Accessibility in Educational Technology

Accessibility is equity, ensuring all learners can access content. Historically, when we think of accessibility we think of things like entrances with ramps and buildings with elevator access or maybe even selecting differentiated reading materials; however, with the growing digital world, the issue of accessibility is more pertinent than ever. 

In the classroom, when students cannot access the learning, teachers cannot gain a true representation of what they can do. When accessibility is not present, learning quickly becomes frustrating, at the very least. The project Empathy Prompts, developed by Eric Bailey, helps demonstrate experiences when accessibility is lacking. Of course, the prompts do not define the learning experiences of others; however, they do help develop an awareness of why accessibility is critical. 

Universal Design for Learning

UDL (Universal Design for Learning) is based on the idea that learning should be designed with each individual learner in mind, recognizing that no two learners are the same. There is no "one size fits all." With this in mind, lessons should be carefully crafted for 1) engagement, 2) representation, and 3) action & expression. This video gives a helpful overview of the UDL principles.

Image Source: cast.org 

Engagement

Engagement is referred to as the "why of learning" and focuses on ensuring that students have choice and voice in the classroom in order to boost motivation and increase interest. 

Examples of how to increase engagement:

• Gamification for skill building
• Movement activities

Representation

Representation is referred to as the "what of learning" and focuses on providing students access to content in various forms. 

For example, if teaching a series of lessons on the labor movement during the Great Depression, include:

• Videos showing footage of sit-down strikes
• Articles highlighting accounts of the labor movement
• A podcast on the affect of the labor movements during the Great Depression
• An infographic laying out the causes
• An historical fiction novel referencing the time 

Action & Expression

Action & expression are referred to as the "how of learning" and focuses on how students can express what they know. Teachers should include various options for students to build their expression and demonstrate their learning. Offering choices in performance tasks is a way to emphasize action and expression in the classroom.

Examples:

• Digital one-pagers
• Record videos using sites such as Flip.
• Create infographics using sites such as Canva. 
• Create animated videos using sites such as Powtoon.
• Write a story using Book Creator.

Chromebook Accessibility Features

Image Source: Blog Author

Students at my school are 1:1 with Chromebooks and have been since the heart of the pandemic. Over the last three years I have tried out many different digital learning platforms, some that I have left behind but others that have become integral to my instruction, particularly for facilitating dynamic lessons that align with the principles of UDL. 

Sites such as Flip, Newsela, and Summarizethis and Chrome extensions such as Screencastify and edpuzzle are excellent tools for offering student choice and engagement with content in various forms. They do not inherently, though, address all issues of accessibility. Really understanding accessibility features that students use in conjunction with differentiated materials is where I am focusing on improving. 

A Chrome extension I found recently that I'm looking forward to trying out is mote, which allows teachers and students to give verbal feedback, rather than written feedback. A tool such as this one is a great accessibility feature for students with learning disabilities, emergent bilingual students, and students with challenges seeing and/or using motor skills. 

Chromebooks also have a range of accessibility features that enable students with disabilities to engage with content. In my infographic (to the right) I describe some of these features. The accessibility features I highlight are ones that can be used while working on any task on the computer. For some students, this is a necessary layer of support and should be used with the principles of UDL. 

I found this video helpful for learning how to use and apply these accessibility features. 

Ultimately, accessibility is integral to everything we do as teachers and vital to providing our students an equitable education, and it is something where there is always room to grow. If you have any tips & tricks for increasing accessibility in your classrooms, please share!