ACCESSIBILITY AND UDL
Conversation Kit #2
Accessibility is a foundational element of a UDL environment. Accessibility is designing to predict, remove, and prevent barriers for people with disabilities. You see it in physical environments (curb cuts, automatic doors, closed captioning etc.), but you also see it in learning environments.
In this module, we'll explore the intersections of accessibility and learning design. By better understanding barriers in your learning environment, you will be more prepared to identify, remove, and prevent environmental barriers to learning for all students.
Identify accessibility barriers in your learning environment and create small, actionable strategies to prevent and remove some of those barriers.
What accessibility tools do you like to use the most? Why? How would your life be different without them?
Cell phone - Siri voice
Voice recognition
Spell check
Speakerphone
Adjustable office chairs
Closed captions on YouTube
What accessibility tools or practices do you think learners use the most?
Often the phrase “necessary for some, useful for all” is used to describe how accessible practices benefit everyone. What are some “necessary for some” practices you could integrate your into your classroom?
Identifying, removing and preventing barriers is an important part of improving accessibility. Read the Understanding Barriers to Accessibility page on the Accessible Campus website to learn more about five barriers to accessibility.
What examples of these barriers do you notice in your work or learning environments?
What are some actionable strategies to remove or prevent those barriers?
Create a short video, any topic will do. Post it to your YouTube channel and add or edit the closed captions.
Or, assess your own Open Educational Resource using the Essential and Optimal Best Practices for OER and Accessibility.
To you as an educator, what barriers are you most comfortable addressing? What barriers are you less comfortable addressing?
What strategies, resources, partnerships, learning do you need to address all types of barriers?
What strengths or strategies do you already have or use that you could share with colleagues?