2008 Conference

This panel on public/private partnerships discussed instances of success, proposed frameworks and models of change for consideration, and answered questions about how states can leverage their own resources to implement their own types of partnerships.

The panelists discussed how the demographic shifts and other business pressures are changing their perceptions of the disability market and offered advice on how to take advantage of the changes to maximize opportunities.

Alan Brightman discussed the different perspectives of disabilities he’s encountered, ways in which businesses have alleviated or added to accessibility issues, and provided examples of how wrong it is to impose limits on someone who wishes to accomplish something (e.g., become a jazz musician).

This panel explored both the assessment data on U.S. students’ performance as well as the pressures from businesses to have a better trained workforce. The audience engaged the panel in the Q&A session to provide federal and state policy advice.

Secretary Thomas E. Perez, Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing & Regulation, gave a rousing address that stressed the role of workforce creation and economic stability is dependent upon an investment in human capital and the harnessing of technology to make the most of the opportunities and information.

Three panelists explored what the future holds for education, technology development, and around-the-corner solutions.

Jim Stovall, Co-founder and President, Narrative Television Network (NTN); Author, The Ultimate Gift, gave a rousing inspirational and motivating keynote address to set the tone for the conference.

See photos of the networking, engaging and thoughtful presentations, and fun at the 2008 Technology Innovators Conference.

There are a world of possibilities for assistive tech researchers, product developers and entrepreneurs who want to deliver innovative solutions for disabled students. Question is, what are organizations doing — and what should they do — to move the field forward?  NCTI conference panelists Lawrence Grossman (Digital Promise), Mary Furlong (Furlong & Associates), Marshall Raskind (International [...]

Keynote Alan Brightman notes that when tools and technologies do not meet the needs of users, notably disabled users, they often create their own that do. He asks, why we may want to consider necessity for everyone as the mother of invention.

In an engaging session, our panelists offered a snapshot of American School trends in the light of greater global competition.  On traditional measures of educational success, longitudinal NAEP evaluations suggest that our math and science achievement are tending down, especially when compared with other countries.  In addition, substantial disparities persist between the performance of students with special needs and those who do not.  [...]

Global technology trends are affecting the way education can be delivered. Gregg Downey, of eSchool News outlined some of innovations, from cloud computing to global assembly of computer systems that will affect the delivery of educational content — especially for students with special needs. But what makes these new tools innovative?

Keynote speaker Jim Stovall offered an inspiring vision of how innovators can really make a difference. He spoke of a 4 year old blind child at a school for the visually impaired who taught him that success is possible if you will it.

Welcome to NCTI’s 2008 Technology Innovators Conference.
Click the 2008 Conference category link for highlights, insights and ideas from each session.