What is Capacity-Building

As educators serve increasingly diverse student populations who experience barriers to access, foundational knowledge of assistive technology (AT) is vital for pre-service education majors. This chapter reviews key legislation concerning assistive technology in school settings, current practices, and barriers to AT implementation rooted in both K-12 and pre-service teacher training. The author will highlight emerging practices to embed AT instruction into general and special education teacher preparation programs along with key topics to address. Armed with increased knowledge and comfort of assistive technology tools afforded at the pre-service level, informed educators can create a more inclusive classroom by removing or reducing barriers to accessing the learning environment.