Tools that Empower Learning
Technology continues to change the way we interact with the world around us—from how we communicate and learn to how we navigate daily tasks. For students with learning disabilities (LDs) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), technology also plays a critical role in ensuring access, independence, and opportunity.
From traditional assistive tools to emerging uses of artificial intelligence, technology can be a powerful support—often essential—for many students with LDs and ADHD. When matched to a student’s strengths, needs, and preferences, the right tools can increase access to the curriculum and empower students to work with greater independence, accuracy, and efficiency.
For educators, understanding how to harness these tools is vital. Today’s students are using school-board-provided laptops and Chromebooks, often through SEA funding, with built-in tools like speech-to-text and text-to-speech. Increasingly, AI is being used not to “do the work” for students, but to help them engage with the learning process itself—especially those with executive functioning challenges.
Below you’ll find a selection of evidence-based and practice-informed resources curated by the Learning Disabilities Association of Ontario (LDAO) and our LD@school initiative to support inclusive and empowered classrooms.
Resources to Explore – LD@school
Built-In Tools on Student Devices
A comprehensive guide to using Windows accessibility features like Voice Typing and Read Aloud to support student learning.
Written by Dr. Todd Cunningham, this article explores how AI can support executive functioning, planning, and learning engagement for students with LDs.
Using AI in the Classroom
In this session, Dr. Todd Cunningham demonstrates how tools like Microsoft Copilot and Quillbot can be used to help students initiate, organize, and complete tasks.
Written by Dr. Todd Cunningham, this article explores how AI can support executive functioning, planning, and learning engagement for students with LD
Understanding Technology in the Classroom
A clear overview of the complementary roles of instructional and assistive technology and how they work together in inclusive classrooms.
Equity and Effective Implementation
Explores how assistive technology can advance equity by helping educators remove barriers and promote inclusion for students with LDs.
Highlights factors that affect the success of assistive technology use, including student self-awareness, classroom environment, and the importance of instruction and training.
Resources for Families – LD@home
An overview of assistive tools—such as screen readers, voice typing, and organizers—and how they support students in building independence and accessing learning.
Describes built-in accessibility tools on smartphones and tablets that can support reading, organization, and communication at home and school.
Todd Cunningham explores how AI can be used as a support for students with learning challenges and executive functioning needs, with practical tips for families.