Content and Accessibility

 

 

With the deployment of our new mobile labs it is important that we take a moment to discuss digital content and accessibility. Although we have specific laws regarding accessibility, creating content that can be enjoyed by all should not be done just out of legal compliance (King & Piotrowski, 2021). Accessibility ensures that all learners can interact with content in a way that best suits their preferences.

When creating material for your classes to use be sure to keep accessibility in mind. You can do this by thinking about how the information will be perceived in different situations. The way a student will access materials on an iPad is not the same as the way they would access it on a traditional computer.

There are some great resources for ensuring accessibility needs are met for learning. A good way to start is by making sure content can be perceived in multiple modalities (vision, hearing, etc.) and giving users multiple ways to navigate a page if they do not have a mouse. It is the responsibility of all educators to have knowledge of accessibility and how it can impact students.

 

References:

King, C., & Piotrowski, C. (2021). Navigating the ADA accessibility requirements and legal pitfalls in online education. College Student Journal, 55(2), 127–134.