Date
Wednesday, October 14, 2026
Time
1:15 PM - 2:05 PM
Location Name
RL 29
Name
Building Stronger Foundations: AI Support for Learning Differences
Description

As a student with dyslexia, I'm not lazy or trying to fail. Traditional assessments that require reading passages, writing by hand, and processing quickly have made it impossible to show what I know. The assessment formats assessed my areas of disability, not my knowledge of content. Access to AI changed everything. Google Gemini, ChatGPT, and MagicSchool have removed those barriers. Now, I can organize thoughts, process texts, and demonstrate understanding. I went from depending on constant teacher help to working independently at grade level. AI provided scaffolding to meet expectations, not lower them. This session shares my lived experience and challenges educators to examine their assumptions about AI. You'll see the specific tools students use, understand the difference between scaffolding and shortcuts, learn to teach responsible AI use rather than banning it, and rethink assessment to measure competency, not disability.

Session Type
Traditional Workshop
Track
AI in the Classroom
Secondary Track
AI Implementation
Primary Audience
Middle/High School
Secondary Audience
Special Educators
Fall Conference Strands
Educate