Introduction

Accessibility in the Classroom

Teachers in general must be able to recognize different learning styles and make adaptions to assignments and the course itself. Online and blended teachers should pay special attention to gaining an understanding of each student's skills and challenges in the early days of an online/blended course. In an online or blended class, course content and curriculum are delivered through a learning management system or other online repositories that archive course materials. Research and work using web resources (i.e. library databases, online journals, news sources, and social networking sites) are just a few of the ways in which students complete assignments.

Communicating, collaborating, and sharing knowledge between students and their teachers via email, forums, chat, blogs and even text messaging are common-place now (Web Accessibility, 2012). If teachers have students with disabilities, they must know how to adapt course content, instruction and materials to meet these students' needs. Reaching visually impaired, hearing impaired, or learning-disabled students online can be quite different than in a physical classroom. "The Accessibility of Learning Content for All Students, Including Students with Disabilities, Must be Addressed in the Shift to Digital Instructional Materials" ¹ is an excellent white paper from the State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA) that addresses this topic.

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