This week we discussed a significant topic in class: Accessibility and inclusion in education. While it might seem obvious that teachers need to make sure the content in their class is accessible to everyone and includes everyone, there are certain challenges that teachers might not be aware of. For instance, not all student disabilities are visible to teachers. One of the ways to ensure student access to classroom content and activities is by offering multiple ways to engage with the material.
“Universal Design For Learning” by giulia.forsythe is marked with CC0 1.0.
Flexibility in content delivery gives everyone an opportunity to engage with at least one of the ways it is delivered. Providing multiple means to represent, engage with, and express a certain idea or concept in the classroom aligns with the Universal Design For Learning, represented in the image above. These days many technologies include access to tools built around accessibility, like screen reading technology and speech to text tools. As teachers, we need to provide access to these tools for our students.