Social media are very much on people’s minds. The evolution of this new, collaborative online environment has been rapid and pervasive, and people are struggling to understand and keep abreast of new developments.

As a result, NCTI collaboratively developed this brief to (1) provide a primer on social media and how they work; (2) highlight the benefits of the new social media to promote using assistive and learning technologies for all students and especially for youth with disabilities; and (3) explore the barriers to using social media and the ways that vendors, developers, and educators can overcome them. NCTI hopes to spark further discussion, research, and action on the power and uses of social media.

This brief is the result of a collaborative effort between NCTI and the field. In finalizing the report, the Center relied heavily on the thoughtful input gathered from experts, researchers, vendors, developers, educators, and others in the field.

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Read the complete brief  (PDF).