In My final project will focus on digital storytelling with disabled children in early childhood special education settings. I'm particularly interested in how digital storytelling such as using audio, pictures, symbols, video, and other multimodal media, can help children with disabilities express themselves, create identity, and engage meaningfully in classroom literacies.

Why this issue appeals to me:

As a lead special education teacher, I frequently work with children who communicate via visuals, gestures, augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices, or atypical ways of expression. Traditional print-based literacy (reading/writing) often fails to capture the full variety of how these children can express their thoughts and voices.

Digital storytelling provides an inclusive pathway: it broadens what constitutes literacy, empowers children to contribute their stories on their own terms, and connects with participatory culture by recognizing different ways of meaning-making.

From a practical sense, incorporating digital storytelling tactics into my classroom creates new chances for children to contribute, families to see their children's voices, and me to collaborate with children as creators because they are not simply receivers of literacy.

As I work toward my master's degree and teacher certification, this topic brings together theory (new literacies, multimodal learning, participatory culture) and practice (inclusive teaching, special education, early childhood). It will provide me with a solid research foundation that I can use in my classroom straight away and expand in future roles.

Annotated Bibliography

Rivera, C. J., Hudson, M. E., Weiss, S. L., & Zambone, A. (2017). Using a Multicomponent Multimedia Shared Story Intervention with an iPad to Teach Content Picture Vocabulary to Students with Developmental Disabilities. Education and Treatment of Children, 40(3), 327–352. http://www.jstor.org/stable/44684170

This study evaluated the effectiveness of multimedia shared stories delivered on iPads to teach vocabulary to students with developmental disabilities. The researchers found that interactive digital stories improved vocabulary acquisition and engagement compared with traditional instruction.

Lewis-Dagnell, K. (2024). Using “I Am” digital stories to facilitate autistic young people to present their voices. Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs, 24(1), 45–59. https://doi.org/10.1111/1471-3802.12618

Lewis-Dagnell discusses the use of “I Am” digital stories to help autistic children and adolescents express identity and lived experience. The project used arts-based, participatory methods where participants created their own short multimedia narratives.

Kritsotaki, E., Castro-Kemp, S., & Kamenopoulou, L. (2024). Digital storytelling: An educational approach for enhancing dyslexic children’s writing skills, critical and cultural learning. Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs, 24(2), 110–123. https://doi.org/10.1111/1471-3802.12722

This article presents a mixed-methods study on digital storytelling as a pedagogical tool for students with dyslexia. Researchers found significant improvements in written expression, motivation, and intercultural understanding through the use of digital story projects.

Liu, S., Reynolds, B. L., Thomas, N., & Soyoof, A. (2024). The Use of Digital Technologies to Develop Young Children’s Language and Literacy Skills: A Systematic Review. Sage Open, 14(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440241230850(Original work published 2024)

This study reviews how digital technologies like apps, e-books, and multimedia tools help young children develop language and literacy skills. The authors found that digital tools can improve vocabulary, reading comprehension, and engagement when teachers use them with purpose and guidance.