whenever that is possible.

As Ross Greene reminds us, "Children do well if they can." When we understand the purpose of supports and use them thoughtfully, we give students the opportunity not only to succeed today, but also to build the independence they need for tomorrow.

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A gap exists for families and educational assistants. Parents may not know which tools their child uses at school or how to use the same supports at home. This can make learning less consistent.

Educational assistants may also have limited access to student plans, progress data, or digital tools. They may need to ask teachers for updates or use several different systems. A shared and simple system could help everyone understand the student’s needs and provide more consistent support.

Manouchehr

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As an instructional designer, creating scalable training materials (help center articles, tutorials, or troubleshooting guides) is nearly impossible in a siloed ecosystem. Because every application hides its accessibility toggles in different menus with different terminology (e.g., "Immersive Reader" vs. "Read Aloud" vs. "Audio Assist"), support teams (my learners) must build and maintain dozens of different tutorials for what is fundamentally the same accommodation.

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A gap for students is that AI tools do not always match how different learners process information. Some students need visuals, audio, chunking, repetition, or reduced text, while many AI tools still give mostly written responses. AI can support learning, but only if it is designed with different brains and learning needs in mind.

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Brian Pearce

Having used the same ALD in two unique student scenarios that biggest gap that I observed was how others interacted with the student. In one circumstance the class was inviting and inclusive. They wanted to understand the technology and to be a part of the students needs in a positive and growing way.

With the other student there was a significant amount of understanding that needed to be built within the classroom. A significant amount of time was spent bringing the class up to speed on what it was, why it was used, and how to be part of its function. While it took time the student who needed the ALD was such an amazing leader and drove the understanding by bringing in guest speakers and being an advocate for their needs. What turned out to be a large gap grew into something wonderful and inclusive.

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I think that adaptive technologies can go a long way to support inclusion in the classroom. Unfortunately one of the gaps I see is awareness of the tools and the training to use them.

I think that part of this would be curating a list of approved tools and then spending time training teachers on how to use them.

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Assessment

Echoing Sam's point, I think there may be a gap when it comes to assessing students that require accommodations. While I’m not a teacher, I have been accommodated through a health issue and while I was given more time, the assessment stayed the same. I also didn’t request an alternative assessment, so I’m not saying that it isn’t possible, but I do believe that most courses are designed to be assessed in a singular way and it can be difficult to design an equivalent assessment that maintains equity amongst students.

I have also redesigned a pre-work module for a higher education institution that didn’t have an accessible version at all, and some students were not able to access the pre-work in previous years because of this. As this particular course also had an in-person component, it was manageable, but it does highlight equity concerns. The good news is the institution is working on this now, so it won’t be a problem for future students.

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I agree with Jessy’s point about the need for more staff training and confidence with assistive technology. From an administrator’s perspective, I think the gap is not just access to the tools, but time and structure for teachers to actually learn how to use them well. A one-time workshop usually isn’t enough. Teachers need follow-up support, time to try tools with students, and chances to share what is working or not working. I’d also add that administrators need a clear system for tracking which students use which tools, so supports don’t disappear when students change teachers or grades.

Michael Cafuta

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I would like to add to what others have brought up around the gap in assessment. A concern I have is that some accommodations may alter the skill being assessed. There can be a gap between teachers understanding of how adaptive technologies can affect the outcome of an assessment which impacts whether results are interpreted accurately. There is also a challenge of aligning traditional assessment formats with adaptive technologies. I believe teachers need more support in understanding how these adaptive technologies work and how they can design assessments that will work for both the students and measuring the desired learning outcome.

- Megan Frederick

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This is such a massive headache from an instructional design perspective. Operating in a siloed ecosystem makes it almost impossible to build scalable training materials. Every single app seems to hide its accessibility toggles under different menus using completely different terminology (like "Immersive Reader" vs. "Read Aloud"). Because of that fragmentation, we end up having to build and maintain dozens of different tutorials for what is fundamentally the exact same accommodation. - Tahira