August 13, 2024 • 18 mins
Join us for an SXSW EDU special with Tara Courchaine, Michelle Soriano, Kelli Suding of CAST as they explore the transformative power of inclusive technology in education. Discover how universal design for learning breaks down barriers for students with learning disabilities, fostering engagement and belonging in the classroom. Our guests share practical tips for implementing accessible technology and emphasize involving users with disabilities in the design process. Whether you're an educator or an edtech vendor, this episode offers valuable insights and actionable advice for creating a more inclusive educational environment.
Access the full podcast transcript at: https://bit.ly/SXSWEDUSpecialCAST
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Episode Transcript
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(00:00):
I'm here today with Tara Courchaine, Michelle Soriano, and Kelli Suding of CAST.
Thank you all for being here. Appreciate your time. And I wonder,
just to start, could you introduce yourselves and your roles at CAST?
Sure. I'm Tara Courchaine. I'm the Chief Research and Development Officer at CAST.
I've been at CAST for a little over two years, and I oversee all of our federally
(00:22):
funded K-12 research work.
Hi, and I'm Michelle Soriano, and I am one of our Technical Assistance Specialist at CAST.
I support both the National Center on Accessible Educational Materials and the CITES Center.
Hi, and I'm Kelli Suding. I'm also one of the Technical Assistant Specialists
at CAST, supporting the National Center on Accessible Educational Materials, or AIM, and CITES.
(00:46):
Wonderful. So, you know, at ELA, the Educating All Learners Alliance,
we focus a lot on accessibility within education, inclusive education,
and I know that you do too.
Could you tell us a little bit about how inclusive technology kind of breaks
down the barriers for students who have learning disabilities?
(01:06):
Absolutely. Well, inclusive technology really ties into our belief at CAST around
universal design for learning. And we really feel that when...
Instruction and technology is inclusive, kids can be successful in the general
education classroom together.
So kids that do have differing abilities or needs, when they have technology
that is accessible for them, such as text-to-speech or speech-to-text,
(01:30):
it really works so that they don't need something different.
They don't need to wait longer to get what they need. They're not using a different device.
They're all working together in a community so that they can have a sense of
not just inclusion, but belonging.
Belonging. Yeah, that's interesting. So when we think about inclusive technology
as well, it's really about choice built in to the technology.
(01:53):
So when we were talking about universal design for learning,
it's choice built into the environment.
But when we think about inclusive technology, it's an option that all of our
students can have when they're in the classroom.
So it's like Tara alluded to, so then our students don't look like they feel different.
So then we have students who need what is assistive technology,
which means they actually need that type of like text-to-speech or speech-to-text
(02:15):
to be successful in the classroom.
So just thinking about the choice is already built into the environment.
And then it's really not an afterthought. We're not retrofitting the technology
like, oh my gosh, I have to get a third-party app or a third-party software
for my students to be able to access, decode, and engage in the content.
So it's really important to always think about inclusion always in the forefront. Sure.
(02:35):
Yeah. It's interesting Interesting you mentioned that idea of belonging.
And there really is a difference between someone being welcome and someone belonging there.
And I think it might be what you said, the idea of that choice being built in already for them.
There's no thought and accommodation that needs to be made on the fly, anything like that.
(02:59):
Yeah, and even to push that even further, belonging. And it's also,
there's a difference between being entertained by the technology and being engaged in the technology.
So that's really what inclusive technology can support.
A lot of fun, you know, like we learn through play and that's really important,
but when it comes to actually engaging in the content.
That's, yeah, that's kind of pushing more toward that. I wonder if you could
(03:21):
say a little bit more about that idea of learning through play.
Oh yeah. Learning through play. I think even at, at cast,
even during our own meetings, we're doing things where there's activities where
it's like really fun and we're seeming like in playing and sometimes it's also not only entertaining,
but we're engaged as how we learn things without even really knowing,
because some of our students will be resistant when it feels like another thing
(03:43):
they have to do. unless like we could talk about worksheets, right?
You hand a student a worksheet with learning disability, they cannot engage
and interact with that content because the barrier is decoding.
So they only have access to that worksheet.
And so when we think about play, instead of having those worksheets,
having activities where we're standing up, we're thinking about multisensory
(04:04):
opportunities through that play.
And that's how we learn. You think of early childhood, preschool.
Babies, they're learning through that play, like touching and feeling.
And so I think just because our students get older, even as adults, we don't lose that.
That's why when we present together at CAS, come to our sessions because we're
like, hey, dance parties, all those things to really engage the brain.
(04:27):
So we can be successful and we can also learn. And we have to take those moments
of play to be able to really reset our brains to be able to engage into the lesson.
That makes me think of just one other thing I want to mention is a lot of the
research shows that we learn the best when we're curious.
And through play and through exploring is where our curiosity is sparked.
(04:51):
So that's really a critical piece too.
Yeah, yeah. I mean, I imagine that just thinking about it from what you described
that, you know, play is really...
Has to be sort of an intuitive thing. So to have all these barriers between
you and what you're learning is it's going to, I guess, decrease the enjoyment
(05:14):
of it, but just the intuitive nature of it and the play of it.
Well, and I think something that really increases those barriers is when we're
not proactive in thinking about that design.
And so when we're really designing ways, whether it's play, whether it's engagement
through multiple means, we really have to be proactive in thinking about all
(05:35):
of our kiddos' needs, really thinking about the technology that we're bringing
in. Is it truly inclusive?
Are we trying to retrofit it? Or are we really considering that from the beginning?
Because that's what's going to help decrease those barriers in everything that our students do.
Yes. And we're just going to keep on adding here. It reminds me of an experience. Yeah.
(05:55):
It reminds me of an experience one time co-teaching with a sixth grade teacher.
And so I was in special education. This was a Gen Ed teacher.
And so we brought in some technology. The school didn't really,
it wasn't one-to-one technology. So they brought in technology.
And then the Gen Ed teacher had this activity. And I can't remember,
it was like a quiz activity on the iPads. And so it was really great.
(06:16):
But the thing is that was missing was the kids were really excited.
So they're all in this big group looking at this technology, doing these quizzes.
And they were just like having a blast, okay? Like having a blast.
You had to answer questions a certain amount of time.
I remember the superintendent came in and said, oh my gosh, look at all these
students are engaged. And I said, I hear what you're saying.
Some of our students are not because we're not considering the processing time
(06:38):
of having those time quizzes.
So they're just back sort of like cheering on their peers when in fact the processing
time was not considered.
So for those students, you know, they're not going to say, I'm sorry,
I can't answer it quick enough. They just sit back.
And so they're more of, they're, they're They're more passive in their own education.
So inclusive technology is thinking about all the activities so all of our students
(06:59):
can be engaged and not just participating passively.
We want all of our students to take charge of their own learning.
And those opportunities are thinking about the design with universal design
for learning and those inclusive technologies.
Yeah. I mean, you mentioned earlier this idea of making sure that students are
engaged through technology, not just, you know, entertained by it.
(07:20):
So what are some changes that you would like to see more that edtech vendors
can make to make their technology and their products more accessible and inclusive?
Yeah, I think a big part is having people who use assistive technology in the whole process.
Within the design process? Within the design process and not thinking after
it's been designed. So we think, oh my gosh, this is a really cool tool.
(07:42):
And then you think we have a user who uses, let's just say, a screen reader.
And all of a sudden the screen reader can get to the question but then they
can't get to the options or the game itself or it's you know it's provided by.
The screen reader can't access the images and maybe it's a game that
is really reliant on visuals and so we
have to think is there alt text in there how's the screen reader actually
(08:04):
going to be able to start you know from this from the
start to the finish and we always say at cast accessibility should be the start
to the finish and it's not extra steps it's just steps that you've missed and
so what i really hope is that edtech vendors keep that in mind and always have
those users with disabilities on the boards and in the conversations,
(08:26):
especially when it comes to, because a big part is procurement.
When we have states and districts who are wanting to use these softwares and
discover that they're not accessible, I mean, those things aren't going to be purchased.
So just keeping that in mind, like accessibility from the start to the finish
and have those users involved in the conversations as well. Sure.
(08:46):
And I also think that it's really important.
And one thing that I really wish we can move beyond, and it's something I had
to learn as an educator as well, is that sometimes those things that you think
that's cute and it's fun and it's, oh,
they will love this or, oh, this is going to really look awesome in my classroom. It's not accessible.
And if it's not accessible, then our students aren't going to benefit from it
(09:07):
and they're not going to get the and reap the outcomes that we're hoping for.
And so when we're thinking about it, especially from a vendor standpoint,
when they're designing things to accommodate the curriculum or the books that
people are purchasing, making sure that it's not a drag and drop if it's not
accessible, right? Because screen readers cannot use that.
Things that are activities that are built in, embedding choice,
(09:29):
but choice that everybody has the option to engage in any single activity that's on there.
Because our schools are purchasing and they're spending a lot of funds to purchase
these things and they're getting them.
And you You know, you don't know what you don't know until you know it.
And when you get it and it's not accessible, boom, we've just spent a whole
(09:49):
lot of money for things that our students cannot engage with.
Wow. Yeah. Building upon that, oftentimes when, you know, schools purchase those
technologies and then they, you know, ed tech, the developers may like,
haven't been really thinking about accessibility.
So then what happens is we try to retrofit. We're getting accessible overlays
over the actual software or the technology, which ends It ends up becoming the barrier.
(10:13):
So really thinking about the skill sets. I loved how you said drag and drop.
We think about that on the iPad. There's a lot of drag and drop,
but students don't have those skill sets sometimes even do that.
You know, maybe it's mobility.
So just keeping all of that in mind. Yeah.
You it's interesting. We've kind of been talking about it from the ed tech vendor side.
And you mentioned the perspective of the educator themselves.
(10:35):
And I wonder if you were to give a quick tip to teachers listening who are looking
at inclusive technology for inclusive technology.
What would you tell them if they're if this is something they're just getting into? to?
Well, first I would say, hey, CAS has got some resources for you that can help you learn.
Yeah. Because we all start learning somewhere and we don't know what we don't know until we know it.
(10:59):
And so what I would say is ask the questions. Really think about the diverse
needs of the possible students that might come into your classroom tomorrow
because high mobility rate is everywhere.
And then go and explore how to vet for accessibility.
So if you're thinking about using something specific with your curriculum, go through these steps.
(11:20):
We have steps that are the poor, right? Is it perceivable? Can every student
perceive it? Is it operable? Is it understandable?
Is it written in layman terms? If it's written at a language that you're presenting
to a third grade student and it's like at a seventh grade level,
guess what? They're not going to know what you're talking about.
And then is it robust? Can it
be used across technology devices across software that's being utilized.
(11:45):
And then I would also encourage them to take it one step further.
Hey, come spend some time learning about how to slide into accessibility.
And so when you slide into accessibility, you're learning how to create accessible
documents that students can use embedded within their technology as well.
So you're learning about.
(12:05):
Styles? How are we going to create the headings of a structure?
Because y'all, that helps with the outline so that I can navigate anywhere in
that document without taking a million hours to get there or pretending like
I'm there and like, yep, not there. Don't call on me.
Then you have the L in slide is links, learning how to really personalize the
(12:26):
links, making sure that they're descriptive, making sure that it's not this
HTTPS colon hash backslash backslash.
Because when you you think about an individual who's using a screen reader, guess what?
They're going to read out every single letter and they're not going to know
where it's going to take them to. Then you think about the images.
Hey, if you're putting a cute little picture or something that's referenced
(12:48):
to what you're talking about on your documents, make sure you include alt text.
Make sure you have a description of what that picture is.
And then of course, the D is really just making sure that the design,
making sure that the description and everything that you have in there,
especially those links have those descriptive factors and then E, evaluate.
And the best thing that I can tell you is whether you're using,
(13:11):
you know, Google Docs, whether you're using PowerPoint, whether you're using
something, use the accessibility checker.
It is my BFF.
It is my best friend. We go through it, even as casties, we go through it and
we check things that we're going to present to make sure that it meets that
accessibility check, to make sure that we didn't overlook something.
(13:32):
And y'all, as educators, been there, done that. It's not one more thing.
It is the steps that you miss, but it is the value add to everything that you
are already doing. And guess what?
It helps increase that student outcome.
Because if my students can take it in and they can make sense of it and it's
relevant, then they're going to have better outcomes.
(13:56):
And I just want to add two more things on a very light note.
One is teachers need to give themselves permission.
They need permission to try new things, to work with new ideas.
They need permission to fail, and they need permission to succeed,
and they need to give themselves that.
And then the second piece that goes along with it is give yourself grace.
(14:19):
You need a lot of grace to be a successful teacher, and then you just keep at it and keep trying.
Sure, yeah. I think something else that's really great to remember,
and Kelli reminds us of this often, remember your why.
Remember why you're doing this. Remember why you got into the field,
because there's so much going on.
There's a lot of chaotic pieces, but when we can always remember our why and
(14:41):
we know how we're trying to make that impact for our students and our learners,
it just brings it back and it gives you that sense of, ah,
all right, y'all, we've got this. Yeah, that's wonderful.
At ILA, we're developing an accessibility course for edtech vendors.
And what would you say to an edtech vendor who's considering the possibilities
(15:05):
of accessibility, whether that is stuff that's already in place or exciting
things on the forefront?
What would you say to a vendor considering these possibilities but not knowing where to start?
You know what I would tell the vendors is...
That even though it may seem like more work and more time and more money at
(15:26):
the beginning to update your workflow or think about how to design for accessibility,
at the end, it's going to produce or have more profit than it would have otherwise
because it's usable by more people.
It's usable by a broader audience. And sometimes people have situational disabilities
where they may benefit from something that's embedded in that software that
(15:48):
wouldn't have been there if it hadn't been designed excessively. Sure.
I love that. And I always think back to something that I learned when I was
first learning about universal design for learning is that what is required
for some is beneficial for all.
And so if we're really thinking through that lens and that mindset of,
you know, I want to design something that can meet the widest range of variability,
(16:12):
because we know that learners take in information in different ways,
then I know that more individuals are going to benefit from that. And so I agree with Tara.
I think just considering the needs and don't think of it like,
oh man, I have to redo it, but really think about like, wow,
I'm going to redo this and I'm going to make sure that we're impacting the widest
(16:34):
range of learners that we possibly can because word of mouth is very strong, right?
So when we have a school who's purchasing something and it is truly accessible,
because accessibility is on the forefront of everybody's mind, right?
And so when we're purchasing something and it's proven to be accessible,
other states are going to want to purchase it as well because educators, we like to talk.
(16:58):
And so sharing that good news, we want to be able to share that,
hey, this vendor has really created something strong and powerful and accessible. Yes, and?
I think sometimes we think disabilities and then individuals accessing the content,
maybe on a website, we think of more individuals who maybe have blindness, low vision.
So we're considering that. That's like the first thing is considered.
(17:20):
Then we think about someone with a physical disability. How can they engage
and interact with the content online?
But sometimes I feel like it's
overlooked for individuals with learning disabilities, such as dyslexia.
I mean, 20% of the world's population has dyslexia or symptoms of dyslexia. that's a large number.
And so when it comes to that, if your, if your, your software or what you're,
(17:44):
whatever you're creating doesn't have those elements of text to speech,
the ability for, you know, speech to text, being able to enlarge,
like highlighting and all of that, that's going to be a huge barrier.
And those are the, those are the times when we can't see the disability.
I feel like sometimes it's seen, it's not as crucial.
And that's not it. We think about for For every learner, not just one learner,
(18:06):
not just for some, but every learner.
So when we say users, the broadest range of users, that really means including
every single learner in the way that they learn and can engage and decode and
interact with whatever's being created.
I love that. Every, every learner.
Well, Kelli, Michelle, Tara, I really appreciate your time. This has been a
(18:28):
great conversation. Thank you for joining us today. Thanks so much for having us. Thank you.
I'm here today with Tara Courchaine, Michelle Soriano, and Kelli Suding of CAST.
Thank you all for being here. Appreciate your time. And I wonder,
just to start, could you introduce yourselves and your roles at CAST?
Sure. I'm Tara Courchaine. I'm the Chief Research and Development Officer at CAST.
I've been at CAST for a little over two years, and I oversee all of our federally
(00:22):
funded K-12 research work.
Hi, and I'm Michelle Soriano, and I am one of our Technical Assistance Specialist at CAST.
I support both the National Center on Accessible Educational Materials and the CITES Center.
Hi, and I'm Kelli Suding. I'm also one of the Technical Assistant Specialists
at CAST, supporting the National Center on Accessible Educational Materials, or AIM, and CITES.
(00:46):
Wonderful. So, you know, at ELA, the Educating All Learners Alliance,
we focus a lot on accessibility within education, inclusive education,
and I know that you do too.
Could you tell us a little bit about how inclusive technology kind of breaks
down the barriers for students who have learning disabilities?
(01:06):
Absolutely. Well, inclusive technology really ties into our belief at CAST around
universal design for learning. And we really feel that when...
Instruction and technology is inclusive, kids can be successful in the general
education classroom together.
So kids that do have differing abilities or needs, when they have technology
that is accessible for them, such as text-to-speech or speech-to-text,
(01:30):
it really works so that they don't need something different.
They don't need to wait longer to get what they need. They're not using a different device.
They're all working together in a community so that they can have a sense of
not just inclusion, but belonging.
Belonging. Yeah, that's interesting. So when we think about inclusive technology
as well, it's really about choice built in to the technology.
(01:53):
So when we were talking about universal design for learning,
it's choice built into the environment.
But when we think about inclusive technology, it's an option that all of our
students can have when they're in the classroom.
So it's like Tara alluded to, so then our students don't look like they feel different.
So then we have students who need what is assistive technology,
which means they actually need that type of like text-to-speech or speech-to-text
(02:15):
to be successful in the classroom.
So just thinking about the choice is already built into the environment.
And then it's really not an afterthought. We're not retrofitting the technology
like, oh my gosh, I have to get a third-party app or a third-party software
for my students to be able to access, decode, and engage in the content.
So it's really important to always think about inclusion always in the forefront. Sure.
(02:35):
Yeah. It's interesting Interesting you mentioned that idea of belonging.
And there really is a difference between someone being welcome and someone belonging there.
And I think it might be what you said, the idea of that choice being built in already for them.
There's no thought and accommodation that needs to be made on the fly, anything like that.
(02:59):
Yeah, and even to push that even further, belonging. And it's also,
there's a difference between being entertained by the technology and being engaged in the technology.
So that's really what inclusive technology can support.
A lot of fun, you know, like we learn through play and that's really important,
but when it comes to actually engaging in the content.
That's, yeah, that's kind of pushing more toward that. I wonder if you could
(03:21):
say a little bit more about that idea of learning through play.
Oh yeah. Learning through play. I think even at, at cast,
even during our own meetings, we're doing things where there's activities where
it's like really fun and we're seeming like in playing and sometimes it's also not only entertaining,
but we're engaged as how we learn things without even really knowing,
because some of our students will be resistant when it feels like another thing
(03:43):
they have to do. unless like we could talk about worksheets, right?
You hand a student a worksheet with learning disability, they cannot engage
and interact with that content because the barrier is decoding.
So they only have access to that worksheet.
And so when we think about play, instead of having those worksheets,
having activities where we're standing up, we're thinking about multisensory
(04:04):
opportunities through that play.
And that's how we learn. You think of early childhood, preschool.
Babies, they're learning through that play, like touching and feeling.
And so I think just because our students get older, even as adults, we don't lose that.
That's why when we present together at CAS, come to our sessions because we're
like, hey, dance parties, all those things to really engage the brain.
(04:27):
So we can be successful and we can also learn. And we have to take those moments
of play to be able to really reset our brains to be able to engage into the lesson.
That makes me think of just one other thing I want to mention is a lot of the
research shows that we learn the best when we're curious.
And through play and through exploring is where our curiosity is sparked.
(04:51):
So that's really a critical piece too.
Yeah, yeah. I mean, I imagine that just thinking about it from what you described
that, you know, play is really...
Has to be sort of an intuitive thing. So to have all these barriers between
you and what you're learning is it's going to, I guess, decrease the enjoyment
(05:14):
of it, but just the intuitive nature of it and the play of it.
Well, and I think something that really increases those barriers is when we're
not proactive in thinking about that design.
And so when we're really designing ways, whether it's play, whether it's engagement
through multiple means, we really have to be proactive in thinking about all
(05:35):
of our kiddos' needs, really thinking about the technology that we're bringing
in. Is it truly inclusive?
Are we trying to retrofit it? Or are we really considering that from the beginning?
Because that's what's going to help decrease those barriers in everything that our students do.
Yes. And we're just going to keep on adding here. It reminds me of an experience. Yeah.
(05:55):
It reminds me of an experience one time co-teaching with a sixth grade teacher.
And so I was in special education. This was a Gen Ed teacher.
And so we brought in some technology. The school didn't really,
it wasn't one-to-one technology. So they brought in technology.
And then the Gen Ed teacher had this activity. And I can't remember,
it was like a quiz activity on the iPads. And so it was really great.
(06:16):
But the thing is that was missing was the kids were really excited.
So they're all in this big group looking at this technology, doing these quizzes.
And they were just like having a blast, okay? Like having a blast.
You had to answer questions a certain amount of time.
I remember the superintendent came in and said, oh my gosh, look at all these
students are engaged. And I said, I hear what you're saying.
Some of our students are not because we're not considering the processing time
(06:38):
of having those time quizzes.
So they're just back sort of like cheering on their peers when in fact the processing
time was not considered.
So for those students, you know, they're not going to say, I'm sorry,
I can't answer it quick enough. They just sit back.
And so they're more of, they're, they're They're more passive in their own education.
So inclusive technology is thinking about all the activities so all of our students
(06:59):
can be engaged and not just participating passively.
We want all of our students to take charge of their own learning.
And those opportunities are thinking about the design with universal design
for learning and those inclusive technologies.
Yeah. I mean, you mentioned earlier this idea of making sure that students are
engaged through technology, not just, you know, entertained by it.
(07:20):
So what are some changes that you would like to see more that edtech vendors
can make to make their technology and their products more accessible and inclusive?
Yeah, I think a big part is having people who use assistive technology in the whole process.
Within the design process? Within the design process and not thinking after
it's been designed. So we think, oh my gosh, this is a really cool tool.
(07:42):
And then you think we have a user who uses, let's just say, a screen reader.
And all of a sudden the screen reader can get to the question but then they
can't get to the options or the game itself or it's you know it's provided by.
The screen reader can't access the images and maybe it's a game that
is really reliant on visuals and so we
have to think is there alt text in there how's the screen reader actually
(08:04):
going to be able to start you know from this from the
start to the finish and we always say at cast accessibility should be the start
to the finish and it's not extra steps it's just steps that you've missed and
so what i really hope is that edtech vendors keep that in mind and always have
those users with disabilities on the boards and in the conversations,
(08:26):
especially when it comes to, because a big part is procurement.
When we have states and districts who are wanting to use these softwares and
discover that they're not accessible, I mean, those things aren't going to be purchased.
So just keeping that in mind, like accessibility from the start to the finish
and have those users involved in the conversations as well. Sure.
(08:46):
And I also think that it's really important.
And one thing that I really wish we can move beyond, and it's something I had
to learn as an educator as well, is that sometimes those things that you think
that's cute and it's fun and it's, oh,
they will love this or, oh, this is going to really look awesome in my classroom. It's not accessible.
And if it's not accessible, then our students aren't going to benefit from it
(09:07):
and they're not going to get the and reap the outcomes that we're hoping for.
And so when we're thinking about it, especially from a vendor standpoint,
when they're designing things to accommodate the curriculum or the books that
people are purchasing, making sure that it's not a drag and drop if it's not
accessible, right? Because screen readers cannot use that.
Things that are activities that are built in, embedding choice,
(09:29):
but choice that everybody has the option to engage in any single activity that's on there.
Because our schools are purchasing and they're spending a lot of funds to purchase
these things and they're getting them.
And you You know, you don't know what you don't know until you know it.
And when you get it and it's not accessible, boom, we've just spent a whole
(09:49):
lot of money for things that our students cannot engage with.
Wow. Yeah. Building upon that, oftentimes when, you know, schools purchase those
technologies and then they, you know, ed tech, the developers may like,
haven't been really thinking about accessibility.
So then what happens is we try to retrofit. We're getting accessible overlays
over the actual software or the technology, which ends It ends up becoming the barrier.
(10:13):
So really thinking about the skill sets. I loved how you said drag and drop.
We think about that on the iPad. There's a lot of drag and drop,
but students don't have those skill sets sometimes even do that.
You know, maybe it's mobility.
So just keeping all of that in mind. Yeah.
You it's interesting. We've kind of been talking about it from the ed tech vendor side.
And you mentioned the perspective of the educator themselves.
(10:35):
And I wonder if you were to give a quick tip to teachers listening who are looking
at inclusive technology for inclusive technology.
What would you tell them if they're if this is something they're just getting into? to?
Well, first I would say, hey, CAS has got some resources for you that can help you learn.
Yeah. Because we all start learning somewhere and we don't know what we don't know until we know it.
(10:59):
And so what I would say is ask the questions. Really think about the diverse
needs of the possible students that might come into your classroom tomorrow
because high mobility rate is everywhere.
And then go and explore how to vet for accessibility.
So if you're thinking about using something specific with your curriculum, go through these steps.
(11:20):
We have steps that are the poor, right? Is it perceivable? Can every student
perceive it? Is it operable? Is it understandable?
Is it written in layman terms? If it's written at a language that you're presenting
to a third grade student and it's like at a seventh grade level,
guess what? They're not going to know what you're talking about.
And then is it robust? Can it
be used across technology devices across software that's being utilized.
(11:45):
And then I would also encourage them to take it one step further.
Hey, come spend some time learning about how to slide into accessibility.
And so when you slide into accessibility, you're learning how to create accessible
documents that students can use embedded within their technology as well.
So you're learning about.
(12:05):
Styles? How are we going to create the headings of a structure?
Because y'all, that helps with the outline so that I can navigate anywhere in
that document without taking a million hours to get there or pretending like
I'm there and like, yep, not there. Don't call on me.
Then you have the L in slide is links, learning how to really personalize the
(12:26):
links, making sure that they're descriptive, making sure that it's not this
HTTPS colon hash backslash backslash.
Because when you you think about an individual who's using a screen reader, guess what?
They're going to read out every single letter and they're not going to know
where it's going to take them to. Then you think about the images.
Hey, if you're putting a cute little picture or something that's referenced
(12:48):
to what you're talking about on your documents, make sure you include alt text.
Make sure you have a description of what that picture is.
And then of course, the D is really just making sure that the design,
making sure that the description and everything that you have in there,
especially those links have those descriptive factors and then E, evaluate.
And the best thing that I can tell you is whether you're using,
(13:11):
you know, Google Docs, whether you're using PowerPoint, whether you're using
something, use the accessibility checker.
It is my BFF.
It is my best friend. We go through it, even as casties, we go through it and
we check things that we're going to present to make sure that it meets that
accessibility check, to make sure that we didn't overlook something.
(13:32):
And y'all, as educators, been there, done that. It's not one more thing.
It is the steps that you miss, but it is the value add to everything that you
are already doing. And guess what?
It helps increase that student outcome.
Because if my students can take it in and they can make sense of it and it's
relevant, then they're going to have better outcomes.
(13:56):
And I just want to add two more things on a very light note.
One is teachers need to give themselves permission.
They need permission to try new things, to work with new ideas.
They need permission to fail, and they need permission to succeed,
and they need to give themselves that.
And then the second piece that goes along with it is give yourself grace.
(14:19):
You need a lot of grace to be a successful teacher, and then you just keep at it and keep trying.
Sure, yeah. I think something else that's really great to remember,
and Kelli reminds us of this often, remember your why.
Remember why you're doing this. Remember why you got into the field,
because there's so much going on.
There's a lot of chaotic pieces, but when we can always remember our why and
(14:41):
we know how we're trying to make that impact for our students and our learners,
it just brings it back and it gives you that sense of, ah,
all right, y'all, we've got this. Yeah, that's wonderful.
At ILA, we're developing an accessibility course for edtech vendors.
And what would you say to an edtech vendor who's considering the possibilities
(15:05):
of accessibility, whether that is stuff that's already in place or exciting
things on the forefront?
What would you say to a vendor considering these possibilities but not knowing where to start?
You know what I would tell the vendors is...
That even though it may seem like more work and more time and more money at
(15:26):
the beginning to update your workflow or think about how to design for accessibility,
at the end, it's going to produce or have more profit than it would have otherwise
because it's usable by more people.
It's usable by a broader audience. And sometimes people have situational disabilities
where they may benefit from something that's embedded in that software that
(15:48):
wouldn't have been there if it hadn't been designed excessively. Sure.
I love that. And I always think back to something that I learned when I was
first learning about universal design for learning is that what is required
for some is beneficial for all.
And so if we're really thinking through that lens and that mindset of,
you know, I want to design something that can meet the widest range of variability,
(16:12):
because we know that learners take in information in different ways,
then I know that more individuals are going to benefit from that. And so I agree with Tara.
I think just considering the needs and don't think of it like,
oh man, I have to redo it, but really think about like, wow,
I'm going to redo this and I'm going to make sure that we're impacting the widest
(16:34):
range of learners that we possibly can because word of mouth is very strong, right?
So when we have a school who's purchasing something and it is truly accessible,
because accessibility is on the forefront of everybody's mind, right?
And so when we're purchasing something and it's proven to be accessible,
other states are going to want to purchase it as well because educators, we like to talk.
(16:58):
And so sharing that good news, we want to be able to share that,
hey, this vendor has really created something strong and powerful and accessible. Yes, and?
I think sometimes we think disabilities and then individuals accessing the content,
maybe on a website, we think of more individuals who maybe have blindness, low vision.
So we're considering that. That's like the first thing is considered.
(17:20):
Then we think about someone with a physical disability. How can they engage
and interact with the content online?
But sometimes I feel like it's
overlooked for individuals with learning disabilities, such as dyslexia.
I mean, 20% of the world's population has dyslexia or symptoms of dyslexia. that's a large number.
And so when it comes to that, if your, if your, your software or what you're,
(17:44):
whatever you're creating doesn't have those elements of text to speech,
the ability for, you know, speech to text, being able to enlarge,
like highlighting and all of that, that's going to be a huge barrier.
And those are the, those are the times when we can't see the disability.
I feel like sometimes it's seen, it's not as crucial.
And that's not it. We think about for For every learner, not just one learner,
(18:06):
not just for some, but every learner.
So when we say users, the broadest range of users, that really means including
every single learner in the way that they learn and can engage and decode and
interact with whatever's being created.
I love that. Every, every learner.
Well, Kelli, Michelle, Tara, I really appreciate your time. This has been a
(18:28):
great conversation. Thank you for joining us today. Thanks so much for having us. Thank you.
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