Instructors have always worked with plurality in the classroom. I currently work in a university as an accessibility adviser to students with diverse abilities (also referred to as disabilities) that experience barriers to learning. In this role I meet with students, creating space for them to have conversations about their learning experiences including barriers in education. Their self-report is the foundation for my inquiry. I review their medical, psychological, or psycho-educational documentation, and listen to their educational goals. I also look at course content, course delivery, expected learning outcomes and what may support the students to have a more equitable learning experience. I create accommodation plans and communicate with instructors. Accommodations are not meant to give students an advantage over other learners, but to level the academic experience. To preserve privacy and confidentiality, the students’ diagnoses is not shared with instructors.
What I strongly feel is needed is a new app that would support instructors and instructional designers to understand a bit more about accessiblity, so that they can plan to use both universal design for learning practices when developing their course delivery, as well as prepare themselves for accommodating students with diversities. Greater understanding in academia will help reduce stigma that many students experience and normalize accessible best practices in higher education.
We are all responsible for accessibility. To this end, I’ve created a wireframe that lays out the UX, or User Experience, for the app I am initially calling Access.Edu
I welcome you to investigate what the future will hold for a more equitable world. The following link opens to the website.
https://tamaka8.wixsite.com/accessibilityapp
Interesting. I believe what Tamaka did – created accommodation plans for certain students and talked to instructors involved – was much more valuable than any impersonal app out there
Hi Tamaka, I really enjoyed the layout of your website. The crashing waves had me feeling both calm and attentive. What a great resource this would be for teachers give more support to their students! I find the UDL framework to be super informative and it’s a great basis for an app like this. I appreciated how, at the start, you reinforced what this app is and what it is not. I found it interesting how you mentioned that inputting the country would alter the information on the legislation and resources sections, just because I sometimes forget the differences that can occur depending on the country. If you were to create this app today, who would you ideally want to hire to work on this project? As in, what kind of background or professional experience?
Thanks for asking, Danya, as I am seriously considering this project. The people I would want to collaborate with would be those with lived experience, UDL specialists, educational psychologists, accessibility colleagues in higher education (I am part of a community of practice), higher ed instructors in various fields of study, Indigenous elders, and ed tech specialists. I also believe it’s important that educators have an opportunity to take part in AR and VR experiences where they can see, hear, and feel what it is like for students with certain conditions. I once put on headphones that played scary voices while I was trying to fill out a form. This can be a reality for students with certain mental health conditions. Here is a link to the World Health Organization’s website where you can find their 2022 report. https://www.who.int/health-topics/mental-health#tab=tab_1 I would apply for grant funding to develop Access.Edu, and I see this extending to and serving a global community of educational practitioners. Who would you see working on this type of a project?
Hi Tamaka, thank you for your response! It looks like you have a really great vision of how this can come to fruition and I like that you’ve included developers from a variety of backgrounds. I think that some of the experiences I’ve had weren’t the greatest when it came to applying certain ideas into my classroom because they weren’t designed by people who had experience or were able to relate to teachers. Having teachers involved in the process as well as professionals in different fields and possible even students themselves seems like the best option.
Thank you for the link!
Hi Tamaka. Nice work! I am glad that accessibility initiatives are growing and, as you mention, accessible course design and delivery will be norm. In ETS at the Faculty of Education, we recently developed our strategic plan and one of the main areas we want to keep moving forward is accessibility. We recently went to a workshop to see accessibility strategies for both hardware and software. One of the softwares that caught my attention the most is called Dragon, which is a very accurate and versatile speech-to-text application. Like this, there are various applications that can promote more equitable learning among students with exceptionalities. These can also be useful for the elderly. I think you’ve been very thoughtful while imagining the access.edu app, thinking about how instructors can learn, be supported, and support. Perhaps the app could also include information about various applications that could be useful for accessibility. Well done!
Eduardo, I’m glad that accessibility is a focus in your strategic plan. Yes, Dragon Naturally Speaking is excellent software. Otter AI is well-liked by students because there is a free version, and you can download the app with limited minutes per month (I believe it was 600 the last time I looked). Otter works as both an audio recording device and a transcription device. You can export both. The audio exports as an mp3 file, and the text comes with the ability to separate individual speakers. Accessibility Technology BC (AT-BC) has wonderful folks who are the ones that work with students who have been approved for technology through Student Aid BC’s disability grant funding program (Appendix 8). They are always happy to answer questions. https://www.at-bc.ca/ I will definitely add information about technology in the resources! There are so many free accessibility extensions that are available. Did you know that Ray Kurzweil invented optical character recognition software so students can simultaneously listen to and read the scanned text? https://www.kurzweiledu.com/college-and-kurzweil-3000.html Web content accessibility is essential. https://www.w3.org/WAI/standards-guidelines/wcag/ I think we can all do better in this regard. A simple thing would be to provide captioning on website videos and alt text for images. Yes, accessibility software and hardware help the elderly as well. I would appreciate seeing your strategic plan if you have a link to it!
Great! Thank you for sharing this information, Tamaka. I will share it with my colleagues at ETS. I’ll see if I can share the strategic plan (it is still under development) and get back to you.
Thanks, Eduardo. I am here if you want to ask me any questions- you can reach out through LinkedIn.
Hi Tamaka, after reviewing your project, I understand why you had asked about confidentiality on my project. Thank you for raising such a good question, and I trust you are doing your best to protect students’ privacy while making sure they have the right resources to help with their learning difficulties. I think with the right technical support and student support resources, creating an app like Access Edu is a doable task. You had touched on the point where this app would allow users to choose location/country, as to provide suitable content that best fits the region. That’s a great way to provide the most helpful information to learners with disabilities, some may even have language barriers, so the individualized UX design is a winner. My question would be how to make sure the information is always current and updated in a timely fashion. For instance, the most recent experience would be how COVID-19 affected students’ mental well-being, and what are the available and immediate support for them. Or in other cases, if a student is having a panic attack, is there a readily available point of connection through the app for them to reach out? An app could encompass a lot of potentials to help students, particularly those with learning difficulties. And I’m also thinking because the app is anonymous, students may feel more comfortable speaking up and sharing their authentic needs. Would there be follow-up alerts sent to corresponding staff/faculty? Or is that even a feasible option to consider? Above that, I’m thinking because it is a huge project to keep all content updated, will you consider Machine Learning (ML) and/or Artificial Intelligence (AI) to be embedded in your UDL? So it doesn’t all have to be manually updating information, it might be ML or AI. I may have raised too many thoughts here, please don’t feel pressured to answer all of them, you may pick one that connects with your experience well. Thank you Tamaka for a wonderful project!
Vera, I must apologize that did not use your preferred name and called you Zheng instead. You bring up a great point about mental health during COVID. Students had difficulty transitioning to online learning when they were accustomed to face-to-face delivery. Isolation from friends and even family contributed as well. The app is meant for instructors and instructional designers, not students, although students are not denied access. In North America, accessibility services departments at colleges and universities work with students individually to approve accommodation plans based on their documented diagnoses. I find that instructors want to know more about making their courses more accessible in the design phase. The app is anonymous, and there is no reporting. Accessibility services departments at their institutions support students. I think the pages that will need updating are the resources and legislation pages, which would require reps in each country served. There also may be cultural differences in how courses are developed and delivered. Universal design for learning practices would be fundamental in higher education institutions that did not have an accessibility services department. UDL does not solve all accessibility issues but certainly helps. How is accessibility for students with diversities managed in China?
Hi Tamaka. Integrating UDL and accessibility into instructional design sounds like a great idea. I especially enjoyed when you detailed what the app would look like; it has a clear vision of how it works and who it serves. Do you happen to know if there are other similar apps like this out there? In terms of delivery, I wonder if this app would be restricted to certain class sizes or if larger sizes (like 300) would be suitable? Although UDL lends itself to working for all students, there would have to be training on how to manage workload and design learning in a way that can account for timely and proper assessment. This reminds me a lot like an introductory survey students may use at the beginning of a school year, except this puts a greater emphasis on academic learning. Thanks for sharing!
Jackson, I’ve looked, and there is nothing like this specifically for instructors and instructional designers. The app is not meant for student use. The answer to your question about class sizes and UDL is ‘it depends.’ Yes, training is essential. All the information on universal design for learning is general guiding principles. Here is an excellent website to check out for more information on UDL. https://udlguidelines.cast.org/ Instructors can be concerned about the extra time some accessibility features of their course may take to implement, but most of the time is front-end loaded. An example may be providing alt text for images and correct headings on text documents so that a screen reader can provide a better experience for the user. For alternate assessments, an example may be for class presentations. The instructor may allow students to record themselves presenting and provide a video rather than present live. If a group is making a presentation, some students could take on more research and not have to speak in front of the class. Some learning management systems enable the instructor to turn on machine transcriptions (which are not necessarily 100 percent accurate, unfortunately) for synchronous sessions. Other videos can be run through Kaltura and then have transcriptions edited for accuracy. Students who have time extensions on their midterms will usually be accommodated separately from the class at a testing center on campus. A nursing student may do their practicum as a community nurse instead of in a hospital setting; if they have a leg injury. A community nurse drives to see individual patients and spends more time on a computer in an office. The possibilities are dependent on the course specifics and expected learning outcomes. I could go on and on. I am passionate about accessibility and UDL! Are there any specific changes that you are thinking of implementing?
Hi Tamaka, access.edu is definitely an interesting concept. I can see how the UDL section can provide useful information for an instructor, especially when it is also customized based on their course, class type, and country. To play devil’s advocate, I wonder how this app compares to a google search? Further, a google search poses less user barriers (e.g. downloading an apps, logging in, figuring out the app’s navigation). Why is this information stored in an app rather than a website?
Aaron, as critical thinkers, I would expect that instructors and course designers will look at a variety of sources for information. Access.edu provides information that, in my experience, instructors are looking for under one roof. The user will not have to wade through the noise of looking for credible information in disparate locations online. Access.edu will be developed with the consultation of subject matter experts (SMEs) and is a time-saver. I envision creating this as a mobile app for convenience as smartphones are ubiquitous, and the information can be accessed anywhere the user has Wi-Fi or cell data. This does not mean that a website version would not also be available as well. Many applications have both. Most smartphone users are aware of how to download apps as even if it is just to play a game, like Wordle. The reason I have made registration mandatory is so that users are aware of what the app is for and what the app is not to be used for. Some medical information is contained in the app, but it is not to be used for diagnosing or trying to guess what conditions a student might have by the accommodations they have been approved for or how they are perceived to present. It is also not to be used as medical reference material: the information is general. Guest users may not have access to certain information unless they also agree to terms and conditions. Users will have to consider their specific course context and judge for themselves what will work in terms of UDL- common sense will prevail. No user information will be shared with third parties, nothing will be sold, and no business will be promoted on the application. Aaron, as a middle school instructor in Korea, what have you noticed about diagnostic assessment referrals for learning disabilities and support for students with disabilities?
That makes sense – multiple channels to engage with this data makes it more accessible for sure. The schools I’ve taught at do have a special education class for students with disabilities. These students spend half their time there, and the rest of their time in their regular homeroom, engaging in normal classes. Perhaps it’s due to the language barrier, but I have not noticed much in regards to diagnostic assessment referrals.
Thanks, Aaron. Are ed tech accommodations provided to the students when in their regular classrooms? An example may be that some students may need access to Word, with spellcheck and grammar check, or an audio recording/transcription app so they can focus on the lesson without worrying about missing something due to inattention.
Tamaka, what an excellent resource and wireframe projection for access.edu. A few thoughts while I was reading through your future app for mobile tech. Would this application be linked to a resource person like yourself so you can see what individual choices the students are making? So that the instructor can communicate with you or your office about specific challenges? Where would the data be stored? If the student chooses a different institution, would this app be able to move with them along with their information and preferences or would they have to input it all again? Can the instructors suggest UDL practices to add to the app or options?
Jennifer, thank you. This app would not be linked to accessibility services staff in specific institutions. The app is meant to be a resource for instructors and instructional designers when creating their courses and planning for course delivery. Accessibility services staff are always available to discuss accommodation questions with instructors. Whereas accessibility services department contacts are student-initiated, this app is meant to increase accessibility before it is asked for as a part of course design. In my experience, instructors are eager to know how to help students with disabilities overcome learning barriers and are curious about how specific accommodations help. Access.edu aims to lessen that gap. The app does not store any information except user registration. Student access to accommodations is through accessibility services departments at their specific institutions, and their diagnoses information is held in strict confidence and managed through specific internal accessibility software. The instructor is welcome to use any UDL practice they wish, the app just provides suggestions, and the information is not prescriptive. The courses contained in the app are not specific to certain institutions and do not contain course or section numbers. Instructors are part of the consultation process to build the app, and feedback for improvement is always appreciated. I hope this answers your thoughtful questions; please let me know if you want more clarification. Jennifer, as an online teacher in K-12, have you used any intentional instructional practices to increase accessibility for diverse learners?