accessibility / UDL

Universal Dyslexia Screening: What You Need to Know [Ofgang]

On 02/27/2022, in accessibility / UDL, neurodivergent/special needs, reading, writing, by Daniel Christian

Universal Dyslexia Screening: What You Need to Know — from techlearning.com by Erik Ofgang
Universal dyslexia screening can help school districts identify students who are at risk and provide additional support, even though it is not required in every state.

Excerpt:

Dyslexia affects approximately 20 percent of the population and accounts for 80 to 90 percent of learning disabilities, according to the Yale Center for Dyslexia & Creativity. Early recognition of the risk for dyslexia and other word-level disabilities through universal screening in kindergarten, and then providing those students with intensive intervention, is a key early literacy strategy, says the National Center on Improving Literacy in a white paper.

What Do We Mean by Accessibility, Inclusion & Belonging? [Howard]

On 02/27/2022, in accessibility / UDL, assistive technologies, Bias | Diversity Equity & Inclusion (DE&I), collaboration, communities of practice, Emotion, neurodivergent/special needs, participation, by Daniel Christian

What Do We Mean by Accessibility, Inclusion & Belonging? — from inclusionhub.com by Jeffrey Howard
Accessibility, also referred to as a11y, is about ensuring systems are designed so everyone can fully participate in public or professional life, while inclusion means everyone has the resources and opportunities they need to realize that. Belonging goes one step further, fostering a culture where everyone feels accepted and supported.

Excerpts:

In this spirit, “a11y” has become a globally recognized rallying cry for greater accessibility—the 11 referring to the software engineering convention of shortening long words to the number of letters they use. A11y has transformed into a symbol for increased accessibility, inclusion, and belonging.

So, if accessibility ensures everybody has the means or tools to reach the table, and inclusion guarantees a seat and relevant opportunities, belonging encourages an emotionally and socially supportive space where each person feels welcome and valued.

It’s easy to tell the difference between when you feel merely tolerated and when you belong.

Telehealth…then telelegal.

On 02/26/2022, in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, A/V -- audio/visual, Access to Justice (A2J), accessibility / UDL, assistive technologies, Bias | Diversity Equity & Inclusion (DE&I), colleges, communications, community colleges, experimentation, future, health, higher education, ideas, IT in HE, K-12 related, Legal operations, legal reform, legal technologies, legislatures / government / legal, more voice more choice more control, multimedia, new business models, participation, platforms, productivity / tips and tricks, society, student-related, surviving, technologies for your home, telelegal, telemedicine / telehealth / virtual health, telepresence, tools, trends, United States, universities, user experience (UX), vendors, videoconferencing, vision/possibilities, web-based collaboration, youth, by Daniel Christian

The doctor is in—the video call — from mckinsey.com

Excerpt:

More patients than ever were willing to try virtual health services after COVID-19 emerged. Last year, the use of telehealth care was 38 times higher than prepandemic levels, as appointments such as follow-ups could easily be delivered remotely. A recent McKinsey survey shows that up to $265 billion in Medicare spending could shift to patients’ homes by 2025, with greater physician participation in the transition from telehealth to at-home care.

From facility to home: How healthcare could shift by 2025 — from mckinsey.com by Oleg Bestsennyy, Michelle Chmielewski, Anne Koffel, and Amit Shah

Also see the other charts via their daily chart feature:

Using Telehealth to Expand Student Access to Care — from techlearning.com by Erik Ofgang
Renee Kotsopoulo, director of health services for the Garland ISD in Texas, helped bring telehealth to her students and believes technology can help keep kids healthy and in school.

Can Teletherapy Companies Ease the Campus Mental-Health Crisis? — from chronicle.com by Kate Hidalgo Bellows

From DSC:
Telehealth has been booming during the pandemic. I think telelegal will ride on the coattails of telehealth.

A Voice For Virtual Reality: The Advocate’s Role | Accessibility VR Meetup Recap [Heather Bucalos]

On 02/19/2022, in 24x7x365 access, accessibility / UDL, health, Virtual Reality (VR) / worlds / learning, XR - extended reality, by Daniel Christian

A Voice For Virtual Reality: The Advocate’s Role | Accessibility VR Meetup Recap — from equalentry.com by Heather Bucalos

Excerpt:

The discomfort she experienced during cancer treatment led her on a search for better relief of common cancer treatment side effects. The idea to use VR during her own treatment proved beneficial for her as she is now a fierce advocate of VR in healthcare. She has pivoted to consulting in the VR for healthcare space and is excited about the way virtual reality is changing lives one headset at a time.

Here are some of the highlights from this presentation:

Do I Need to Write Podcast Transcripts for Accessibility? [boia.org]

On 01/27/2022, in accessibility / UDL, podcasting, RSS, by Daniel Christian

Do I Need to Write Podcast Transcripts for Accessibility? — from boia.org

Put simply, if you’re planning on hosting podcasts on your website, you should also provide transcripts. Below, we’ll explain why text alternatives for audio-only content are helpful — and provide some best practices for creating and publishing.

Other tips to keep in mind:

Transcripts should include descriptions of significant sounds that might help readers understand your content. For example, if your podcast contains sound effects or musical cues that affect the context, include them in your text.
Some people might search for the word “transcript” right away, so clearly label your scripts on your website to help users find them.
Provide links to your transcripts in the RSS feed that delivers your podcast. Include the links when promoting your show on social media.
For longer podcast transcripts, consider adding subheadings and semantic HTML markup to make your content more readable.
If your podcast pages include a media player, make sure the player’s controls are accessible. Users should be able to start and stop playback with a keyboard alone. For more guidance, read the W3C’s recommendations for media players.

Can A New Online Learning Platform Improve Employment For Those With Visual Impairment? [Mollenkamp]

On 01/19/2022, in accessibility / UDL, assistive technologies, Bias | Diversity Equity & Inclusion (DE&I), business, career development, content development, aggregation, repositories, corporate / business world, corporate universities / corporate training, education technology, elearning, neurodivergent/special needs, online learning, platforms, training / L&D, workplace, by Daniel Christian

Can A New Online Learning Platform Improve Employment For Those With Visual Impairment? — from edsurge.com by Daniel Mollenkamp

Excerpt:

A workplace technology report from the American Foundation for the Blind, published this month, notes that many people who are blind, have low vision or are deafblind say that they experience difficulties with accessibility for workplace training.

According to researchers from the foundation, the participants in the study described problems with online trainings that were incompatible with screen-reading software or visual adjustments like changing the font size, with quizzes that didn’t work with a keyboard and with educational images and videos that weren’t verbally described.

Many of the participants say they needed to get help from a manager or coworker to complete mandatory training, the report notes, causing delays and feelings of exclusion.

Lawsuit Addressing Failures to Provide Course Materials to College Students with Disabilities May Head to Supreme Court [Wester]

On 01/10/2022, in accessibility / UDL, law schools, learning, Learning Experience Design, legislatures / government / legal, liberal arts, neurodivergent/special needs, online learning, United States, universities, by Daniel Christian

Lawsuit Addressing Failures to Provide Course Materials to College Students with Disabilities May Head to Supreme Court — from accessibility.com by Daphne Wester

Excerpt:

Students with vision disabilities found themselves unable to participate in coursework in the Los Angeles Community College district when, as a rule of practice, necessary course materials like textbooks and syllabi were not provided in Braille or audio formats. Students, along with disability rights organizations, subsequently filed suit against one of the largest community college districts in the country in 2017, and in 2019 the case was decided in favor of the plaintiffs.

What’s new on the WCAG 3.0 working draft? (December 2021)

On 01/07/2022, in accessibility / UDL, Bias | Diversity Equity & Inclusion (DE&I), neurodivergent/special needs, web design and production, by Daniel Christian

What’s new on the WCAG 3.0 working draft? (December 2021) — from uxdesign.cc by Daniel Berryhill
AGWG just released a new Working Draft for WCAG 3.0. Let’s see what’s new.

Excerpt:

While the Accessibility Guidelines Working Group (AGWG) is still working on getting WCAG 2.2 finalized, they are also working on the upcoming WCAG 3.0 standards.

[On December 7th, 2021], they released a new Working Draft of WCAG 3.0. We’ll go over the changes made from the previous Working Draft that came out in June 2021.

28 Website Accessibility Terms to Know in 2022 [Juviler]

On 12/29/2021, in accessibility / UDL, assistive technologies, business, colleges, communications, communities of practice, community colleges, content development, aggregation, repositories, corporate universities / corporate training, digital audio, digital learning, digital video, higher education, instructional design, K-12 related, law schools, legislatures / government / legal, Metaverse, MOOCs -- Massive Open Online Courses, multimedia, neurodivergent/special needs, online learning, online media, online tutoring, society, student-related, teaching & learning, United States, universities, usability, user experience (UX), vendors, web design and production, web-based collaboration, by Daniel Christian

28 Website Accessibility Terms to Know in 2022 — from blog.hubspot.com by Jamie Juviler

Excerpt:

No matter the type of website you run or the industry that you’re in, prioritizing web accessibility is key to your success.
…
To ensure your website meets today’s standards for web accessibility, you’ll first need to understand the terminology. Accessibility is a big, dense area with a lot of jargon, acronyms, and codes — enough to steer a new website owner away from the topic altogether.

That’s why we’ve put together this glossary of 28 essential web accessibility terms any website owners should be aware of. By knowing the language, you’ll find it much easier to adopt accessibility principles on your own site and better serve visitors with disabilities.

Addendum on 12/31/21:

Accessibility awareness is on the rise, but is it turning into action? — from techcrunch.com by Joe Devon

Excerpts:

A Harris Poll reveals that more than half of American adults increased their online activities because of the pandemic. That number grows to 60% for people with disabilities.

The increase in online activities does not mean that everyone is able to achieve their goals. So, what kind of impact is the crisis having on accessibility? Are organizations finally getting the message on the importance of accessibility?
…

With that, here are the key results from the Alexa top 100 website testing:

- Out of the websites tested, 62% were accessible to screen readers, up from 40% in 2020.
- Every single page passed for having the valid document “lang” attribute.
- Only 11% of websites tested had errors in input field labels.
- The most common error was the use of ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications specification)
- The second most common error was color contrast.

From DSC:
That last article linked to:

The 2021 State of Accessibility Report (SOAR) report

Guide to Trade School For People with Disabilities [primeweld.com]

On 12/21/2021, in accessibility / UDL, career development, neurodivergent/special needs, society, workplace, by Daniel Christian

Guide to Trade School For People with Disabilities — from primeweld.com, with thanks to Sarah Breckon for this resource.

Per Sarah:

The guide includes advice on what people with disabilities should look for in a trade school, common challenges they may face, where to find additional resources, as well as career options in the trades available to people depending on their disability.

Excerpt:

Professionally successful people living with a disability sometimes credit their impairment for boosting their career prospects, because it taught them perseverance and commitment. Others believe that their physical or cognitive differences in certain areas have led them to develop stronger abilities in others.

Choosing a trade school is an opportunity to assess one’s traits and capabilities, and find the right career for applying them.

Jump to a section:

2021 Resource Recap from Quality Matters

On 12/17/2021, in accessibility / UDL, assessment, higher education, instructional design, interaction design, interactivity, law schools, learning, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, multimedia, online learning, quality, United States, universities, usability, user experience (UX), vendors, by Daniel Christian

Quality Matters > Higher Education News > December 2021

Throughout the year, we — along with members of our amazing community — share resources to help all of us deliver on our online promise. Here are some of the most popular items from 2021 for you to use and share:

QM Bridge to Quality Course Design Guide — printable PDF version
Accessibility and Usability Resource Site
QM Self-Review Tool
Video: Redesigning Assessments for Interaction & Engagement
QM-Hosted Research Webinar Recordings
QM Success Stories (members only), including “Walking in Someone Else’s Shoes: The True Impact of Digital Accessibility“
Dr. Steven Crawford’s series on multimedia use in online learning — start with “Designing Multimedia Presentations for Your Course”

Following the WCAG for learning disabilities can make your content more accessible to the millions of individuals with dyslexia, dyscalculia, and other conditions

On 12/01/2021, in accessibility / UDL, assistive technologies, content development, aggregation, repositories, corporate universities / corporate training, digital learning, elearning, instructional design, learning, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, neurodivergent/special needs, by Daniel Christian

Understanding the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) for Learning Disabilities — from inclusionhub.com by Meredith Kreisa
Following the WCAG for learning disabilities can make your content more accessible to the millions of individuals with dyslexia, dyscalculia, and other conditions

Excerpt:

Advancements in digital technology have made disseminating information to the masses quick and easy. Unfortunately, your audience might not be as big as you think. For millions of people with learning disabilities, some content may be prohibitively challenging to read. This effectively renders information that many take for granted inaccessible to others.

Luckily, by using simple, common-sense methods, your content can be more approachable for those with learning and other types of disabilities. The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) maintains Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) to provide guidance on supportive techniques.

How Does WCAG Apply to Learning Disabilities?
While cognitive and learning disabilities are distinct conditions, they can lead to similar accessibility issues. Therefore, WCAG groups them together. WCAG’s cognitive and learning disability guidelines fall into eight main objectives:

All you need to know about Microsoft Immersive Reader [Khan]

On 11/24/2021, in 24x7x365 access, accessibility / UDL, adjunct faculty, assistive technologies, Canvas - and other Instructure-related items, CMS/LMS, colleges, communications, communities of practice, community colleges, content development, aggregation, repositories, digital audio, digital learning, education technology, faculty, higher education, homeschooling/homeschoolers, human-computer interaction (HCI), instructional design, IT in HE, K-12 related, law schools, learning, learning ecosystem, Microsoft, multimedia, Natural Language Processing (NLP), neurodivergent/special needs, online learning, online media, personalized/customized learning, platforms, productivity / tips and tricks, professional development, reading, remote teaching and learning, student teaching/teacher education, student-related, teachers, teaching & learning, vendors, voice recognition / voice enabled interfaces, writing, by Daniel Christian

All you need to know about Microsoft Immersive Reader — from edtechreview.in by Saniya Khan

Excerpt:

Microsoft Immersive Reader is a highly interactive reading tool specifically designed to help students improve their reading, understanding and grammar skills. It also makes the texts more accessible to students of all levels.

Supporting Student Accessibility: Digital Equity | Special Needs & More [Tech & Learning]

On 11/09/2021, in accessibility / UDL, Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning / Deep Learning / Algorithms, Bias | Diversity Equity & Inclusion (DE&I), bots, digital learning, digital textbooks, distance education, e-books, e-publishing related items (EPUB and more), e-readers, education, education technology, ethics, experimentation, face-to-face, funding / grants, ideas, innovation, instructional design, K-12 related, languages and translation, learning, learning ecosystem, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, neurodivergent/special needs, remote teaching and learning, student-related, teachers, teaching & learning, teaching online, United States, vendors, by Daniel Christian

Supporting Student Accessibility: Digital Equity | Special Needs & More — from Tech & Learning | November 2021

Learning Ecosystems

Universal Dyslexia Screening: What You Need to Know [Ofgang]

What Do We Mean by Accessibility, Inclusion & Belonging? [Howard]

A Voice For Virtual Reality: The Advocate’s Role | Accessibility VR Meetup Recap [Heather Bucalos]

Do I Need to Write Podcast Transcripts for Accessibility? [boia.org]

Can A New Online Learning Platform Improve Employment For Those With Visual Impairment? [Mollenkamp]

Lawsuit Addressing Failures to Provide Course Materials to College Students with Disabilities May Head to Supreme Court [Wester]

What’s new on the WCAG 3.0 working draft? (December 2021)

Guide to Trade School For People with Disabilities [primeweld.com]

2021 Resource Recap from Quality Matters

Following the WCAG for learning disabilities can make your content more accessible to the millions of individuals with dyslexia, dyscalculia, and other conditions

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