Small and Pragmatic Steps to Support Accessibility Online
I found Universal Design for Learning (UDL) by accident. I was a novice teacher working with students who faced massive barriers — disability, language, economic precarity, technology access, racism, colonialism, and discrimination as a result of their gender and/or sexuality to name a few — that impacted their learning. My search for tools to support them led me to UDL. When I found Universal Design, I was pleased to discover that it felt intuitive; I was doing a lot of it already, and it seemed practical and thoughtful. I love that it emphasizes compassion and access, recognizes different ways of knowing as valid, and acknowledges that all learners should be provided with options and supports, regardless of an official mandate or disability diagnosis.
But I also found myself frustrated. What I wanted was pragmatic examples, guides, and tools, and I found them few and far between. The theory made it sound simple: “provide multiple options for assignments,” “offer information in different ways,” “create clear guidelines,” “allow flexibility,” “reduce barriers,” but I often struggled with putting these ideas into practice. Ok, but have any of these people actually tried to provide both an essay and presentation option for 120 students in four different sections before? I would mutter to myself as I worked into the night to craft assignments, rubrics, and class schedules that somehow provided a clear structure and flexibility, gave me the space to provide ample feedback to each individual, and fit within a tight 13 week semester. How am I supposed to know if this PDF is accessible? How do I put captions on a video? How many forms of representation do I need to craft each week? How can I ensure grading for flexible assignments is fair? What do I do? What do I do? What do I do? And, how the #&*$ do I do it?
Over the last decade it has become easier. I’ve learned a lot, and, thanks to some great resources and terrific mentors, I’ve developed a solid assortment of assignments, rubrics, resources, and practices that have helped make my classes more accessible. While I remain a huge fan of Universal Design, I can safely say it is by no means magic – it’s a messy process of doing what you can. I’m constantly learning, and I regularly come across new challenges. That is especially true right now as I find myself suddenly teaching online in the midst of environmental crisis, social unrest, and a pandemic. There are barriers everywhere, and it feels like new ones arise every day.
One thing is for sure: our students are facing immense challenges and traumas right now, and so are we. Universal Design is more needed than ever because access and support matter more than ever. However, tackling questions of accessibility might feel like just one more exhausting, complicated, impossible thing to do at a time when we are all already beyond capacity. Thankfully, you don’t have to do it all at once. UDL is not all or nothing, and little steps can make a huge difference — especially right now.
If you want to talk about course designs, assignments, and rubrics, know that Seanna and I are here to collaborate and problem solve — I’ve found this work to be much easier and more fulfilling when done in community. In the meantime, here are 3 simple, pragmatic things you can do to promote accessibility while we teach during these extraordinary times. A few UDL practices and tools go a long way!
Use the Rule of Two
I often use the “Rule of Two” and try to offer important information (such as lecture materials and assignments) in at least two mediums (textual, visual, audio etc). Examples might include providing a voice over PowerPoint lecture to outline key concepts or producing a quick Kaltura video to accompany an assignment sheet. The goal is to give students at least two ways “in” to the material just in case one of the ways is difficult for them to access. Can’t read the assignment sheet on your phone? No problem — you can listen to it!
The rule of 2 is especially important given the immense technological challenges of pandemic teaching and it’s one of the things my students always provide positive feedback on.
Make Use of Accessibility Functions
A lot of software, platforms, and programs have accessibility functions to help guide you. Use them! In this 2 minute video, I show you how to use:
- Microsoft/PowerPoint accessibility checker
- Moodle’s Accessibility Checker
- Moodle’s picture descriptions
- Kaltura’s captioning system
Clicking a few extra buttons and following the steps outlined only adds 1-5 minutes of work, and it makes a big difference for students.
Offer Students Resources
You can help students address their own accessibility needs by highlighting tools and resources. In addition to campus resources and external supports, I like to provide students with details about software, platforms, functions, and apps that can help them with challenges they may be facing. You can copy and paste these lists to Moodle, or just upload them as a PDF or Word Document.
Does the idea of putting together a list of resources feel overwhelming? I completely understand. Feel free to use my templates to start off. Here’s one on Support Services and here is one about Technologies that Can Help.
In our current context, I think it’s important to make pragmatic shifts to do what we can, where we can. Universal Design offers a flexible framework that can be an excellent starting point.
Jennifer Hardwick
Jen is passionate about ensuring access and supports for learners who face barriers. She has spent the last 15 years teaching diverse students in large lecture halls, small seminars, academic bridging programs, Writing/Learning Centres, online environments, and co-curricular and community programs She loves to problem solve and work collaboratively, and is keen to provide resources and supports to faculty as they adopt and practice Universal Design for Learning (UDL). She also welcomes conversations and consultations about intersecting fields such critical, digital, open, and decolonial pedagogies.
