4: Inclusivity and Accessibility
Inclusivity and accessibility are not controversial goals. But achieving them has not always taken priority in the design of learning in higher education. We will look at these issues through the frameworks of Universal Design for Learning and Inclusive Design, and learn about what practical steps you can take to make your course design and course materials accessible for all students.
Read + Discuss
Reach everyone, teach everyone: Universal design for learning in higher education by Thomas Tobin and Kirsten Behling. This is a longer chapter but a fast read. Sean has a copy of this book on his desk if anyone wants to borrow it.
Inclusive Design Principles, by Microsoft. Microsoft may be a huge corporation, but they are doing groundbreaking work in the area of inclusive design. This is a helpful and short introduction.
Check out and participate in the discussion on our #read-discuss channel in Slack. What questions do these pieces raise for you? How can you see these efforts and design approaches being applied in your course or at UAF?
Join the discussion anytime.
Case Study
Check out this week’s case study on inclusivity and accessibility and post your reactions and questions in the #7-case-studies channel.
Build Something:
OPTION 1: Select a reading that you expect to use in your course that you normally share as a PDF. Upload the PDF to Blackboard and view the Ally score. Follow the instructions to improve the score of the PDF. This might mean finding a totally new version. Share your success or challenges with the rest of us. For those who need a Blackboard shell to work in, you may use our CTL Blackboard Ally Sandbox. Current EPIC participants have been added as TAs.
OPTION 2: Select an activity or assignment that you have in your course. Think about how you might redesign it using the principles of Universal Design for Learning.
Post your build in an appropriate section of your new LMS shell, then share out a link in the Slack channel, #6-builds. Check back in on Slack to read what your colleagues have created and give feedback.
CTL Resources
Who’s Talking
- Wendy Chisholm, Principal Accessibility Architect at Microsoft and strategist for AI for Accessibility
- Rogan Shannon, Deaf interpreter and advocate
- November Champion, Digital accessibility advocate
- Veronica Lewis, Student at George Mason University and blogger on accessibility for blind and low-vision
- University of Iowa Students for Disability Advocacy & Awareness
