This week we had the opportunity to listen to Tracy Humphries, a guest speaker from BCEdAccess, give a talk on accessibility in education and learning design. Making learning accessible for all different kinds of learners with different needs and abilities is a critical aspect of careers in education. Unless students feel safe and supported in a learning environment, they will not engage in authentic learning. Unfortunately, this has been the case for many learners.
Accessibility in education is also continually evolving as resources improve and awareness increases, and still it is not perfect for students who require adaptations to make learning accessible. Technology opens up a variety of ways to modify education for all different types of abilities and make it accessible in ways it never has been before. With the use and development of technology in education, we can make learning a lot more accessible, with greater ease, for more students with a variety of unique needs and abilities.
One thing Tracy talked about that really resonated with me is the reality that accessibility comes in a huge range, from being very visible to minute adjustments. It really emphasized for me, that no matter how minimal or small it might seem, making something more accessible will benefit learners to different degrees It seems that in common discourse, accessibility generally concerns large-scale things, such as ramps for physical accessibility or expensive technology. These larger tools for accessibility might be prioritized or emphasized because they are more visible, but the smaller, less visible things are also an important part of creating an accessible learning experience.
As a future teacher, I hope to incorporate technologies that support all of my learners and can be easily used to ensure that each student feels included and can participate. During my Link2practice experience, one of the students had a digital copy of the book he was doing a novel study on and he was able to read it on his Chromebook. The Chromebook made reading and participating in the novel study more accessible for the student because he could listen to the audio version while following the highlighted text on the screen. He was also able to easily take notes of important sections and save them for later use in the novel study. This student has an IEP and he was working with another student who didn’t have an official IEP but still required extra support. The technology given to the student with an IEP also benefited his peer . I think this goes to show how when accessibility tools are given to some students, these tools and strategies can really benefit learners beyond that one individual.
Inclusive education seeks to address the learning needs of all children, with a specific focus on those who are vulnerable to marginalization and exclusion. The goal is to promote opportunities for all children to participate and be treated equally.
Andie Fong Toy
