DO-IT - K-12

Are Advanced Placement Computer Science Principles curricula accessible to students with disabilities?

brianna — Fri, 24 Jan 2020 21:38:19 +0000

Date Updated:

05/23/22

Many different curricula are used to teach Advanced Placement (AP) Computer Science Principles (CSP). Most of these curricula are not fully accessible to students with disabilities, largely because the programming tools that they utilize are not accessible to students who are blind or visually impaired and typically use screen readers to access content presented on the screen. Screen readers can read text aloud to users but cannot interpret content presented in images.

AccessCSforAll developed an accessible version of the AP CSP curriculum that uses the Quorum programming language, which is designed to be accessible to students with disabilities. The accessible curriculum is based on the Code.org curricula.

For more information about accessible K-12 computer science education, consult the following knowledge base articles:

AccessCSforAll is funded by the National Science Foundation (grant #CNS-1738252 and #CNS-1738259) and led by the ��ԭ�� and the University of Nevada Las Vegas. Its purpose is to increase the successful participation of students with disabilities in K-12 computing courses.

Compendium Review Disability Statistics 2014

eol — Tue, 25 Aug 2015 17:40:19 +0000

Compendium Review Disability Statistics 2014

A web-based tool that pools disability statistics published by various federal agencies.

UD Topic:

K-12

External Resource Topic:

National

Online Distance Education: 'Anytime, Anywhere' But Not for Everyone

kcl — Fri, 19 Sep 2014 18:15:53 +0000

Online Distance Education: 'Anytime, Anywhere' But Not for Everyone

Access challenges imposed by distance learning courses.

UD Topic:

Distance Learning

K-12

South Carolina Department of Education: A Promising Practice in Developing an Educational Technology Plan

Lyla — Thu, 31 Jul 2014 21:25:35 +0000

Date Updated:

05/23/22

In 1998, the South Carolina Department of Education released a new state educational technology plan. This five-year plan, which was scheduled for review and expansion in 2003, contained goals and benchmarks for implementing technology access to all South Carolina schools. In preparation for the 2003 review, the Department of Education worked with the SouthEast Initiatives Regional Technology in Education Consortium (SEIR*TEC) to devise a five-year plan to direct South Carolina's strategic technology development from 2003 to 2008. In developing this five-year plan, the South Carolina Department of Education determined that enhanced accessibility to educational technology for students with disabilities was an important addition to the state's existing plan.

The final document, South Carolina State Technology Plan 2003–08: Realizing the Dream, contains guidelines for school districts to develop their own educational technology plans that include assistive technology and access for students with disabilities as integral components of the overall plan. The result of this effort is a goals-based, measurable plan that will assist districts in meeting technology goals for the twenty-first century as well as meeting the new federal No Child Left Behind standards. The plan includes the following elements regarding assistive technology and accessible information technology for students with disabilities:

Increase student achievement through the use of technology, including assistive technology, by maximizing community involvement and community partnerships.
Recognize and promote best practices that successfully integrate technology, including assistive technology, into the curriculum.
Engage students in authentic learning activities that are aligned with state standards and that integrate technology, including assistive technology, into the core content.
Create and use lesson activities in which students employ a variety of technology tools, including assistive technology, to complete authentic multidisciplinary tasks.
Provide appropriate accommodations for students with special needs when conducting tests, including standardized tests, using technology.
Increase student achievement through the use of technology, including assistive technology, by maximizing community involvement and community partnerships.
Recognize and promote best practices that successfully integrate technology, including assistive technology, into the curriculum.
Engage students in authentic learning activities that are aligned with state standards and that integrate technology, including assistive technology, into the core content.
Create and use lesson activities in which students employ a variety of technology tools, including assistive technology, to complete authentic multidisciplinary tasks.
Provide appropriate accommodations for students with special needs when conducting tests, including standardized tests, using technology.
Provide students with an enhanced learning environment through technological tools, including assistive technology, that are designed to promote high academic achievement.
Appoint or hire district-wide school technology coaches to offer guidance to schools, educate teachers, and help ensure that lesson plans and activities incorporate a variety of technologies, including access to information technology.
Provide training needed to ensure the accessibility of electronic and information technology to students with special needs.
Increase the ability of school districts to design web pages compliant with Section 508.
Districts should maintain a strategic plan for acquiring and implementing technology, including assistive technology, for universal access to network resources.

To disseminate information about the state technology plan and about how assistive technology can be used by students with disabilities, the South Carolina Department of Education created and distributed a CD-ROM to all school districts in South Carolina. The CD-ROM was developed in partnership with the South Carolina Assistive Technology Program (SCATP) and South Carolina ETV, South Carolina's statewide public broadcasting network.

South Carolina's inclusion of information technology accessibility and assistive technology in its state education technology plan serves as a model for other states as they develop or update their own technology plans.

Bellingham Public Schools: A Promising Practice in Steps Toward Making IT Accessible in K-12 Schools

Terry — Thu, 31 Jul 2014 21:25:35 +0000

Date Updated:

05/26/22

The Bellingham Public School District (BSD) in Bellingham, ��ԭ�� has taken many positive steps toward improving the accessibility of its information technology infrastructure. For many years, Bellingham has valued "equal access for the learning community", and has openly stated this as part of its vision regarding the role of technology in facilitating teaching and learning. However, prior to 2004 the goal of equal access had not specifically been articulated as including students, employees, and parents with disabilities.

Systems have long been in place for providing students with disabilities assistive technology (AT) and other accommodations, and an Assistive Technology Committee was formed in 1994 to assure that students' AT needs throughout the district were being met. However, the Assistive Technology Committee was comprised of staff and teachers who were involved specifically in special education, and had little influence over other technologies that were being used at a growing rate throughout mainstream classrooms. As curriculum and school information and services were increasingly delivered using the Web, computer software, multimedia, and other information technologies, BSD staff became increasingly aware of the fact that students with disabilities, whether or not they're equipped with AT, could face significant barriers in accessing these technologies.

In 2003, the Assistive Technology Committee broadened its membership to include staff members responsible for mainstream IT. This they hoped would bridge the gap between AT and accessible IT, and would ensure that staff members from the IT community were stakeholders in the need for technology to be accessible.

BSD also invited an accessibility expert from the Bellingham community to consult with them on improving the accessibility of their IT infrastructure. This individual (a technology specialist with AccessIT) met initially with the Superintendent, then subsequently met on several occasions with the Director of Instructional Technology and Libraries and district webmaster, and served on both the Assistive Technology and the Technology Planning Committees.

A key accomplishment in BSD's accessibility efforts was the development of the 2010-2013 Technology and Learning Implementation Plan, which was approved by the School Board. This formal Plan specifically addresses accessibility in many ways. One of the district instructional learning activities documented by the plan reads as follows:

"District will write specific goals and strategies to ensure that technology is accessible to all students, including those with disabilities. Areas include hardware, software, websites, and multimedia."

Specific steps were documented for how the district would implement this activity each year over the three years addressed by the plan. Each of these steps documented who within the district is responsible for implementation; hardware, software, and technology support needs if any; professional development needs; district purchase/budget/potential funding source(s); and evaluation strategies and/or tools.

The Technology Plan additionally includes goals and activities for each of the individual schools that comprise the district. Many of the school plans also address accessibility, using language similar to tjat adopted by the district.

The Board adopted Information Technology Accessibility Standards and included them as an appendix to the Plan. The standards state that "Accessibility must be considered when procuring, developing or implementing information technologies, including web content, software, hardware, telecommunications, multimedia, and standalone devices such as information kiosks." Accessibility is defined with language adapted from the Section 508 standards and the World Wide Web Consortium Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. The standards conclude with a list of common examples that staff and instructors in BSD should address regarding the accessibility of web pages, software, and multimedia.

One reason the adoption of the Plan is so significant is that once the School Board approved it, the Plan validated the need for continued forward progress regarding accessibility. By citing the Plan, those responsible for accessibility have a receptive audience among stakeholders who might otherwise be less interested.

BSD still has considerable work to do before their IT environment is fully accessible. However, they have already taken several significant steps since adoption of the Plan:

The district webmaster has worked diligently to better understand the subtleties of accessible web design, and is now assuring that all centrally-developed web content is accessible.
The district home page was redesigned so that it utilizes valid XHTML for content and structure, and cascading style sheets (CSS) for layout. To facilitate navigation for screen reader users, the redesigned site made extensive use of XHTML heading tags, plus a same-page Skip to News link. The News items that comprise the main content of the page are drawn from an external Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feed, which was originally written to the page using Javascript, but subsequently updated so that it now writes to the page using a server-side PHP script in order to assure that users without Javascript support have full access.
One of the Rules for School Web Sites is that "All web sites and pages should meet the district web technical standards", and the first of the BSD Web Technical Standards is that web content must be accessible.
Macromedia Contribute has been implemented district-wide. Approximately 50 employees, including district staff, school library media specialists and assistants, and a few teachers are now using it to create web content. This product allows greater central control over certain aspects of each web page. The district has deployed Contribute with the "Require ALT attributes on all images" feature enabled, which ensures that all graphics have alternate text. However, this does not assure that the ALT text entered is meaningful. For this, additional training is required for all web authors.
The district is currently in the early phases of considering deployment of a content management system. This would provide even greater centralized control over the look and feel of district web pages, including their accessibility.
Training is provided on an ongoing basis for Library Media Specialists, who provide the technology support for each school, including the development of web content. Recent past trainings have already included web accessibility. However, the training currently is not required, and those who attend the trainings tend to be those who need it least. A proposal has been discussed that would require all staff to attend training appropriate to their professional responsibilities, including those responsible for web support, which will include training on accessible web design.
Discussions are currently underway between the Instructional Technology and Libraries Department, the Business and Purchasing Departments, the Network Services Department, and accessibility consultant regarding adding accessibility language to purchasing requirements and procurement contracts.
Web design instructors in Bellingham high schools partnered with AccessIT in developing the free Web Design & Development I course curriculum that emphasizes accessibility as a core design theory principal. Students learn and discuss design theory before they learn any web design techniques, then all subsequent lessons and projects are measured against the design theory principals they've learned, including accessibility. The curriculum was tested extensively in Bellingham high schools, and is now available nationwide.

BSD district staff acknowledges that they face many obstacles in making their websites more accessible, the largest being the vast quantity of older pages that were built without regard to accessibility.

Many of the district's web pages were historically created in Microsoft Word, and saved as HTML, with little or no regard to document structure or accessible markup. Retrofitting these pages for accessibility is much more challenging than it would be if the pages had been originally created using valid HTML. Gradually these pages will be phased out with new content, which should be accessible as a result of the district's greater training and outreach efforts, combined with a stronger centralized web presence made possible with tools such as Macromedia Contribute or a content management system.

A problem requiring an alternative strategy is the 3500+ pages that were built using an inaccessible template. The template includes a dynamic navigational menu that is comprised entirely of fairly small images, which can not be enlarged in most web browsers. The menu is not operational as a dynamic menu by keyboard-only users, screen reader users, or users without Javascript. On many pages, accessibility for all of these individuals is temporarily achieved by providing secondary pages that include scalable text versions of each of the menu options. In contrast to the gradual-phase-out of much of the district's inaccessible web content, replacing the current template will by necessity be a project that must be done systematically and rapidly. Otherwise, the district will have some pages that use the newer accessible template, and some that use the older less accessible template. Keeping track of the differences as pages are updated would be a logistical nightmare. An ambitious district-wide template upgrade project is currently in the planning phase.

Though much work remains to make Bellingham Public Schools' IT environment fully accessible, BSD shows promise for all the efforts it has implemented to date.

How can our school or district go about developing an accessible information technology policy?

nobody — Thu, 31 Jul 2014 21:25:31 +0000

Date Updated:

05/23/22

Policies and procedures can be developed to assure that electronic and information technology procured and used in schools is accessible to all employees and students, including individuals with disabilities and their family members. How can an organization begin this process? Considerations for K-12 (preschool through high school) and postsecondary educational entities should include the following:

Make sure that all stakeholders, including potential students, instructors, and other staff with disabilities, are represented as policies, procedures, and standards are being developed.
Review what policies and procedures currently exist for the procurement, use, and development of electronic and information technology, and consider how accessibility issues might be incorporated within existing policies and procedures.
Consider at what level the policy should reside—for example, at the school, district, or state level—and be sure to involve decision makers at the appropriate levels in the policy development process.
Consult with the school's or district's legal counsel to determine what legal issues apply in this policy area.
Review policies and guidelines that have been created by other organizations, including those for distance learning courses. Incorporate good ideas into the school's or district's policies and procedures.
Develop a broad policy statement that commits the school to making all programs, services, and resources accessible to students and employees with disabilities.
List potential access challenges that students and employees with disabilities may face within the programs, services, and resources offered using electronic and information technology at the school.
Consider Section 508 standards used by the federal government as a model for the school's or district's standards.
Assign a person or a department within the school or district to be responsible for updating disability-related program access policies and guidelines and assuring compliance.
Develop a plan to phase in compliance with program accessibility guidelines for previously developed courses and resources, with a date by which all electronic products will be compliant.
Disseminate accessibility policy, guidelines, and procedures throughout the school or district. Make it clear that the policy has high-level endorsement.
Provide regular training and support regarding accessibility issues, policies, and guidelines to educators, students, and other stakeholders.
Regularly evaluate progress made toward the use of accessible electronic and information technology in the school or district.
Develop procedures for responding quickly to requests for disability-related accommodations when electronic and information technology that is used in the school or district is not accessible to a student or employee. Applying accessibility policies, procedures, and standards will assure that such requests are kept to a minimum.

Michigan Virtual University: A Promising Practice in Developing Standards for Online Courses

nobody — Thu, 31 Jul 2014 21:25:31 +0000

Date Updated:

04/29/19

Michigan Virtual University (MVU) was established in 1998 by Michigan Governor John Engler and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. It is a private, not-for-profit organization. MVU is a central access point through which academic and commercial organizations can offer online education and training.

The course catalog includes 1300 corporate training courses in a wide range of topics, including computer-related skills, medical content, information technology, and manufacturing. MVU offers high school, advanced placement, and community college courses, as well as specialized courses such as those for medical office staff. Successful completion of some courses results in high school credit, continuing education credits, or college credit. A wide selection of noncredit courses are also offered through MVU.

In order to ensure that instructors design high-quality online courses, MVU developed a set of Standards for Quality Online Courses, which are designed to assist course developers in creating content, developing delivery strategies, and evaluating their final products. The MVU standards encompass four categories: technology, usability, accessibility, and instructional design.

Technology standards address the functionality and appropriateness of the technology used in an online course. The technology category considers whether or not the technology works, if it is appropriate for the audience, and so forth. Substandards in this category include identification of technology requirements, identification of audience capability, and technical functionality.

Usability standards address the function of technology as it serves to promote an optimal learning environment. The substandards in this category include interface consistency, learner support, navigational effectiveness and efficiency, functionality of graphics and multimedia, and integration of communication.

Instructional design standards address the pedagogical soundness of the course by ensuring that explanation, demonstration, practice, feedback, and assessment (all components believed to be necessary for successful instruction) are present in every course.

The accessibility standards, composed of specific checkpoints that are measurable on a pass/fail basis, are designed to evaluate whether a course meets Priority 1 accessibility as defined by the World Wide Web Consortium in the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0. All courses at MVU are rated either "E" for Everyone or "L" for Limited, according to their compliance with these standards.

These standards constitute a promising practice not solely because accessibility was included in the mix but also because accessibility is a characteristic that is used here to define quality of instruction. Accessibility is an up-front consideration in developing a quality online course, rather than a separate issue to be addressed later by someone other than the course designer. Also, a growing number of web accessibility policies are being implemented in higher education, but few if any provide an enforcement mechanism. Though MVU doesn't enforce accessibility, its practice of flagging inaccessible courses with an "L" offers a creative approach to encouraging compliance.

What are examples of accessible information and communication technology in education?

Terry — Thu, 31 Jul 2014 21:25:28 +0000

Date Updated:

05/23/22

Computers, multimedia, software, electronic communication, the web, and other information technologies are common in educational institutions today. The ability to access and use this technology has become essential to full participation of students in academic and other school-related activities. For most educational institutions, accessibility is commonly addressed as an afterthought and on an individual basis, often making it difficult, time-consuming, and costly to provide adequate access. A better approach is to consider the needs of all possible users in the planning phase, when considering the role that technologies will play in an educational entity's future. This approach, known as universal design, results in a technology-enhanced learning environment that benefits all users, including those with and without disabilities. For more on universal design, see the DO-IT Knowledge Base article What is universal design?

If an educational entity's technology environment has been established with a universal design process, all students and staff can participate in and benefit equally from the activities of that entity. Below are a few examples:

Accessible web pages allow students with disabilities to access information; share their work; communicate with peers, teachers, and mentors; and take advantage of distance learning options.
Accessible instructional courseware allows students with disabilities to participate side by side with their peers in computer labs, classrooms, and online as they complete assignments; collaborate with peers; create and view presentations, documents, and spreadsheets; and actively participate in simulations and all other academic activities.
Accessible multimedia, including captions and audio descriptions, is accessible to all students, including those with visual or hearing impairments, and is more easily understood by students for whom the video is not in their first language or who learn best or otherwise benefit from multisensory input.
Accessible telecommunications and office equipment make communication and educational administrative functions accessible to everyone, including those with mobility, visual, and hearing impairments.

Boston Public Schools Access Technology Center: A Promising Practice of Universal Design

Scott — Thu, 31 Jul 2014 21:25:09 +0000

Date Updated:

05/24/22

The Boston Public School system is known for its commitment to incorporating technology and universal design into its public institutions and classrooms. In 2001 the Access Technology Center (ATC) moved into the Boston Public Schools' Office of Instructional Technology (OIT) to expand technology access and training opportunities for teachers. The ultimate goal is to create an enriched learning environment that enables students to meet the Boston Public Schools' learning standards.

The ATC acquires recommended tools and assists with problem solving, conducts research, and offers professional development opportunities with respect to assistive technology and universal design in education. ATC and OIT staff work together to encourage innovative uses of technology that promote student success and independence both in school and in the community. In addition, the ATC offers follow-up support to teachers and students in the form of study groups, site visits, phone support, and email communication.

Examples of combined ATC and OIT efforts described at the Consortium for School Networking's Best Practices website include:

An AlphaSmart portable word processor grant that provided training and devices to both regular and special education classrooms;
The adoption by the English Language Arts Department of ATC's Literacy Software handout for distribution to schools;
Selected elementary and secondary grade math programs that involve AT training as well as professional development from other math and technology experts.

The work of the Access Technology Center and the Office of Instructional Technology is a promising practice on promoting the use of assistive technology and universal design in K-12 education. The ATC and its collaborators help create an enriched learning environment in which students with all levels of abilities and disabilities can succeed.

AccessDL

drupal-admin — Fri, 04 Jul 2014 01:47:47 +0000

Watch 20 Tips for Teaching an Accessible Online Course to learn how to design course materials and activities that fully include everyone.

The Center on Accessible Distance Learning (AccessDL), funded by the U.S. Department of Education (grant # OPE P333A020044 and P333A50064), the National Science Foundation (grant # IIS-1550477 and DRL-1824540), and the DO-IT Center, shares guidance and engages stakeholders around making distance learning courses (otherwise called online learning, e-learning, and digital learning) and programs accessible to students and instructors with disabilities.

Creating Inclusive Learning Opportunities in Higher Education: A Universal Design Toolkit
Order this must-have book that has how-to instructions for applying UD to everything we do in higher education, and complements the 2015 book Universal Design in Higher Education: From Principles to Practice. Learn more in this podcast episode of Trending in Education.
Join the AccessDL Discussion List
Discuss with other stakeholders issues related to creating accessible distance learning courses, including policy, practice, training, and support.
Apply 20 Tips For Teaching an Accessible Online Course
Use a checklist, watch a video, and/or complete a tutorial to begin making an online course accessible, usable, and inclusive.
Learn Basic Accessibility Issues and Solutions for Distance Learning
Explore accessibility challenges and solutions as well as key resources.
Apply the Checklist Equal Access: Universal Design of Distance Learning Programs
Learn guidelines for ensuring that distance learning program offerings are welcoming to, accessible to, and usable by individuals with disabilities.
Consult AccessWeb
Find videos, publications, and websites with guidance for making websites, videos and documents accessible to students with disabilities.
View a Video Online Education and Website Accessibility

Learn about legal requirements from the U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights.
Read Accessible Cyberlearning: A Community Report of the Current State and Recommendations for the Future
This paper serves to inform the design of current and future learning technologies and pedagogy to be inclusive of everyone.
Read Equal Access: Universal Design of Instruction
Use a checklist to design a course that is welcoming and accessible to all potential students.
Review Q&As, Promising Practices, and Case Studies
Explore the Knowledge Base for answers to specific questions and evidence-based case studies and practices