SMK Orkid Desa special educational needs (SEN) teacher Siti Ainulmursyida Shamsudin is a changemaker. Instead of being discouraged by the lack of facilities, she worked to build an ecosystem that supports assistive technology (AT) for SEN students.
Inspired by human-centred design, she redefined what equity means to her, developing creative learning tools tailored to her students’ needs.
“There was no digital lab for special needs students, and very limited resources at my school.
“So I thought to myself, ‘If we do not limit the definition of equity to distribution, could I then make technology meaningful for my students with SEN?’” she shared.
Guided by the belief that her students deserve the same opportunities as their mainstream peers, she worked to set up the school’s Digital Resource Centre – a space designed not just to provide devices, but to create an ecosystem where both teachers and students could learn, explore, and integrate AT in daily learning.
Building upon this, she also developed several creative learning tools tailored to her students’ needs, benefitting more than 300 SEN students across Malaysia (see infographic).
“They may not be high-tech global solutions, but they are contextual, inclusive and student-centred – and that is exactly the point,” the Bett Asia Pioneer Award 2024 winner said.
The award recognises individuals who consistently raise the bar in using educational technology to transform teaching and learning for the greater good of students and staff alike.
Success, she said, should not be measured by the number of devices distributed, but by transformed lives.
“When AT is implemented with purpose, our students don’t just adapt; they thrive with courage and dignity,” she said.
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