WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – During a recent international conference, a Pennsylvania College of Technology faculty member presented his research findings focusing on technology use among people with disabilities.

Stephen R. Cheskiewicz, associate professor of computer information technology, shared the results of his study, “The Great Need for a Dedicated Special Needs Social Media Platform,” at the 17th annual International Conference on Education, Research and Innovation in Seville, Spain.

Cheskiewicz, along with his research partner, Miquel Colobran, a teacher at the European University of Madrid, conducted a mixed-methods study where they surveyed the family of participants in the Special Olympics and the Little League Challenger Division about technology use. The duo’s findings identified the lack of integration accessibility and accommodation features for individuals with disabilities.

“This topic is near and dear to me as I have a son with special needs and serve on the board of the Wyoming Valley Challenger Baseball,” Cheskiewicz said. “The overarching conclusion is that there is a great need for a secure type of platform, like Google Translate, where individuals with one disability can easily communicate with those who have a different disability or no disability.”

Organized by the International Academy of Technology, Education and Development, ICERI is one of the largest education conferences in Europe. This year’s event had over 900 attendees, representing 86 countries.

Penn College has several IT-related degree options. For information on those and other programs offered by Penn College’s School of Engineering Technologies, call 570-327-4520 or visit www.pct.edu/et.

Penn College is a national leader in applied technology education. Visit www.pct.edu, email admissions@pct.eduor call toll-free 800-367-9222.