Supporting Students with Learning Disabilities through eLearning

a Guide to Accommodations for Parents/Caregivers

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eLearning brings a new set of challenges for parents and students

As the COVID pandemic closes school doors and sends students home for “eLearning,” a large portion of the support falls to parents—parents who are balancing their own work and family responsibilities. School staff may be unable to help modify and provide accommodations in the same way as they could in person. So, how can parents support their child with learning disabilities? One essential ingredient includes technology-based accommodations that help students read assignments with comprehension and write with more clarity.

Here you’ll find answers to questions about what accommodations are, why they are important, and how they can help your child at home.

Accommodations that help

Parents are a child’s first teacher…you read to them, helped them learn to tie their shoes, and now you’ve been asked to support them as they navigate eLearning. You want to help your child learn more independently, but they still need support. The good news is that technology can help bridge the gap—through accommodations.

Parent teaching child using a laptop while sitting on a couch.

Writing Accommodations

What are they? Why are they important? How can my child use them?

Writing accommodations can help students who have writing challenges like dysgraphia. They help support spelling and grammar challenges, slow writing speeds, language barriers, and mechanical difficulties they may have getting words onto the page.

Co:Writer can provide:

Voice typing (speech recognition)
Word prediction (for spelling, grammar, and physical typing challenges)
Language and translation

Co:Writer puts all of these together in one simple browser extension—available wherever students write. If they can think it, they can write it.

Learn more about Co:Writer

Girl in orange shirt studying on computer at home

Reading Accommodations

What are they? Why are they important? How can my child use them?

Reading accommodations help students access the essential information they need in every subject, from assignments and worksheets, to quizzes and directions.

Snap&Read can:

Read materials aloud
Modify text to make it easier to read
Provide note-taking supports
Remove distractions
Translate text
Provide reading guides

With Snap&Read your child can comprehend whatever they read wherever they read it.

Learn more about Snap&Read

Girl in orange shirt using laptop at home

Training Your Child/How to Help Your Child

Our Learning Academy is a free self-guided learning platform for students and teachers. Student-led video modules walk through Co:Writer and Snap&Read. Three sections break the learning down for the most beginner to advanced user.

These videos are great resources for parents to use to become familiar with using Co:Writer and Snap&Read, too!

Start your journey in 4 easy steps

Getting Started with the Tools at Home

How-To Videos and Printable PDFs made to support your specific needs

Parent helping child use laptop to learn at home

Where it works

Google Chrome Extension

Works across Chromebooks, Mac, and Windows desktops running the Google Chrome Browser. Seamlessly integrates with Google Classroom and Google Drive.
iPad App

Get many of the top reading tools on iPad, and get great word prediction for iPad in a self-contained, no-distraction writing app.
Microsoft Edge Extension

Works across Windows and Mac desktops running the Microsoft Edge browser based on Chromium.
iPad Keyboard

It works just like Apple’s stock keyboard on iOS / iPad, but the prediction is much better and it supports Topic Dictionaries and data collection.
Online

Browse any webpage and use Snap&Read’s toolbar to understand everything on the page. Also use Co:Writer’s word prediction on any webpage.
PDFs

Give access to worksheets and any PDF from your Chrome browser.

Leading Learning at Home

In over 3,200 school districts, Snap&Read and Co:Writer are helping schools not miss a beat.

Kayle smiles during interview in classroom

“Ms. Parr introduced me to Snap&Read and it felt like I could do anything.”

Kayle Watch the Video

“Co:Writer removed the stigma teachers often fear of technology being too difficult or time consuming. There was no teacher prep and in five minutes they were ready to go and students immediately liked the writing tool.”

Diane Barfield, AT Coordinator

Kristi Stamatis smiles during an interview

“We gave him Snap&Read right away to give him the power to own his own learning. The first day he had it, I remember he said, ‘my possibilities are endless now, I can do anything I want to do.”

Kristi Stamatis, Teacher Watch the Video

“This is a fantastic app and extension for supporting spelling, grammar and vocabulary. Thanks Don Johnston for making this valuable tool available in the google platform!”

Connie Haines

Kim Davis sits in classroom during interview

“It just makes such a difference for him to feel confident in understanding what’s on the page in the text.”

Kim Davis, Principal Watch the Video

“It brings up predictions about what I am learning about, about the word if I don’t spell it right, and it also makes it a lot easier.”

Brandon (5th grader)

Macy smiles during interview in classroom

“With Snap&Read, I don’t want to go to school without it because it helps so much.”

Macy Watch the Video

“One of my students, who is not in special education, struggled forever with poor penmanship due to motor skills challenges. I put her on Co:Writer and WOW did she take off! She was thrilled that she actually wrote a whole paragraph and was proud, and so was I.”

Barbara Avery, 5th Grade Teacher

Elementary teacher Jamie Rainwater sits for interview in classroom

“It’s giving them exposure to vocabulary that I could not expose them to. You think, ‘oh, it’s going to help bring kids up,’ you don’t think of, ‘it could also help push kids even farther than where they’re at right now.’”

Jamie Rainwater Watch the Video

“It is exciting to see Don Johnston, Inc. offer these wonderful writing supports on multiple platforms so they are more accessible to our students. The extension is working great for us! As others have noted, you must own a subscription to use this product.”

Michelle Thomas