Online Learning and Accessibility for Students with Disabilities

Man at computer station

Underlying Assumptions

1. More students with disabilities will be signing up for Blended and Online classes.

2. Legally and ethically we must provide reasonable accommodations and accessibility for students with disabilities.

Rationale for Accessibility Concerns

• Currently about 275,000 students are enrolled in full-time virtual schools. (Watson, Murin, Vashaw, Genin, & Rapp, 2012)

• About 7% of students enrolled in virtual schools have disabilities. (Molinar, Miron, Huerta, King Rice, Cuban, Horvitz, Rankin Shafer, 2013)

• Significant barriers reduce access for students with disabilities. (COLSD, 2012)

• Civil Rights complaints regarding lack of access may increase in the future. (Martin, 2011)

Legal requirements for accessibility

• In 1998 the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Section 508, was amended by Congress to include enforceable standards to ensure hardware and software, purchased are accessible.

• States receiving funds through the Technology Related Assistance for Individuals with Disabilities Act of 1988 are subject to these requirements. (OCR, 2010)

• Schools may purchase inaccessible digital curricula but are responsible for making it accessible. (Hashey & Stahl, 2014)

Operating Principles

1. It is easier and more efficient to use programs and software that are created with accessibility features.

Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT)

• As part of meeting requirements in Section 508, VPAT was created to share specific product accessibility information.

• Section 508 requires devices and software provide a functional alternative for product use for each sensory area: vision, hearing, and speech and an alternative to dine motor control and simultaneous actions. – VPAT can identify ways a device or software can (and cannot) be used

by individuals with impairments. • COLSD maintains a VPAT table at its website (

http://centerononlinelearning. Org/resources/vpat/ )

Related Resources• WAVE.WebAIM.org hosts WAVE: a web-based tool to evaluate

websites. Users check a site by copying the URL into a search box. WAVE scans the site for accessibility features. The tool provides a summary and a detailed report. – Most important features include electable text, logical

navigation order and text equivalents for images.• PALM from the National Center on Accessible Instructional

Materials has a Purchase Accessible Learning Materials initiative to provide guidance in purchasing contracts.

• Open Educational Resources has rubrics to evaluate the quality of instructional resources.

• Cannect.org - tool for evaluating the accessibility of LMS.

Resources for Evaluating AccessibilityDomain Tool Resource Location

Purchasing accessible materials

PALM http://aim.cast.org/learn/practice/palm#.UjERiRbTOts

Learning Management Systems

VPAT

Cannect

http://centerononlinelearning.org/resources/vpat

http://projectone.cannect.org/online-education/lms-accessibility.php

Website content WAVE http://wave.webaim.org

Open Educational Resources Achieve rubrics http://www.achieve.org/oer-rubrics

Operating Principles

1. It is easier and more efficient to use programs and software that are created with accessibility features.

2. When it is not possible to purchase or use programs and software that are already accessible, we must adapt them for students.

Creating Accessible Resources

• WebAim project has clear and easy-to-follow guides to create accessible– Word Documents– PowerPoints

• Captioning for video – Youtube’s add captions tool

Tools for Creating Accessible MaterialsDomain Tool Location

Word Docs WebAim How-to-guide http://webaim.org/techniques/word/

PowerPoints WebAIm How-to guide http://webaim.org/techniques/powerpoint/

Digital media files Accesslt http://www.washington.edu/accessit/articles?1251

Digital books CAST http://bookbuilder.cast.org/

Curricular materials in general CAST UDL studio http://udlstudio.cast.org

Website content Xerte Online toolkits

FLUID

http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/xerte/toolkits.aspx

http://fluidproject.org/products/infusion/

OER resources FLOW Handbook http://handbook.floeproject.org/index.php/Home

Youtube’s captioning tool Adds captions to Youtube videos https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/2734796?hj=en

Supplemental Tools for Teachers and Students

Name General information URLThinkfinity Verizon Foundation supported

resource with lesson plans, activitess, games, etc.

http://thinkfinity.org

readwritethink Activities and ideas - sponsored by International Reading Assoc. & NCTE

http://readwritethink.org/

illuminations NCTM sponsored site with lessons, activities, games, etc.

http://illuminations.org/

OER Open Ed Resources for teachers aligned with the Common Core

http://oercommons.org/

Currikil Free learning resources for teachers

http://curriki.org/

Ck12 Resources for STEM http://ck12.org/

Dragon Speaking Speech to text program http://tinyurl.com/ld98wk3

Bookshare Free books and magazines in digital formats and Braille

https://www.bookshare.org/

Supplemental Tools for Teachers and Students

Name General information URLBrainPop Animated curricula to engage

studentshttp://www.brainpop.com/

Study Island Instructional and diagnostic tool in reading and math

http://www.studyisland.com/

Khan Academy Videos in math and the sciences https://www.khanacademy.org

Gizmos Collection of virtual manipulatives. http://www.explorelearning.com

Accessibility Tools for Teachers and StudentsName General information URL

Begin with the accessibility tool in the operating system.

Windows and Mac have robust accessibility features

Natural Reader Stand alone text to speech reader

http://naturalreaders.com

Read & Write Gold All in one accessibility toolbar for computers

http://texthelp.com/North-America/Our-products/Readwrite

Premier Text to speech that can run from a flash drive

http://readingmadeeasy.ca/products/PurchaseProducts.php?V=W

Kurzweil 3000-firefly Suite of literacy tools and OCR software

http://kurzweiledu.com/kurzweil-3000-v113-windows.html WYNN Text to speech and OCR http://freedomscientific.com/lsg/products/wynn.asp Connexions Digital repository and content

management system for educators

http://cnx.org/

Youtube’s captioning tool Adds captions to Youtube videos https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/2734796?hj=en

Principles of UDL Apply

Multiple Means of Representation (Text, Video, Charts, Graphs, Study Guides, Graphic Organizers)

Multiple Means of Action and ExpressionRespond in multiple formats (text, image, digital audio and video recording)

Multiple Means of EngagementAllow for students to choose activities and goals based on their interests

Quality Matters Checklist for Accessibility

The course employs accessible technology and provides guidance on how to obtain accommodations.

The course contains equivalent alternatives to audio and visual content.

The course design facilitates readability and minimizes distractions.

The course design accommodates assistive technology.

Operating Principles

1. It is easier and more efficient to use programs and software that are created with accessibility features.

2. When it is not possible to purchase or use programs and software that are already accessible, we must adapt them for students.

3. It is difficult for teachers to address all issues of accessibility when they are creating new blended or online classes.

ReferencesCenter on Online Learning and Stuednts with Disabilities. (July, 2011) The foundation for online learning for students with disabilities. Retrieved from http://centerononlinelearning.org/wp-content/uploads/Foundation_7_2-12.pdf

Hashey, A. & Stahl, S. (2014). Making online learning accessible for students with disabiltities, Teaching Exceptional Children, 46 (5), 70 - 78.

Hirumi, A., (2014). Grounded Designs for Online and Hybrid Learning. ISTE, Eugene, OR.

Martin, J.L., (2011) Cyber/school: Online/virtual schools and special education. Retrieved from http://www.schools.utah.gov/sars/DOCS/calendar/11lawconference/4cschl.aspx

National Center on Universal Design. (2011). UDl guidelines-Version 2.1. Retrieved from http://www.udlcenter.org/aboutudl/udlguideleines

U.S Dept of Education, OFfice for Civil Rights & U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, (2010). Joint Dear Colleague letter: Electronic book readers. Retrieved from http://www2.ed.gov/about/offoces/list/ocr/letters/colleague-20100629.html.

Watson, J., Murin,A., Vashaw, L., Gemin, B., & Rapp, C, (2012). Keeping pace with K-12 online learning: An annual review of policy and practice. Retrieved from http://kpk12.com/cms/wp-content/up;oads/KeepingPace2012.pdf