This handout helps writers create accessible Word and PDF documents with an emphasis on visibility, audibility, and mobility.

Creating Accessible Websites

Illustration of website icons surrounding a computer monitor
Creating a website is not as difficult as it used to be. Today, most websites are created by entering information into a form, not by writing lines of code. A number of publishing systems are available for creating a website or a blog, and many of them have options for making the content accessible.

Through the individualisation and adaptation of learning materials enabled by open education practices and the flexibility of digital resources, excluded or struggling learners can be included, to the benefit of all learners. This Commonwealth of Learning Knowledge Series paper introduces the dimensions of inclusive design as it applies to learning and focuses on the design of diverse learning experiences to help optimise learning opportunities for all learners.

As educators, it's imperative to ensure that all students have equal opportunities to demonstrate their knowledge and skills, including those with visual disabilities such as blindness and low vision. Creating accessible examinations and assignments is essential to support these students in showcasing their capabilities effectively. To assist such students in navigating assessments, given below is some guidance for teachers.

This resource is to educate others on the importance of cultural competence in special education and the lack of cultural awareness that is currently in special education classrooms. It includes history of special education and the laws surrounding it, the importance of cultural awareness and competence, what the current system is doing and why it does not work and what the future will hopefully look like for culture in special education.

This resource from the Washington Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Youth  provides guiding questions and resources to help student reach their full potential as they work towards their post high school and transition goals.

This page provides information about opportunities in the United States for teachers and related service providers to learn about deaf-blindness and instructional practices for children and youth who are deaf-blind. Available opportunities come in a variety of forms—online courses, webinars, and self-study modules. These are organized topically below. Some have opportunities to obtain CEUs or credits. Please note that NCDB does not host modules or offer CEUs or credits, so be sure to contact the relevant sponsoring agencies for more information.

An explanation of what it means to say educational materials are "accessible" and why accessibility is important.

An introduction to the four POUR principles that make for a more accessible experience in learning materials.

Practical tips for implementing the four principles of accessibility that are the foundation for the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.

Who Needs AEM?
If a student is...

unable to read or use grade level materials at a sufficient rate and with adequate comprehension to complete academic tasks with success relative to same-age peers or
cannot do this independently or across environments or tasks,
then the student may need AEM. For example, students with visual impairments may not be able to see a textbook, students with physical disabilities may not be able to turn a page, and students with learning disabilities whose decoding abilities are significantly below grade level may require support - all these students may require AEM.

Contact the AT & AEM Center to discuss your student's need

Are we teaching what we think we are teaching?""Are students learning what they are supposed to be learning?""Is there a way to teach the subject better, therefore promoting better learning?"In problem based learning, assessment needs to not only reflect the learning process but the content being learned as well.This online learning module will explore the following learning targets: •Identify how formative and summative classroom assessments are integral to instruction.•Recognize and develop high-quality performance assessments for evaluating student work.•Recognize and develop high-quality rubrics for evaluating student work.

Are we teaching what we think we are teaching?""Are students learning what they are supposed to be learning?""Is there a way to teach the subject better, therefore promoting better learning?"In problem based learning, assessment needs to not only reflect the learning process but the content being learned as well.This online learning module will explore the following learning targets: •Identify how formative and summative classroom assessments are integral to instruction.•Recognize and develop high-quality performance assessments for evaluating student work.•Recognize and develop high-quality rubrics for evaluating student work.

This source is intended for pre-service teachers to learn about typical v. atypical development in children and teens and the effects of disabilities and abuse or neglect. 

This Book Will Be Helpful to:

Managers-
This book is aimed primarily at those who are responsible for implementing accessibility at an organizational level. These people tend to be managers, but may also be accessibility specialists, whose role it is to oversee the implementation of accessibility strategies and awareness throughout an organization.

Web Developers-
Web developers may also wish to read this book to expand their understanding of the organizational aspects of implementing accessibility, extending their role as an IT accessibility specialist, often being the person who leads the implementation of accessibility culture in an organization.

Everyone Else-
While managers and web developers are the primary audience for this book, anyone who has an interest in the aspects of implementing accessibility culture in an organization will find this book informative.

Version 2 Released: 2/10/2024

This OER course “Digital Course Accessibility for Educators” was developed thanks to a grant project awarded to Lane Community College in Sept. 2023.This course is meant to be implemented in spaces where people are creating courses and course content for students of any kind. It has a focus and theme around education and online learning, teaching instructors how to implement accessibility and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) in the learner’s online course content. The format of this course was created as an online facilitated course and is estimated to take around 10 hours to complete.

Current formats provided include:
Moodle backup file. (Uploads to Moodle and other LMS’s that have a Moodle import option)
Moodle Common Cartridge file. (Uploads to Canvas, Blackboard, and other LMS’s, but may have more limited importability.)
Google Drive course file. (Includes all content in Moodle and common cartridge but in Google docs. Usable for anyone who does not have an LMS listed or needs access to source files for those using LMS’s above.)

Preview the Course: https://classes.lanecc.edu/course/view.php?id=122173

The focus of many open education projects is to provide access to education. But what does access mean? If the materials are not accessible for each and every student, do they fulfill the mandate to deliver fully open education? The open education movement has helped people in different parts of the world access content that they would otherwise not be able to view or interact with. Open education resources reduce costs for students and allow for greater flexibility for instructors. Accessibility can help push the movement even further forward.

The goal of the OER Accessibility Toolkit is to provide the needed resources needed to each content creator, instructor, instructional designer, educational technologist, librarian, administrator, and teaching assistant to create a truly open and accessible educational resource — one that is accessible for all students.

Developmental Dyscalculia (DD) is a learning disorder affecting the ability to acquire school-level
arithmetic skills, affecting approximately 3-6% of individuals. Progress in understanding the root causes
of DD and how best to treat it have been impeded by lack of widespread research and variation in
characterizations of the disorder across studies. However, recent years have witnessed significant growth
in the field, and a growing body of behavioral and neuroimaging evidence now points to an underlying
deficit in the representation and processing of numerical magnitude information as a potential core
deficit in DD. An additional product of the recent progress in understanding DD is the resurgence of a
distinction between ‘primary’ and ‘secondary’ developmental dyscalculia. The first appears related to
impaired development of brain mechanisms for processing numerical magnitude information, while the
latter refers to mathematical deficits stemming from external factors such as poor teaching, low socioeconomic status, and behavioral attention problems or domain-general cognitive deficits. Increased
awareness of this distinction going forward, in combination with longitudinal empirical research, offers
great potential for deepening our understanding of the disorder and developing effective educational
interventions.

On March 13, 2017, the Department released a revised template for the consolidated State plan under section 8302 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). The purpose of the consolidated State plan is to provide parents with quality, transparent information about how the ESEA, as amended by the ESSA, will be implemented in their State.

Even though a State Educational Agency (SEA) submits only the required information in its consolidated State plan, an SEA must still meet all ESEA requirements for each included program. For any program not included in a consolidated State plan, the SEA must submit individual program State plans that meet the statutory and regulatory requirements of each respective program.