Editor’s note: On Global Accessibility Awareness Day, we’re sharing how schools in Alberta, Canada, removed barriers for students by adopting Face control — an accessibility feature built into every Chromebook — and custom extensions coded with Gemini that they access via Gemini for education. Below, Darren Maltais, the schools’ Technology Integration Facilitator, explains how they have replaced cumbersome switch systems to give students with disabilities independence at school.
At Black Gold School Division, we serve students from pre-K through grade 12 across 32 schools. We’re always looking for technology to help our 14,000 students learn. But every now and then, technology comes along that does more than just enhance learning experiences—it changes the game entirely. That’s exactly what we experienced with Face Control, a built-in ChromeOS accessibility feature available on all Chromebooks.
For Liam Alphonse Dansereau, a creative and cognitively advanced seventh grader, attending the class used to require a cumbersome setup. As a student with mobility differences, Liam previously relied on physical contacts to navigate his computer. The logistical reality of switches is challenging: He had to disconnect everything from his wheelchair to connect to his laptop. Once connected, the process of using his laptop was very time consuming. He had to press the main switch several times just to click a link. Every word he would say had to be written to him and every number had to be written down.
When I read an article explaining the Face Control feature on Chromebooks, I knew it could change things for Liam and other students in our district. I couldn’t open my Chromebook fast enough to get Liam set up. The technology was transformative. Using his Chromebook’s camera, Face Control allows Liam to scroll and navigate freely by moving his head. It is a key to freedom. Instead of relying on a scribe for every word or navigating a time-consuming setup, Liam can simply move his head to control his cursor, so he can open assignments in Google Classroom, enable voice typing, and complete his work independently.
Create a clearer path with Gemini
To further support Liam’s independence, I used Gemini to code a custom extension that finds questions on sites like Khan Academy so Liam can click a single button on his screen instead of scrolling all over.