Creating Accessible Online Instruction Using Universal Design Principles

What is accessibility? Who needs it? Often, accessibility is defined narrowly, with emphasis on physical limitations. Accessibility needs, however, come in many forms, from vision and hearing impairment, to developmental disorders like Autism, to psychiatric conditions like anxiety, depression, ADHD, and PTSD. Unfortunately, accessibility does not come with a simple set of checkboxes. It is a philosophy and practice that embraces social, physical, and informational elements. Universal design does not come in the form of a quick and easy guide. It is a philosophy. To implement it completely requires more than just screen readers and video captions. Creating Accessible Online Instruction Using Universal Design Principles introduces the need for accessibility in online education and library services and the framework of universal design for learning. It takes a scoping, rather than a purely technical, approach. It will help you not only o create accessible content, but with how to communicate with students in an accessible manner. This LITA Guide covers: accessibility law, Universal Design for Learning and Web Content Accessibility guidelines, and communication and educational research and theory. The content is interspersed with practical examples and case studies.

Universal Design in Higher Education looks at the design of physical and technological environments at institutions of higher education; at issues pertaining to curriculum and instruction; and at the full array of student services. Universal Design in Higher Education is a comprehensive guide for researchers and practitioners on creating fully accessible college and university programs. It is founded upon, and contributes to, theories of universal design in education that have been gaining increasingly wide attention in recent years. As greater numbers of students with disabilities attend postsecondary educational institutions, administrators have expressed increased interest in making their programs accessible to all students. This book provides both theoretical and practical guidance for schools as they work to turn this admirable goal into a reality. It addresses a comprehensive range of topics on universal design for higher education institutions, thus making a crucial contribution to the growing body of literature on special education and universal design. This book will be of unique value to university and college administrators, and to special education researchers, practitioners, and activists.

In Creating Inclusive Learning Opportunities in Higher Education, Sheryl Burgstahler provides a practical, step-by-step guide for putting the principles of universal design into action. The book offers multiple ways to access, engage with, and transform the higher education environment: making physical spaces welcoming to students of all abilities; creating digital learning and assistive technology programs that meet the needs of all users; developing universal design in higher education (UDHE) syllabi, assessments and teaching practices that minimize the need for academic accommodations; and institutionalizing universal design supports and services. A follow-up to Universal Design in Higher Education, Burgstahler's new book will be a valuable resource for leaders, faculty, and administrators who are interested in acquiring the tools needed to create barrier-free learning environments. Filled with applications, examples, recommendations, and above all, a framework in which to conceptualize UDHE, this volume will help educators meet the design needs of all students and honor the principles of diversity and inclusivity.

"Clearly written and well organized, this book shows how to apply the principles of universal design for learning (UDL) across all subject areas and grade levels. The editors and contributors describe practical ways to develop classroom goals, assessments, materials, and methods that use UDL to meet the needs of all learners. Specific teaching ideas are presented for reading, writing, science, mathematics, history, and the arts, including detailed examples and troubleshooting tips. Particular attention is given to how UDL can inform effective, innovative uses of technology in the inclusive classroom. Subject Areas/Keywords: assessments, classrooms, content areas, curriculum design, digital media, educational technology, elementary, inclusion, instruction, learning disabilities, literacy, schools, secondary, special education, supports, teaching methods, UDL, universal design Audience: General and special educators in grades K-8, literacy specialists, school psychologists, administrators, teacher educators, and graduate students"--

Anne Meyer and David Rose, who first laid out the principles of UDL, provide an ambitious, engaging discussion of new research and best practices. This book gives the UDL field an essential and authoritative learning resource for the coming years. In the 1990s, Anne Meyer, David Rose, and their colleagues at CAST introduced Universal Design for Learning (UDL) as a framework to improve teaching and learning in the digital age, sparking an international reform movement. Now Meyer and Rose return with Universal Design for Learning: Theory and Practice, an up-to-date multimedia online book (with print and e-book options) that leverages more than a decade of research and implementation. This is the first significant new statement on UDL since 2002, an ambitious, engaging exploration of ideas and best practices that provides the growing UDL field with an essential and authoritative learning resource for the coming years. This new work includes contributions from CAST's research and implementation teams as well as from many of CAST's collaborators in schools, universities, and research settings. Readers are invited to contribute ideas, perspectives, and examples from their own practice in an online community of practice. --

As educational institutions rapidly expand into online and hybrid formats, designing with accessibility in mind becomes essential. This book helps online teachers, instructional designers, and content developers avoid inadvertently creating barriers for students with disabilities and comply with government mandated ADA standards. Grounded in the theories of learner centered teaching and successful course design, the book explains how to design course content and delivery to be both attractive and accessible to all students, creating better conditions for student learning, success, and satisfaction, and better preparing students to compete in the competitive workplace.

Universal Access Through Inclusive Instructional Design explores the ways that educators around the world reduce barriers for students with disabilities and other challenges by planning and implementing accessible, equitable, high-quality curricula. Incorporating key frameworks such as Universal Design for Learning, these dynamic contributions highlight essential supports for flexibility in student engagement, representation of content, and learner action and expression. This comprehensive resource—rich with coverage of foundations, policies, technology applications, accessibility challenges, case studies, and more—leads the way to design and delivery of instruction that meets the needs of learners in varying contexts, from early childhood through adulthood.

This is a comprehensive collection of proven strategies and tools for effective online teaching, based on the principles of learning as a social process. It offers practical, contemporary guidance to support e-learning decision-making, instructional choices, as well as program and course planning, and development.