The brief begins with context on the growing role of artificial intelligence (AI) and extended reality (XR) in supporting students with disabilities and the opportunities and challenges these technologies present for educators.
Support Students with Disabilities’ Independence with Mobile Devices
This brief examines how mobile devices can support the independence of students with intellectual disabilities as they navigate college campuses and community settings. Drawing on Dr. Hester’s discussion of her collaborative work with Lori Cooney and Dr. Don McMahon, it explains how Google My Maps can be customized according to individual students’ destinations, preferences, support needs, and person-centered plans. The brief also considers how mobile technology can be incorporated into teacher preparation, how educators can develop more balanced perceptions of mobile devices, and what future research is needed to strengthen technology-supported transition and inclusive postsecondary education practices.
Build Your Own AI Assistant: A Practical Guide to Custom GPTs for Educators
Artificial intelligence does not have to be a black box. In a recent CIDDL webinar, Drs. James Basham, Trey Vasquez from the University of Kansas, and Matthew Marino from the University of Central Florida walked educators through one of the most practical applications of large language models available today: building a custom generative pre-trained transformer, or GPT, trained on information you already trust.
Assistive Technology in Education: Current Evidence, Emerging Models, and Practices
Assistive technology (AT) plays a vital role in helping students with disabilities access learning, participate in classroom activities, and exercise greater autonomy in school. This webinar series was designed to bridge these areas by linking evidence, systems thinking, and practical examples. Four research teams contributed sessions that collectively addressed the current landscape of AT, challenges and opportunities in teacher preparation, systems-level models that support AT implementation, and disability-specific examples of practice. Together, these perspectives offer a comprehensive view of how AT can and should function across educator preparation programs and PK-12 schools.
Future of Teacher Preparation in the Age of AI: CIDDL at TED 2025
This past week, the CIDDL team joined teacher educators from across the country at the Council for Exceptional Children’s Teacher Education Division (CEC TED) conference in Kansas City, MO. Even in the conference’s main keynote by Dr. Mary Brownell, focusing on the history and future of teacher preparation, AI surfaced as a central theme shaping how we prepare tomorrow’s educators. Across sessions, conversations made clear that AI is not a distant horizon but a present reality reshaping instructional design, professional learning, and the broader education landscape. CIDDL contributed to this conversation through three presentations and a keynote panel discussion where CIDDL PI Dr. James Basham served as a panelist on how to prepare special educators in a time of rapid technological change. Here are some key themes that emerged from the CIDDL sessions.
Rethinking How Students Interact With AI: Toward Human-Centered Learning
Artificial intelligence (AI) has become a buzzword across education, with its potential for personalized learning, real-time feedback, and data-driven insights. However, as the conversation progresses, one crucial question remains: how are students actually interacting with AI in classrooms, and for whom are these systems truly designed? In our recently published article, Exploring Artificial Intelligence Integration and Student–AI Interaction in K-12 Education: A Scoping Review (published in the Journal of Computer Assisted Learning), we examined 70 empirical studies conducted over the past decade to map how AI is being integrated across school levels, subjects, and student populations. What we found tells a hopeful yet cautionary story about the future of AI in education.
Countdown to TED 2025: Getting Ready Together
This year, the Teacher Education Division (TED) of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) will be meeting in Kansas City, right in CIDDL’s backyard! The CIDDL team is excited to share its upcoming sessions, engage with colleagues from across the country, and continue conversations about innovation, accessibility, and the future of educator preparation in the age of artificial intelligence (AI). This CIDDL Office Hours offered a sneak peek into what to expect at TED 2025 and how attendees can make the most of their time at the conference.
Webinar Series: Promoting Self-Determination with Technology
This webinar highlights how technology can support the development of students’ self-determination. We invited Dr. Karrie Shogren, who conducts various studies related to self-determination, and discussed how the Goal Setting Challenge (GSC) app was developed and how it can help students practically.
Practical AI Integration for Special Education Teacher Preparation (Part Three)
The third post in the three-part series provides practical AI integration ideas for immediate use in courses, including low-lift syllabus updates, in-class activities, and practicum tie-ins that help candidates apply AI tools responsibly and effectively in real-world teaching scenarios.
Preparing Special Education Personnel for an AI Future: A Back-to-School Guide for Departments (Part Two of Three)
This second post in the three-part series will focus on department-level strategies for preparing future personnel, from faculty development and curriculum updates to research priorities and collaborative partnerships that position programs to lead in the AI era.