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The following example of a presentation may be helpful as you prepare to deliver preservice or inservice instruction regarding universal design of distance learning courses. Consider including this content along with that regarding other diversity issues related to gender and race/ethnicity.
After this presentation, participants will be able to
Approximately 60 minutes.
For further preparation for this presentation, consult the Resources and Presentation Tips sections of this notebook, as well as the AccessSTEM website at http://www.washington.edu/doit/Stem/.
(Distribute handout, Universal Design of Instruction.)
Today we will be discussing principles of universal design of instruction and how to apply these principles to distance learning courses for the benefit of all students, including those with disabilities.
The objectives of this presentation are to learn the principles of universal design, apply universal design to instruction, and to understand the difference between universal design and accommodation strategies.
In our schools and distance learning programs today, we serve a diverse student body. Students in your classes come from a wide variety of ethnic and racial backgrounds. For some, English is not their first language. There are many types of learning styles and strengths represented, including students who are primarily visual or auditory learners. In addition, increasing numbers of students with disabilities are being included in courses once only available to students without disabilities. Their disabilities may include spinal cord injuries, loss of limbs, Multiple Sclerosis, Muscular Dystrophy, Cerebral Palsy, hearing impairments, visual impairments, speech impairments, specific learning disabilities, head injuries, psychiatric impairments, Diabetes, Cancer, and AIDS.
How can you design online instruction to maximize the learning of all students? The field of universal design can provide a starting point for developing a model for inclusive instruction. This body of knowledge can then be applied to distance learning courses to assure access to all students.
Designing any lesson or activity involves the consideration of factors that may include learning objectives, environmental issues, safety concerns, and cost. One issue that designers often overlook is that of "universal design." Universal design is defined as "the design of products and environments to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design (Center for Universal Design of North Carolina State University)." Universal design was first applied by architects to provide guidance in the design of environments. Let's discuss the meaning of each principle and its application to educational settings.
When designers apply these principles, their products and environments meet the needs of potential users with a wide variety of characteristics. Disability is just one of many characteristics that an individual might possess. For example, one person could be five feet four inches tall, female, forty years old, a poor reader, and deaf. All of these characteristics, including her deafness, should be considered in developing a product she might use.
Making a product accessible to people with disabilities often benefits others. For example, sidewalk curb cuts, designed to make sidewalks and streets accessible to those using wheelchairs, are today more often used by kids on skateboards, parents with baby strollers, and delivery staff with rolling carts. When television displays in noisy airports and restaurants are captioned, they benefit people without disabilities as well as those who are deaf.
(Discuss examples of things you would consider if you were designing a microwave oven, toaster, building, or other product that would be universally accessible.)
Universal design principles can be applied to many products and services. In the case of classroom instruction or a distance learning class, a goal should be to create a learning environment that allows all students, including a person who happens to have a characteristic that is termed a "disability," to access the content of the course and fully participate in class activities.
In the short video that we will now watch, we will see an example of the application of universal design principles to distance learning instruction. The video itself is universally designed, including open captions and audio descriptions for viewers with hearing and visual impairments, respectively. Your handouts Real Connections: Making Distance Learning Accessible to Everyone and Equal Access: Universal Design of Instruction summarize the content of the video.
As demonstrated in the video and handouts, considering universal design principles can lead us to a list of guidelines that can be applied as you develop distance learning courses.
When universal design principles are applied to the design of web pages, people using a wide range of adaptive technology can access them. For example, people who are blind often use speech output systems to access computers. These systems read aloud text that is presented on the screen; they do not read graphical images. Therefore, to provide access to websites for students who are blind, we must be sure to include text descriptions for content presented in graphical form, such as pictures, animated images, and image maps.
Many steps need to be taken to assure that distance learning courses are accessible to potential students with disabilities. The following Distance Learning Program Accessibility Indicators can be used as a checklist for documenting programmatic changes that lead to improved accessibility of the courses of any distance-learning program. Each indicator relates to one of four key stakeholders in the delivery of distance learning courses:
On many campuses, particularly those with small distance learning programs, one person may perform two or more of the last three roles.
Distance learning programs committed to accessibility assure that students and potential students know of the programs' commitment to accessible design, how to report inaccessible design features they discover, how to request accommodations, and how to obtain alternate formats of printed materials; the distance learning home page is accessible and all online and other course materials of distance learning courses are accessible to individuals with disabilities.
__ DLP Accessibility Indicator 1. The distance learning home page is accessible to individuals with disabilities (e.g., it adheres to Section 508, World Wide Web Consortium or institutional accessible-design guidelines/standards).
__ DLP Accessibility Indicator 2. A statement about the distance learning program's commitment to accessible design for all potential students, including those with disabilities, is included prominently in appropriate publications and websites along with contact information for reporting inaccessible design features.
__ DLP Accessibility Indicator 3. A statement about how distance learning students with disabilities can request accommodations is included in appropriate publications and web pages.
__ DLP Accessibility Indicator 4. A statement about how people can obtain alternate formats of printed materials is included in publications.
__ DLP Accessibility Indicator 5. The online and other course materials of distance learning courses are accessible to individuals with disabilities.
Distance learning programs that are committed to accessibility assure that course designers understand the programs' commitment to accessibility, have access to guidelines and resources; and learn about accessibility in training provided to course designers.
__ DLP Accessibility Indicator 6. Publications and web pages for distance learning course designers include a) a statement of the program's commitment to accessibility, b) guidelines/standards regarding accessibility, and c) resources.
__ DLP Accessibility Indicator 7. Accessibility issues are covered in regular course designer training.
In distance learning programs committed to accessibility, publications and Web pages for distance learning instructors include a statement of the distance learning programs' commitment to accessibility, guidelines regarding accessibility, and resources; and training for instructors includes accessibility content.
__ DLP Accessibility Indicator 8. Publications and Web pages for distance learning instructors include: a) a statement of the distance learning program's commitment to accessibility, b) guidelines/standards regarding accessibility, and c) resources.
__ DLP Accessibility Indicator 9. Accessibility issues are covered in training sessions for instructors.
Distance learning programs committed to accessibility have systems in place to monitor accessibility efforts and make adjustments based on evaluation results.
__ DLP Accessibility Indicator 10. A system is in place to monitor the accessibility of courses and, based on this evaluation, the program takes actions to improve the accessibility of specific courses as well as update information and training given to potential students, students, course designers and instructors.
Refer to our handout Real Connections: Making Distance Learning Accessible to Everyone as we discuss some of the access challenges and accessible solutions for students with disabilities with respects to:
Universal design of distance learning courses can benefit all students. For example, captioning course videos, which provides access to students who are deaf, is also of benefit to students for whom English is a second language, to students with some types of learning disabilities, and to students watching the presentation in a noisy or noiseless environment. Delivering content with multiple modes of presentation can benefit students with a variety of learning styles.
(Consider having participants discuss a case. Choose from the Student Abilities Profiles included in the Access to Math and Science section of this notebook or from the AccessSTEM Knowledge Base at http://www.washington.edu/doit/Stem/kb.html.)
Employing universal design principles in everything we do provides information and access for all individuals regardless of learning style, language, or ability.
For comprehensive information on accommodations, a wide range of case studies, frequently asked questions, and general resources, visit AccessSTEM at http://www.washington.edu/doit/Stem/. This resource was developed at the University of Washington as part of a nationwide project to provide resources to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics educators and employers so that they can make their courses, programs, and worksites accessible to everyone. You can link to this resource from ____ . (Arrange to make the link from your school website before the presentation.)
Thank you for your time today and for your interest in finding ways to ensure that all of the students in our programs have equal opportunities to learn, explore interests, and express ideas.
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