Making Learning Accessible to All

The picture below is one I feel like I was shown during my very first PD presentation as a teacher (or if not, at least some point early on in that year). I think it is a well-known image (or at least a well-known style of picture) to demonstrate the difference between equality and equity, and that what we may actually be striving for within our classrooms is equity, and not equality (not to discount equality entirely, just for the sake of the picture). I think this image speaks to the idea of accessibility, and how it is given space and employed without our classrooms as well, because tools and strategies focused on accessibility seek to create equity. I also feel the picture is apropos because there are multiple persons in the picture who are using some sort of tool to create equity, rather than just being used for the one who ‘visibly’ requires it. This is something I have been seeking to be mindful of more and more as I have gone forward in my career.

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Accessibility is something that I honestly would have thought of in the more traditional sense, which is how tools can be used to help address issues or impairments students might be facing. Admittedly, my experience with questions of accessibility is more limited than I would like-I have worked with Learning Behavior Specialists in my schools to brainstorm ideas for students who might need additional support, but they have always been the ones to take ideas generated in the discussion, and then find and apply the tools to aid students. This is definitely an area I would like to grow in, especially because I can say my own instruction on what accessibility tools are even available (both on student devices and in general) has been very limited, so it’s something that there just isn’t a ton of familiarity with. I feel this would make me a stronger teacher overall, and better-prepared to address needs of a larger variety of students.

In thinking about accessibility outside of this more traditional sense, I do believe that the concept should be applied to education in general. This is informed by the concept of UDL, or Universal Design for Learning, which focuses on differentiating instruction in order to meet needs of all students, not just some. This grows out of the idea that all students learn differently, and so simply expecting all (or even most) students to be able to conform to a standardized style of learning is not doing them justice in terms of accounting for how they learn best. That said, differentiation, and creating accessibility for all students, is something that all teachers should be incorporating within their practice.

In terms of my own experience with accessibility, I have been looking in my own practice to make allowances for different methods of differentiation, especially ever since it was a focus in my C&I Master’s program. Differentiation is one of those buzzwords that I think gets thrown around a lot, and can be easily incorporated in a classroom, but is difficult to master, taking time, care and reflection. I also feel it goes hand-in-hand with accessibility. Carol Ann Tomlinson, a leading author and educator on the practice of differentiation, discusses that differentiation can be done through four different lenses: process, product, content, and learning environment. Before learning about Tomlinson, and these different ways of differentiating, I would say that my main understanding of differentiation, and therefore to an extent, accessibility, was limited to thinking about a variety of learning processes (how students were presented information, or how they could go about completing the same assignment with support). Now, I have sought to differentiate through the other lenses as well, which has helped make things more accessible to all students, and not necessarily just those with personalized accommodations or plans. This helps to address issues of equity within the classroom overall. For example, let’s say I was hoping to teach a research unit. Some students may need a graphic organizer for planning or consistent check-ins, while others could just choose a topic and go. Some students may choose to present their findings in a traditional presentation, others may record a podcast, while others may design some sort of model. There may be students who need help finding sources, or need leveled reading or alternative access to materials, while some students may need to be presented with deeper-level questions to challenge their understanding. Finally, some students may prefer to work in their normal desks, others in a group on the floor, and others in a larger group in a separate environment. These are all methods of differentiation for a single unit, but can make learning more accessible to all students.

Author's Image-Created on Canva

Another aspect of accessibility that plays a major role in education is the use of tools and technology to address identified learning disabilities among students. These tools are what help to form equity among students who struggle with vision, hearing, mobility, etc. It is how students who have these major obstacles to learning are able to be given equitable opportunities to learn. Going back to the picture near the top of this post, accessibility is what helps teachers put students in that position of equity. A benefit of living in the time we do is that so many schools have gone either 1-to-1 or have access to a variety of technology devices, most of which have accessibility features built-in. For example, my students use Chromebooks, which have features to address struggles with vision, hearing, dexterity, or cognition. Students can use text-to-speech, browser zoom, dictation, contrast mode, and many other options that are available under the device’s settings. This makes accessibility much easier to create for students, because these features work directly on the device, and can be turned on once and remain available for as long as students need them. There are also extensions available for additional accessibility purposes. Moreover, these tools can be used by all students, so that even those who, say, struggle with transferring ideas to writing because of the delay in typing, could use voice-to-text to help record all of their ideas in a response piece.

I created the nearby infographic to inform teachers and students of six accessibility features of Chromebooks because I feel they could be widely-used in classrooms, but are ones that I have not personally seen many examples of use in my professional practice thus far. And honestly, not having had much information about the features available to students, I feel these are important ones for teachers to be aware of, even for their own practices. For example, although it is not one on the infographic, I have since changed my cursor to a different, more vibrant color, because I feel like it helps me focus more, and also because it will be easier for my students to see if I’m demonstrating something that I’m projecting from my screen. I look forward to learning more about accessibility ideas as I move forward in my career, in order to continue to being better-prepared to strive for equity among all students.