5 Steps to a More Accessible Classroom

Not all students sharing the same classroom learn in the same way. A better understanding of abilities combined with the increased impetus on remote learning has triggered the debate on classroom accessibility. For classrooms that are worth their salt, there is really one key baseline: provide an equally accessible environment from the first day.

Technology has been a great leveller in terms of ushering accessibility to course content. From closed captioning for videos to interactive tools, learning management systems have really brought about a revolution in the way educational content is consumed. No longer are students finding it difficult to take notes because of their speed – video recording does it for them.

But, as much as we would like to believe, technology cannot always carry the burden of making the classroom accessible, especially when the very definition of accessibility is not that simplistic. Just having the course content optimized for better comprehension cannot count towards an accessible classroom. For that to happen, there needs to be some forethought, expertise, and help around creating lessons, accessing materials, and incorporating technologies. Everything must come together to create an accessible environment.

In such scenarios, it is best to seek the help of a faculty expert who has had experience curating accessible classrooms. Here are some best practices such experts recommend to make classrooms accessible:

• Structuring a Course with Accessibility in Mind: The best stage to include something new is at the start itself. Factoring in accessibility at the start of the course design will save time and help ensure that you’re not recreating the wheel.

• Seek out the help of your accessibility department. These are experts who’ve had years invested in improving accessibility and ensuring equitable learning.
• Check in with the IT experts – they can let you know the scope and limitations of what can be achieved with the resources at hand.
• Take stock of what accessibility features have been currently implemented. Check with your institute’s guidelines on accessibility and best practices.
• Check with publishers, software companies and learning management systems – these organizations are at the cutting edge of education technology, and are suitably poised to bring in the next accessibility transformation.
• Looking for more resources? There’s a lot of information available online: Policy on Accessible Education for Students with Disabilities; Fostering Accessibility in Remote Learning: How to Level the Playing Field; Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act; Webinars   

• Closed Captioning or Transcripts for Videos: Don’t mistake this for subtitles – captions are meant to support people who are deaf or hard-of-hearing, thereby including music, background sounds, or non-verbal content in addition to all dialogue. With remote learning experiencing unprecedented growth, video has become an excellent way of sharing. Not only can instructors use it by recording their lectures or sharing links to relevant resources, but students can also use videos themselves to evaluate learning.

• Ensure all third-party video resources have a closed captioning feature available.
• Use software programs that allows you to add closed captions or provide a transcript for the material you create on your own. Make sure to use the same video software with closed captioning ability for student-created videos too.
• Video aggregator platforms such as YouTube© continuously keep working on improving their closed captioning. It gives creators easy edit capabilities of automatically generated captions, thereby saving tons of time.
• For in-class video presentations, double-check that the closed captioning is on and easy to see for students.

• Create Documents in Readable Forms: To ensure students with visual impairments are able to easily access materials, having all your documents – from your syllabus to your assessment – screen readable can really make the difference. Ways to improve readability: 

• Optimize content for learning management systems. Curating LMS-friendly content is an easy way to accommodate modern screen reader technologies.
• Use rich-text editors, such as Word© and Google Docs, since these formats are screen-reader friendly. The correct use of paragraphs and headers also helps improve reading access.
• Screen readers have certain specifications in comprehending texts. Overlooking these can create complications with keyboard navigation and screen readers. Some considerations being limiting your use of the space bar or line-break to create space. MS Word© has pre-made “Styles” in their toolbar that designate normal text, headings, titles, and more and these should be used.
• Be careful of your use of underlining text. Screen readers will sometimes confuse this as hyperlinked content, so other means should be used for emphasis if possible. It is also important to be aware of things that are not screen-reader friendly. PowerPoint© slides that are saved as .pdfs don’t work with screen readers.
• Many scanned items are not compatible. These will only be read as “image” and not convey the actual information. If you have images, make sure that there is alternate text that describes these. If you have a hard copy document, it may be time to re-create said document into a format that is more modern and accessible.

• Use Fonts that Aid Readability: When curating content that is accessible to learners with colour deficiencies, dyslexia or other processing issues, the selection of font type and size becomes critical. A couple of things to keeps in mind while picking a font:

• San serif fonts, such as Arial and Comic Sans, as letters can appear less crowded. This helps learners with processing differences.
• Use of colour with text should also be used with great caution. Extensive color along with text can prove difficult to pick for learners with colour vision deficiencies.
• Use contrasting colours to differentiate background and overlaying text. Using a dark coloured text on a light background has been considered best for readability.

• Be Ready for Change: Getting your course content accessibility-friendly is only the start. Strive for an environment that is built around equal learning opportunities for everyone. Keep a tab on all the discoveries in the field of education technology that can help you steer the change effectively. Listen to your student’s needs – they are the true source of truth. Be ready to go the extra mile to instil accessibility that goes beyond just your classrooms and becomes a hallmark of your institution. You’ll find that your efforts have been rewarded by scores of learners getting a fair shot at a bright future.