Accessibility:

Accessibility refers to providing every student with the "ability to access" the same information, content and interactions. The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at the U.S. Department of Education defines accessibility as meaning “when a person with a disability is afforded the opportunity to acquire the same information, engage in the same interactions, and enjoy the same services as a person without a disability in an equally integrated and equally effective manner, with substantially equivalent ease of use.” Educators are challenged to design learning experiences that allow all students access to learning.

Follow the AEM Center POUR acronym for easy guidance about accessibility.

• Is it Perceivable? Is content presented in a way that learners can use more than one sensory input? (e.g. see it, hear it, read it, do it)

• Is it Operable? Is the content presented in a way that gives learners flexibility (choice) in how the information is displayed and ways they can interact with it? (work alone or with others, use text-to-speech or read printed page, chunked in smaller sections, use built-in scaffolds and graphic organizers)

• Is it Understandable? Is the content presented in a way that uses student and family-friendly language and makes explicit the expectations of the assignment/activity? (clear goals, clear directions, provide models and/or checklists)

• Is it Robust? Is the content presented in a way that allows for all kinds of learners and access methods?

(adapted from CAST’s AEM Center)

Considerations for Access in Online Learning