Have you seen the video that shows how an entire town learned sign language to surprise someone who is deaf and lives in their community? Seeing his reactions to those he encounters, and the look of genuine surprise and appreciation as more and more people communicate with him, makes it easy to see how important it is to be able to communicate with others and be understood. He questions why everyone seems to be able to speak directly to him because he is not used to it. They removed a barrier to communication and understanding, and his reaction was beautiful.
What if we approached course design like that and provided a variety of supports for students who have diverse needs? What if we provided multiple forms of engagement for students to spark interest and curiosity? What if we chose different forms of representation for the content students will learn to make concepts and skills students learn in their courses more accessible? And what if we offered choice in the actions and expression of learning that connect to student interests and abilities? If we make all of our courses and materials more accessible for all students, we can remove unnecessary obstacles to learning!
There are many ways we can improve accessibility to course materials. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) offers guiding principles that help us design more accessible learning materials. We have materials on our >>CCIT site<< to help you dive deeper into the principles of UDL so you can make your courses more accessible for those with diverse needs.
The CCIT Team can brainstorm ideas with you to determine strategies and edtech tools that will support students as they interact with your course content and with each other during the learning process.
Contact us if you would like to discuss UDL and how you might use the principles of UDL to make your courses more accessible for students. It is critical to empathize with students and set up the learning environment to remove obstacles to learning for all students.
If you want to collaborate with the CCIT to brainstorm ideas, please CONTACT US! 😊
#Accessibility
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