Plugged-In & Left Out: Creating Meaningful & Engaging Virtual Connections with Individuals with Disabilities

About This Webinar

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, technology has been highly relied upon for work, school, and maintaining social connections. For individuals with disabilities, their families, and service providers, this has presented a new set of challenges. Among these challenges, the main experienced is that of creating meaningful and engaging virtual connections for individuals with disabilities. While there are many factors that contribute to this challenge, the main contributors are that of limited technology skills and knowledge/use of netiquette (the etiquette of the internet). This webinar presents interactive case studies that address the challenge of creating meaningful and engaging virtual connections for individuals with disabilities as it applies to personal relationships, virtual learning, and working with service providers.

Learning Objectives:

By the end of this webinar, attendees will be able to:

1. Identify pandemic technology challenges specific to individuals with disabilities, their families, and service providers.
2. Understand strategies for promoting the use of netiquette with individuals with disabilities.
3. Understand strategies for promoting technology skills for individuals with disabilities.
4. Understand strategies for engaging individuals with disabilities in meaningful virtual connections related to personal relationships, virtual learning, and working with service providers.

Presenter

Mary Jo Krile, Ph.D, is a professor of special education at Eastern Kentucky University. Her education background includes a doctorate, master’s, and bachelor’s degree in special education. She has eight years of experience in teaching students with disabilities in the public and postsecondary education settings. The previous four years of this experience consisted of teaching digital literacy to young adults with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (IDD) enrolled in a postsecondary education program. Dr. Krile’s research is dedicated to promoting social media use and safety, as well as digital literacy skills for young adults with IDD. She has presented on social media safety for young adults with IDD and digital literacy skills for individuals with disabilities at various local, state, and international conferences. Dr. Krile’s research interests include forming resources and strategies that can be used to promote safe social media and technology use for young adults with IDD.

Continuing Education (CE) Credit

Click the button below for CE credit
You will be prompted to complete an evaluation after which a link will be provided.

Continuing Education

• Certified Family Life Educators (CFLE):  This program has been approved by the National Council on Family Relations (NCFR) for 1.0 CE credit for CFLE.
• Certificates of completion are available for providers interested in documenting their training activities.

Event Materials

Webinar Slides (PDF)

Activity Checklist Template (PDF)

Identifying Message Safety Visual (PDF)

Logging on PC Computer Visual (PDF)

Technology Skills Visual Checklists (PDF)

Webinar Flyer (PDF)

Photo Credit: iStock