Assistive Technology

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Roblyer and Hughes tell us that “it is necessary to ensure that all learning resources are accessible to all learners” (Roblyer & Hughes, 2019, p. 277). All means all. Being proactive in planning and practice can help make implementing accessible practices the norm rather than a reaction. While some accessibility features are necessary and required for some, having them available for all can benefit all.
For example, our learning management system has Immersive Reader built in to many of it’s features. This allows students to personal how they access the text: it allows them to change the size, spacing, and color of the text in addition to reading the text to students. I make sure that there are accessible instructions on how to use this feature in all of my courses. Another piece that I am incorporating more and more is adding captions to all of my videos. This supports are deaf and hard-of-hearing students as well as those who prefer to read than watch. More and more resources are including this as a norm of practice. PowerPoint and Google slides, for example include automatic subtitles when presenting. Microsoft, Google, and even our learning management system include options for students to dictate their responses and even sometimes add video responses to their files.
As I move forward in working with accessible features, I have begun to see the importance of pieces I might have previously ignored. Including ALT text with images, for instance, I might have previously ignored not understanding how important it is for screen readers. Font choice, color, and size are also important considerations; just because the font is cute or fun does not make it accessible for all learners (Roblyer & Hughes, 2019, p. 295).
I feel there is a lot more to learn and put into practice. I am thankful for the advances in technology that makes some of this easier to apply. I am also hoping that those advances make creating accessible learning easier for all.

References
Roblyer, M. D., & Hughes, J. E. (2019). Integrating educational technology into teaching: Transforming learning across disciplines (8th ed.). Pearson Education, Inc.