"Accessibility allows us to tap into everyone's potential."
- Debra Ruh
One of the leading benefits of an ever-growing technological society are the accessibility features available that would never have been possible back in the day.
What does Accessibility mean?
It put it simply it means the quality of being easy to obtain or use. However, what makes accessibility important is that it refers to being accessible to ALL not just the "majority." Technology has accomplished bridging the gap between users by offering fantastic accessibility features that give all users an even playing field to learn and develop.
Sounds great, but how to apply to the real world?
As a teacher or a librarian, you must also have an accessibility mindset when preparing for your lessons. Remember, not all pupils are the same and therefore not all students will retain information in the same way.
Though technology has made advances in accessibility that does not mean we as teachers and librarians just assume it will easily translate to the students' needs. A great way to keep on top of things is to follow the Universal Design for Learning (UDL).
What is the Universal Design for Learning (UDL)?
UDL is an approach to teaching that aims to give ALL students equal opportunities to learn and grow, no matter how they learn. The best way to define UDL is to compare its design to a traditional classroom setting.
There are six main differences to consider when implementing a UDL for your lesson:
1. The teacher focuses not only what is taught, but how the material is taught.
In addition to a tradition lesson, the teacher can use games, videos, and activities to help all students retain information.
2. Provide multiple learning formats for all students.
In addition to traditional textbooks, the book can also be available in multiple formats such as digital, large print, or braille.
3. Teachers work with students to come up with lesson ideas.
Instead of just sticking to one type of lesson, the students will decide how they want to accomplish their learning goals.
4. Classroom has a flexible setup.
Instead of remaining at their desks the whole class, the teacher can create different spaces for different types of assignments. These could include group work or individual work.
5. Offer multiple ways to complete an assignment.
Instead of the traditional essay, the student can have the option to create a video or a presentation.
6. Grades are used to reinforce goals not measure performance.
Students receive constructive criticism on their performance and grades are used to define specific goals. Students are encouraged to reflect on this which will motivate them to improve and learn from mistakes.
My personal experience with UDL:
When I look at the above goals, I realized as a drama teacher I was already implementing goals 1, 2, and 4 into my lesson plans.
The purpose of rehearsals is to focus on how to teach the material so the students can retain the information. For example, if I just had the actors read the lines out loud and show them once where to go, they will not remember. My method was to go over the blocking and then let the students see what they remember on their own and then work on that.
As a drama teacher, my classroom was never traditional. When I worked in China, we had multiple formats for our scripts. We had the traditional print, the digital format, and we also provided a recorded script for students to practice while listening at home.
Since each class was a rehearsal our classroom setup was very flexible. We would have a main room where I would direct and block a scene, while the other students were in groups practicing their lines.
A goal I would like to try in the future:
One goal I would be curious to implement is number 3. If I let the students agree to what scenes we should work on for the week, perhaps it will motivate them to focus and they will spend less time fighting the rehearsal progress. Trust me, rehearsals are not fun if the students aren't happy.
Okay UDL is great, but what are accessibility features?
If you are curious about how to implement accessibility in the classroom, I suggest exploring those features so you have a better understanding what you are dealing with.
Does accessible also mean affordable?
In some cases, yes! If you check your local library, more specifically their library of things, you can borrow laptops or Chromebook kits. My local library of things has kits available for anyone who needs.
Google is popular for many reasons: YouTube, Google Drive, search engine, and Chromebooks; but were you aware of their built-in accessibility features? Since you can find Chromebooks in most Library of Things, I created a poster that highlights all available accessibility features.
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First and foremost:
TURN ON the accessibility features in your Chromebook:
Settings -- Advanced -- Accessibility -- Manage Accessibility Features.
NOTE: To have quick access to accessibility features, make sure to turn on: Always show accessibility options in the system menu.
Display and Visual Features for users who are blind or low-vision:
1. Docked magnifier - allows users to only magnify the top third of their screen.
2. Full screen magnifier - allows users to view content easier by zooming up to 20 times its original size.
3. Browser zoom - allows users to magnify just the browser window while everything else stays the same size.
4. Font Size - users can highlight certain words that they would like bigger while the rest stays its original size.
5. High contrast mode - users can invert colors to make on-screen content easier to read.
6. Display size - users can choose to enlarge all on-screen texts and visuals and easily revert back when needed.
7. Large mouse cursor - users have the option to enlarge only the mouse to make it easier to see and navigate.
Audio and Captions for users who are deaf or hard of hearing:
1. Caption options - the user can customize their captions they choosing size, color, and typeface.
2. Mono audio - the user has the option to have all sounds played through both speakers so as not to miss anything.
Spoken Feedback for users with low vision or dyslexia:
1. Select-to-speak - instead of having everything on the page read aloud, the user can choose between part of the page or the whole page to be read aloud.
2. Text-to-speech settings - the user has the option to customize voice, speech rate, pitch or volume to optimize their user settings.
3. ChromeVox - Chromebook's built-in screen reader. This is especially useful for low vision users because it will narrate what your mouse hovers over so the user knows what they are clicking.
Motor features for users who have motor disabilities and dexterity impairments:
1. Dictation - allows the user to enter text by using their voice.
2. Touch-pad settings - users can enable automatic clicks, tap dragging, or tap-to-click functionality.
3. Sticky keys - instead of pressing down multiple keys for a keyboard shortcut, the user can just press one.
4. On-screen keyboard - users can use an on-screen keyboard using a mouse, joystick, touch-screen, or handwriting.
5. Physical keyboard settings - users can customize how the keyboard responds to touch.
If you want more details on each accessibility feature, Google has made an instructional video playlist on YouTube that you can find here.
Feeling overwhelmed? Don't be!
This may be a lot of information, but it is better to be informed than to remain in the dark. Once you understand how these features work, you will feel more amazed than intimated.
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