accessibility / UDL

Why Businesses Struggle with Web Accessibility (And How to Fix It) [boia.org]

On 10/19/2022, in accessibility / UDL, business, corporate / business world, marketing/social marketing, neurodivergent/special needs, web design and production, by Daniel Christian

Why Businesses Struggle with Web Accessibility (And How to Fix It) — from boia.org

Excerpt:

An accessible website means more traffic, better search engine optimization (SEO), reduced exposure to lawsuits, and better brand perception — but despite the benefits, most businesses fail to adopt the principles of accessible design.

In their 2022 report on the state of digital accessibility, WebAIM (Web Accessibility In Mind) found that 96.8% of the internet’s top 1 million homepages had detectable accessibility errors. That number was actually a slight improvement from previous years: WebAIM’s 2021 analysis found that 97.4% of websites had potential barriers for users with disabilities.

For businesses, those numbers should be a wakeup call. But despite growing awareness of digital accessibility, many organizations struggle to make concrete changes.

Below, we’ll explain the key factors that prevent businesses from taking the right approach — and provide some tips for overcoming those challenges.

2022 EDUCAUSE Horizon Action Plan: Hybrid Learning [educause.edu]

On 10/18/2022, in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, accessibility / UDL, adjunct faculty, Bias | Diversity Equity & Inclusion (DE&I), blended learning, business side of he, change, changing business models, collaboration, colleges, community colleges, credentialing, economics, education technology, experimentation, face-to-face, faculty, future of higher education, game-changing environment, generational differences, higher education, hybrid learning, instructional design, leadership, learning, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, learning preferences, learning spaces, liberal arts, more voice more choice more control, new business models, online learning, pace of change, political science, professional development, reinvent, society, strategy, student-related, teaching & learning, technology (general), traditional / tradition, United States, universities, user experience (UX), vision/possibilities, by Daniel Christian

2022 EDUCAUSE Horizon Action Plan: Hybrid Learning — from library.educause.edu

Excerpts:

Building on the trends, technologies, and practices described in the 2022 Horizon Report: Teaching and Learning Edition, the panel crafted its vision of the future along with practical action items the teaching and learning community can employ to make this future a reality. Any stakeholder in higher education who teaches in or supports hybrid learning modalities will find this report helpful in preparing for the future of hybrid learning. The future we want is within reach, but only if we work together.

Asked to describe the goals and elements of hybrid learning that they would like to see 10 years from now, panelists collaboratively constructed their preferred future for institutions, students, instructors, and staff.

Institutions

Higher education is available on demand.
Learning is not measured by seat time.
Collaboration across institutions facilitates advancement.
College and university campuses are not the sole locations for learning spaces.

Students, Instructors, and Staff

Everything is hybrid.
Student equity is centered in all modalities.
Professional development is ongoing, integrated, and valued.

“4 Tips for Choosing Accessible WordPress Plugins” + “Are Hamburger Menus Bad for Accessibility?” [boia.org]

On 10/16/2022, in accessibility / UDL, Bias | Diversity Equity & Inclusion (DE&I), blogs / blogging / vlogging, neurodivergent/special needs, web design and production, by Daniel Christian

4 Tips for Choosing Accessible WordPress Plugins — from boia.org

Excerpt:

WordPress plugins can change how your website operates — typically, that’s why you want to install them in the first place. If you need to add a form or a video player on your WordPress site, you’ll probably look for a plugin before attempting to code your own solution.

But unfortunately, some plugins can alter your content in unpredictable ways and create accessibility barriers. Needless to say, you’ll want to avoid those issues if possible. Fortunately, WordPress is a fairly accessibility-friendly platform — and by following a few simple tips, you can reach a wider audience.

Are Hamburger Menus Bad for Accessibility? — from boia.org

Excerpt:

In web design, a hamburger menu is a button — usually with three horizontal lines — that typically opens a navigation menu. The icon vaguely resembles a hamburger (or any other sandwich), hence the name.

Like many trends in web design, hamburger menus are controversial: They can cause accessibility issues, depending on their implementation, and they might obscure important navigational information. However, they’re extremely common — and while they pose a few potential issues for users with disabilities, sidebars can be accessible with appropriate markup.

Addendum on 10/18/22:

How Web Accessibility Can Benefit People with Dyslexia — from boia.org

Why text-to-speech tools might have a place in your classroom with Dr. Kirsten Kohlmeyer – Easy TeTech Podcast 183 — from classtechtips.com by Monica Burns

Excerpt:

In this episode, Assistive Technology Director, Dr. Kirsten Kohlmeyer, joins to discuss the power of accessibility and text-to-speech tools in classroom environments. You’ll also hear plenty of digital resources to check out for text-to-speech options, audiobooks, and more!

Assistive tools can provide:

Text-to-speech
Definitions/vocabularies
Ability to level the Lexile level of a reading
Capability to declutter a website
More chances to read to learn something new
and more

Speaking of tools, also see:

Best online tools for creating interactive maps for students and teachers — from educatorstechnology.com by Med Kharbach, PhD

Best Venn Diagram Makers for Non-designers — from educatorstechnology.com by Med Kharbach, PhD

Disabled Americans Reap Remote-Work Reward in Record Employment [Smith]

On 10/05/2022, in accessibility / UDL, Bias | Diversity Equity & Inclusion (DE&I), career development, health, neurodivergent/special needs, society, sociology, workplace, by Daniel Christian

Disabled Americans Reap Remote-Work Reward in Record Employment — from bloomberg.com by Molly Smith
Adults with disabilities have rarely been employed in such high numbers

Excerpt:

Anardi is part of the second-largest minority group in the US — adults with disabilities. The 42.5 million disabled Americans make up 13% of the civilian population, compared with the nearly 19% that is Hispanic and the almost 12% that’s African American, according to 2021 Census data released on Sept. 15. After suffering some of the worst job losses during the initial phase of the pandemic, people with disabilities are now benefiting from the remote-work trend it triggered. Advocates hope they will continue to reap such rewards, even as companies demand that employees return to the office.

4 Ways That Web Developers Can Learn More About Accessibility [boia.org]

On 09/30/2022, in accessibility / UDL, computer science, programming, web design and production, by Daniel Christian

4 Ways That Web Developers Can Learn More About Accessibility — from boia.org

Excerpt:

As a web developer, you know the importance of writing clean code — and limiting trouble tickets as much as possible, particularly in the first stages of product development.

An inclusive approach can help you meet those goals. When you consider the needs, preferences, and expectations of users with disabilities, you can serve your content to the broadest possible group of people. Accessible design can also reduce the time you spend on remediations and help you build components that work better for all users (including those who don’t live with disabilities).

By building your knowledge of digital accessibility, you can start enjoying the benefits. Here’s how to get started.

Instructional Audio: 4 Benefits to Improving It [Ofgang]

On 09/27/2022, in A/V -- audio/visual, accessibility / UDL, digital audio, education technology, K-12 related, learning spaces, smart classrooms, United States, vendors, web design and production, by Daniel Christian

Instructional Audio: 4 Benefits to Improving It — from techlearning.com by Erik Ofgang
Ensuring every classroom has instructional audio capabilities helps all students hear what the teacher is saying.

Excerpt (emphasis DSC):

Sound is a key component of education. If students can’t hear their instructor well, they’re clearly not going to focus or learn as much. That’s why more and more schools are investing in instructional audio systems, which are high-tech public address systems designed with classrooms, teachers, and all students in mind.

Terri Meier is director of education technology for Rio Rancho Public Schools in New Mexico where all new classrooms are being built with voice amplification systems in place and many existing classrooms are being retrofitted with similar systems. These systems are key for schools in their accessibility efforts and in providing quality instruction overall, she says.

And speaking of accessibility-related postings/items, also see:

4 Ways to Improve Your Web Accessibility Audits — from boia.org

ADA Accessibility Lawsuit Tracker: Final Numbers for August 2022

On 09/12/2022, in accessibility / UDL, Bias | Diversity Equity & Inclusion (DE&I), legislatures / government / legal, neurodivergent/special needs, by Daniel Christian

ADA Accessibility Lawsuit Tracker: Final Numbers for August 2022 — from info.usablenet.com

Also see:

Download our 2022 Mid-Year Report on Digital Accessibility Lawsuits — from info.usablenet.com
Our Digital Accessibility Report highlights the newest trends in digital accessibility lawsuits.

Four items regarding accessibility

On 08/21/2022, in accessibility / UDL, by Daniel Christian

DOJ Announces Title II Web Accessibility Regulations Are Coming: What’s It Mean? — from boia.org

Excerpt:

The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced at the end of July that it plans to amend Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) with new website accessibility regulations. The public may catch a glimpse into clarified standards in April 2023 if the DOJ publishes its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) according to the current timetable.

How does this impact entities covered by Title II and website accessibility more broadly? Let’s break it down.

After years of regulatory inaction — or more accurately, retraction from the previous administration — the calls for technical accessibility standards under the ADA may finally be answered for at least a subset of websites.

Why Do I Need Both Transcripts And Captions for Accessibility? — from boia.org

Excerpt:

You’re publishing a video, and you’ve already written a detailed transcript. Do you really need to add closed captions?

In short, yes. The goal of digital accessibility is to provide the best possible experience for as many users as possible — not to accommodate a single group of people with disabilities.

Best practices for structuring and designing accessible e-mails — from blog.usablenet.com

Excerpt:

We’ve heard that crafting the right e-mail means sending the right message to the right person at the right time, but what if the e-mail is inaccessible to the user? We have broken down the best accessibility practices into 2 categories, e-mail structure and e-mail design, to help you create emails that all users will enjoy.

Subheadings and Accessibility: What is a “Visual Heading?” — from boia.org

Excerpt:

Accurate subheadings make your content much more useful for everyone — but when you’re creating your website, you’ll need to make sure that your headings are both visual and programmatically determinable.

Fortunately, that’s not as complicated as you might think. A visual heading is exactly what it sounds like: A subheading that can be identified through visual presentation alone. Subheadings are programmatically determinable when software (such as web browsers and screen readers) can identify them.

Below, we’ll discuss how to create subheadings that fulfill the requirements of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), the international standards for digital accessibility.

In Fight Against Ableism, Disabled Students Build Centers of Their Own [Lu]

On 07/19/2022, in accessibility / UDL, Bias | Diversity Equity & Inclusion (DE&I), collaboration, colleges, communities of practice, community colleges, higher education, leadership, learning ecosystem, learning hubs & pods & microschooling, learning spaces, neurodivergent/special needs, relationships, social learning / networks, student-related, United States, universities, vision/possibilities, by Daniel Christian

In Fight Against Ableism, Disabled Students Build Centers of Their Own — from chronicle.com by Adrienne Lu

Excerpt:

Thanks to student advocates, including Sullivan and Lockwood, the university recently became the latest in a growing number with disability cultural centers, which aim to shine light on the perspectives and experiences of disabled people, foster a sense of community, and promote activism and disability justice. Altogether, at least 12 disability cultural centers now exist nationwide; in addition, students are working to create new centers on about a dozen other campuses.

7 Surprising Ways ADHD Shows Up in the Classroom [Bertin, Holden Johns, Kuhl]

On 07/18/2022, in accessibility / UDL, attention, Bias | Diversity Equity & Inclusion (DE&I), K-12 related, neurodivergent/special needs, parents/guardians, pedagogy, productivity / tips and tricks, student-related, teachers, teaching & learning, by Daniel Christian

7 Surprising Ways ADHD Shows Up in the Classroom — from additudemag.com by Mark Bertin, M.D., Beverley Holden Johns, Kathy Kuhl
ADHD in the classroom is easy to mistake for carelessness, defiance, laziness, or a learning difference. Here are the 7 ADD symptoms that educators seldom recognize at school — and solutions for each.

Excerpt:

ADHD sometimes manifests in obvious ways — like when a second grader blurts out an answer (again) or when a high school student forgets her completed assignment at home (again). Just as often, though, signs of ADHD in the classroom are more subtle and easily overlooked because they don’t align with stereotypes. Here are seven less-recognized ways ADHD symptoms show up at school, and productive ways to address each one.

Also relevant/see:

Elli: A Day in the Life of a Kid with ADHD — from publishing.cast.org

Optimizing Your Website for Screen Readers and Other Accessibility Tools

On 07/14/2022, in accessibility / UDL, Bias | Diversity Equity & Inclusion (DE&I), neurodivergent/special needs, productivity / tips and tricks, web design and production, by Daniel Christian

Optimizing Your Website for Screen Readers and Other Accessibility Tools — from hongkiat.com by Jori Hamilton

Excerpt:

But what is web accessibility, and how, exactly, can you prioritize this on your website?

In this article, we’ll take a closer look at what web accessibility means and tips for how to design a website that is more accessible to all users.

Best Sites and Apps for Digital Storytelling — from techlearning.com by Diana Restifo
Digital storytelling can help boost communication and presentation skills

Excerpt:

…storytelling is a great way for kids to learn to love reading and writing. But almost any school subject can be considered through a dramatic frame, from history to geography to science. Even math can be taught through narrative (word problems, anyone?). Most importantly, storytelling gives kids the opportunity to be inventive with language, graphics, and design, and to share their creations with others.

The following sites and apps for storytelling range from basic to advanced. Many are designed for educators or include guides for use in education. And while most are paid products, the prices are generally reasonable and nearly every platform offers a free trial or free basic account.

6 best classroom noise meters for teachers — from educatorstechnology.com by Med Kharbach

Excerpt:

One of the effective ways to monitor and reduce noise levels in classrooms is by making noise visible. Enabling students to visualize their noise raises awareness to their sound levels and makes them noise conscious. There are several noise meter tools and apps to use in your classroom to bring down students noise and therefore help in creating optimal learning experiences. Below is a collection of some of the best noise meters for classroom use. They are simple, easy to use, and cost-effective.

Digital age classroom projects — from thetechedvocate.org by Matthew Lynch

Excerpt:

Classroom learning today has left the era of flipping through textbooks trying to be on the same page with the teacher, though not for every class lesson. Educators today are seizing the opportunities of digital devices and media to expand learning opportunities beyond pencil and paper homework. Also, assessment is not just a multiple-choice test.

Consider trying one of these projects:

The Education of Incarcerated Youth with Disabilities Ep.14 — from edcircuit.com

Excerpt:

The School Justice Project (SJP) champions an extremely vulnerable population: incarcerated youth with disabilities. The SJP’s mission is to ensure every learner, in or out of prison facilities, receives the education they were promised and deserve. Their current class action lawsuit against the DC prison system underscores the impact of their efforts. Featured guest, Claire Blumenson, pulls no punches as she forces us to look, and not to look away, in this pivotal moment.

Newsela — from newsela.com

We are educators, parents, siblings, and friends who aren’t satisfied with the quality of the content our students are exposed to. We know they deserve better, and are committed to bringing authentic, engaging, diverse and accessible content to all learners.

Business Leaders Say Computer Science Needs to Be A Core Subject — from edsurge.com by Daniel Mollenkamp

Excerpt:

[On July 12], a collection of more than 500 prominent business, education and nonprofit leaders called on states to update their K-12 curriculum to make computer science a core subject.

In a letter sent to governors from all fifty states, they write, “computer science provides an essential foundation—not only for careers in technology, but for every career in today’s world,” and call upon state leaders to update curriculum to ensure that all students have an opportunity to learn computer science in school.

What is Microsoft Sway and How Can it Be Used to Teach? Tips & Tricks — from techlearning.com by Luke Edwards
Microsoft Sway is a presentation tool that works really well for teaching

Excerpt:

Microsoft Sway is the company’s alternative to PowerPoint as a presentation tool that embraces collaborative working. As such, this is a powerful system for teachers and students to use in the classroom and beyond.

The idea behind Sway is to offer a super simple setup that allows anybody to create presentation slideshows. This makes it good for both younger students and teachers for in-class or online-based presenting.

For a somewhat related item, see:

[Teacher Tips] The Pros and Cons of Popular Instructional Strategies — from blog.edmentum.com

Exploring some different instructional strategies and discovering how to incorporate them into the classroom process can rekindle a love affair with teaching. Finding the right instructional strategy to fit your classroom can make a world of difference to your students by allowing them to make meaningful connections with what they are learning. Take a look at a few different strategies, and see which one might suit your students this academic year.

GAO: Accommodations pose challenges to testing companies, test-takers

On 07/11/2022, in accessibility / UDL, assessment, assistive technologies, Bias | Diversity Equity & Inclusion (DE&I), education, education technology, higher education, K-12 related, neurodivergent/special needs, society, student-related, United States, universities, vendors, youth, by Daniel Christian

GAO: Accommodations pose challenges to testing companies, test-takers — from k12dive.com by Kara Arundel
The pandemic made it more difficult to provide accommodations for higher ed admission tests, educational testing companies told the government agency.

Excerpt:

Individuals with disabilities and testing companies that administer assessments for higher education admission report challenges regarding testing accommodations, ranging from problems in providing documentation to concerns about maintaining test integrity, according to research by the Government Accountability Office.

Some individuals had difficulty providing adequate documentation to justify their accommodations, according to representatives from six disability advocacy organizations. Officials from five testing companies described hardships in reviewing and granting accommodation requests.

‘Accessibility is a journey’: A DEI expert on disability rights [Colvin]

On 07/09/2022, in accessibility / UDL, Bias | Diversity Equity & Inclusion (DE&I), digital learning, education, education technology, faculty, higher education, human-computer interaction (HCI), instructional design, IT in HE, K-12 related, law schools, Learning Experience Design, learning hubs & pods & microschooling, learning spaces, legislatures / government / legal, neurodivergent/special needs, online learning, parents/guardians, productivity / tips and tricks, professional development, smart classrooms, teaching & learning, teaching online, training / L&D, United States, universities, user experience (UX), user interface design, vendors, by Daniel Christian

‘Accessibility is a journey’: A DEI expert on disability rights — from hrdive.com by Caroline Colvin
Employers can wait for a worker to request reasonable accommodation under the ADA, but Kelly Hermann asks: Why not be accommodating from the start?

Excerpt:

Often, employers jump to the obstacles that exist in physical spaces: nonexistent ramps for wheelchairs, manual doors that lack motion sensors, and the like. But the digital world presents challenges as well. Hermann and the U Phoenix accessibility team likes to “demystify” disability for campus members seeking their counsel, she said.

“Are you making those links descriptive and are you using keywords? Or are you just saying ‘click here’ and that’s your link?” Hermann asked. Like a sighted person, an individual with a disability can also scan a webpage for links with assistive technology, but this happens audibly, Hermann said, “They tell that tool to skip by link and this is what they hear: ‘Click here.’ ‘Click here.’ ‘Click here.’ ‘Click here.’ With four links on the page all hyperlinked with ‘click here,’ [they] don’t know where [they’re] going.”

Learning Ecosystems

Why Businesses Struggle with Web Accessibility (And How to Fix It) [boia.org]

“4 Tips for Choosing Accessible WordPress Plugins” + “Are Hamburger Menus Bad for Accessibility?” [boia.org]

Disabled Americans Reap Remote-Work Reward in Record Employment [Smith]

4 Ways That Web Developers Can Learn More About Accessibility [boia.org]

ADA Accessibility Lawsuit Tracker: Final Numbers for August 2022

Four items regarding accessibility

Optimizing Your Website for Screen Readers and Other Accessibility Tools

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