Resources for Accessibility
Many countries have laws in place that require educational materials and technologies to be accessible to all learners. While meeting legal requirements may be a good reason for implementing accessibility, a more important consideration is the ethical responsibility educators have to their students. We currently live in an age of rapid change in which full participation in the digital economy depends on access to information and knowledge. As educators, we have a responsibility to provide all students, including students with disabilities, with the tools and skills they will need to have access to the same opportunities as other members of society. By selecting technologies that implement universal design and accessibility, we will not only be ensuring that students with disabilities can participate in the classroom today, we will be preparing them with the skills they will need to function as productive, independent members of society in the future.
It could be said that there are two phases or waves of accessibility. In the first wave we have been concerned primarily with the tools: developing tools such as screen readers, switch systems and other technologies that provide access and level the playing field for all. In the second wave, the focus will need to be on awareness and education. Many of the technologies needed by people with disabilities are now in place, but often educators are either not aware of their availability or don’t know how to effectively use them with students with disabilities. Along with knowledge of the technologies that are available, educators will also need to learn how to develop content in a way that allows assistive technology to function as intended. For example, when designing an ebook, ensuring that each image has an appropriate accessibility description will allow the VoiceOver screen reader to describe the image to someone who is blind.
The materials listed here will show you not only how to use many of the built-in accessibility features to provide access to information for all students, but also how to design educational materials to be compatible with these tools people with disabilities have come to rely on.
