VIDBE-Q Volume 68 Issue 4
93
With the provision of AT made available by APH through the federal quota
program, initial challenges with obtaining funding for AT have been mitigated.
However, gaps remain regarding the training needs of parents and teachers, and
community spaces remain lacking in access points to accessible technology and
media. Teachers and parents often support or learn AT alongside a student, yet
typically do not have access to a device for their own learning. Community spaces
such as libraries, makerspace, and coding clubs are also integral to supporting
equitable access and engagement with information, yet are not often privy to
accessible technology, media, and related resources for blind and low vision
accessibility.
Finally, many teachers of students with visual impairments (TVIs) work in
an itinerant capacity where students are served in their community school; this
often results in a caseload that spans across a school district or county office of
education. As a result, TSVIs do not typically share physical spaces with one
another, resulting in a dispersed practice with limited opportunities for informal
connection. These ad hoc moments for connection are key to building community
around technology and sustaining one's technology proficiency (Morash & Siu,
2016). Instead, dedicated efforts must be made to meet in person while virtual
spaces such as listservs and social media can provide missing connection points
