Accessibility in the Classroom
What is Universal Design for Learning?
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a method that is used to offer differentiation for ALL students in the classroom. No matter how students learn, it is important that everyone receives equal opportunities to learn. When creating lessons, the UDL method has teachers focus on the Why (engagement), the What (representations), and the How (action & expression) of learning.
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As a teacher of Diverse Learners (DLs) I am constantly making accommodations to meet the needs of students on my caseload. However, I notice myself using these same accommodations for all students in the classroom. While they may not have IEPs (Individualized Educational Plans), this shows it is beneficial to offer multiple ways to access the lesson.
Assistive Technology
Assistive technology is one way teachers can use UDL in their own classrooms. Many of the technology devices that are used in schools include built-in accessibility features that makes using these systems easier for students, especially students with disabilities. My school is fortunate enough to have one-to-one Chromebooks for students. This week as I was exploring the different accessibility features on student Chromebooks I realized many of the features I have not used but would be helpful for most of my students.
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After playing around with the different features on the Chromebooks I decided to make a list of the features that I either (a) had not used/heard of before or (b) thought would be beneficial to students on my DL caseload. As I was thinking about my students I know they are reading well below grade-level so I wanted to include features that could support their reading within the classroom. Features like ChromeVox and Select-to-Speak read the text to students and they have the option to change both the speed and the language. I particularly like this benefit because the majority of students at my school are English Language Learners (ELLs) and can have the text read in their native language. One feature that I found interesting was the High Contrast Mode. I noticed many students changing this setting on their own computers and thought they were trying to be silly. I never thought about how this feature may be useful for some students with visual impairments.
Conclusion
After learning more about UDL, assistive technology and accessibility I reflected on my own teaching. I find that I have a strength when making and adding accommodations to lessons. However, I know I can continue to grow when using the features that are built into the technology. I often find myself staying away from technology, especially when working in my small pull-out group, because some of my students have a difficult time accessing the different features and content digitally. Learning and researching how to use the features to my advantage I am excited to teach my students to use them as well!
Hi Abigail,
ReplyDeleteWhile I also love digital accessibility tools, sometimes time gets the better of me and I can't effectively use it since sometimes it requires (a lot) of explicit instruction! However, I think I just need to keep at it since the tools will ultimately make it easier for them to access the content. For example, I used to just highlight handouts, but the ChromeVox tool you mentioned lets them highlight and have the section read aloud!
I also liked your observation about even though we work with a range of students, they often benefit from the same accommodations. One example I can think of is at Dominican University, who I work for. Dominican University offers an eReading software to ALL students, regardless of disability/condition status, because we realized everyone could benefit from the program's features!
Thank you so much for your reflection!!
Hello Abigail,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your blog! I love the fact that you capitalized ALL students in the classroom. I definitely think that it is important to make sure that every individual student is having their needs met in order to be successful within the classroom. It connects great to the image that you added. I also like how you mentioned that even though students don't have IEPs, it is still beneficial to use these resources. One of my colleagues mentioned how beneficial it is to add a student's accommodation to your entire lesson that way it benefits all students. It also makes it easier on the educator since they know for a fact that they are providing what is necessary for the student with the IEP to be successful. These students also wouldn't feel singled out since any student who may benefit from the resource is using it too. You and I focused on the accessibility features on Chromebooks for vision. We had similar features with the large cursor, highlights, and increase size. I made my infographic to support a student within my classroom in order to continue to support her in ways that aren't on her IEP. I noticed the same thing when I taught my class how to increase their mouse cursor. I had my computer connected to my whiteboard and a student asked how to do it. It wasn't even the student with vision impairment, so it shocked me that other students would need and want it too! Great blog!
Thanks so much for explaining how this exploration can benefit your current students. This is a great post, Abigail.
ReplyDeleteHi Abigail,
ReplyDeleteGreat informative post! I liked your visual with the accessibility tools for Chromebooks. I never thought about how a large mouse cursor could help students with pointing when they read. This is great to have for struggling readers. Just like you, I have seen students play with the High Contrast Mode. It is surprising that it can help students with vision problems. Great idea to include the links to each one that explain how to enable each of those features.
Abigail, it was so great reading your post. I really connected with your statement about shying away from technology in specific settings because of your uncertainty with technology fluency with your ELL students. I feel similarly with having young students that may not be able to access all features of an app/webpage they are on because of limited skills. I loved that the accommodations you found were not disability-driven but rather realistic changes that can be made to enhance a typically developed child's learning experience. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and findings!
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