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Experience the Wonder of Learning

We are all designed to learn, to interact with the world around us; to acquire new knowledge, skills, behaviors, or understanding through experience, play, and study.

But sometimes we lose the wonder of learning; we experience barriers that we struggle to overcome. This is particularly true for students with disabilities. The effects of a disability do not keep a student from being proficient in grade-level standards. But, barriers from inaccessible instructional design will result in significant achievement gaps, and that results in disengagement and a loss of wonder.

Historically, instruction has been designed for a mythical "average" student that doesn't really exist. This type of design will always result in achievement gaps for various student groups. Technology now provides many options for designing universal instruction that adapts to the learning profiles of all students.

As educators, we share a responsibility to redesign instruction and restore the wonder of learning for all students. Join us as we work towards this goal!

Your Technology & Learning Connections Team

Increasing student achievement by aligning technology, policies, and curriculum through a multi-tiered system of supports in a universal education system.

The Technology & Learning Connections (TLC) Team is a part of the FDOE, Bureau of Exceptional Education and Student Services - funded PS/RtI Project at the University of South Florida. The TLC services support the local development of highly effective classrooms for students with disabilities based on the Florida Standards through an MTSS within a universal education system. 

The TLC Team provides guidelines and resources to support the implementation of:

• The Florida B.E.S.T. Standards
• Assistive & Instructional Technology
• Accessible Instructional Materials (AIM)
• Universal Design for Learning (UDL)

The team provides statewide technical assistance, training support to districts and their local assistive technology specialist (LATS) as well as the regional local assistive technology specialist (RLATS) that provide direct services to small and rural districts.

The TLC team also manages the AT & UDL Loan Library. The AT & UDL Loan Library is designed to help districts and schools implement a universal, differentiated core curriculum based on the Florida B.E.S.T. Standards. The assistive technologies available in this library can be used to identify which technologies will best support students with disabilities to participate and progress in core curriculum. The Universal Design for Learning technologies can be used to identify effective, instructional pedagogies that support highly effective learning environments. Accounts are available to district personnel approved by their respective ESE Director and BEESS IDEA Funded State Projects personnel.