Swapna Bhagat Luthra

Swapna Bhagat Luthra uses assistive technology to guide her Grades 1–6 Enhanced Education Support (EES) class into an inquiry of how colonial narratives have shaped national identity by marginalizing Indigenous histories, and the responsibilities Canadians have in re-examining those narratives today. By redesigning access without reducing intellectual rigor, the project positions students with complex communication needs as active historians.

While Alberta’s curriculum mandates engagement with First Nations, Métis, and Inuit perspectives and Canadian historical inquiry, students in specialized settings are often provided with heavily modified content that limits access to complex historical thinking. Students use Augmentative and Alternative Communication-supported multimodal responses to explore Indigenous Canadian artworks and teachings, reinterpretations of “O Canada”, and land-based learning connected to the Seven Grandfather Teachings. They create short multimedia interpretations to consider how Indigenous histories shape Canada’s present and future.

This project demonstrates that students with complex communication and behavioural regulation needs should not be excluded from historical inquiry. When intellectual access is intentionally designed, neurodiverse learners can participate meaningfully and rigorously in Canadian historical inquiry.