1. Online Learning and Accessibility for Students with Disabilities Man at computer station

2. Underlying Assumptions 1. More students with disabilities will be signing up for Blended and Online classes. 2. Legally and ethically we must provide reasonable accommodations and accessibility for students with disabilities.

3. Rationale for Accessibility Concerns Currently about 275,000 students are enrolled in full-time virtual schools. (Watson, Murin, Vashaw, Genin, & Rapp, 2012) About 7% of students enrolled in virtual schools have disabilities. (Molinar, Miron, Huerta, King Rice, Cuban, Horvitz, Rankin Shafer, 2013) Significant barriers reduce access for students with disabilities. (COLSD, 2012) Civil Rights complaints regarding lack of access may increase in the future. (Martin, 2011)

4. Legal requirements for accessibility In 1998 the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Section 508, was amended by Congress to include enforceable standards to ensure hardware and software, purchased are accessible. States receiving funds through the Technology Related Assistance for Individuals with Disabilities Act of 1988 are subject to these requirements. (OCR, 2010) Schools may purchase inaccessible digital curricula but are responsible for making it accessible. (Hashey & Stahl, 2014)

5. Operating Principles 1. It is easier and more efficient to use programs and software that are created with accessibility features.

6. Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) As part of meeting requirements in Section 508, VPAT was created to share specific product accessibility information. Section 508VPAT Section 508 requires devices and software provide a functional alternative for product use for each sensory area: vision, hearing, and speech and an alternative to dine motor control and simultaneous actions. –VPAT can identify ways a device or software can (and cannot) be used by individuals with impairments. COLSD maintains a VPAT table at its website (http://centerononlinelearning. Org/resources/vpat/ )http://centerononlinelearning. Org/resources/vpat

7. Related Resources WAVE.WebAIM.org hosts WAVE: a web-based tool to evaluate websites. Users check a site by copying the URL into a search box. WAVE scans the site for accessibility features. The tool provides a summary and a detailed report.WAVE.WebAIM.org –Most important features include electable text, logical navigation order and text equivalents for images. PALM from the National Center on Accessible Instructional Materials has a Purchase Accessible Learning Materials initiative to provide guidance in purchasing contracts.PALM Open Educational Resources has rubrics to evaluate the quality of instructional resources.Open Educational Resources Cannect.org - tool for evaluating the accessibility of LMS.Cannect.org

8. Resources for Evaluating Accessibility DomainToolResource Location Purchasing accessible materials PALM http://aim.cast.org/learn/pr actice/palm#.UjERiRbTOts Learning Management Systems VPAT Cannect http://centerononlinelearni ng.org/resources/vpat http://projectone.cannect.o rg/online-education/lms- accessibility.php Website contentWAVE http://wave.webaim.org Open Educational ResourcesAchieve rubrics http://www.achieve.org/oer -rubrics

9. Operating Principles 1. It is easier and more efficient to use programs and software that are created with accessibility features. 2. When it is not possible to purchase or use programs and software that are already accessible, we must adapt them for students.

10. Creating Accessible Resources WebAim project has clear and easy-to-follow guides to create accessible –Word DocumentsWord Documents –PowerPointsPowerPoints Captioning for video – Youtube’s add captions toolYoutube’s

11. Tools for Creating Accessible Materials DomainToolLocation Word DocsWebAim How-to-guide http://webaim.org/techniques/ word/ PowerPointsWebAIm How-to guide http://webaim.org/techniques/ powerpoint/ Digital media filesAccesslt http://www.washington.edu/ac cessit/articles?1251 Digital booksCAST http://bookbuilder.cast.org/ Curricular materials in generalCAST UDL studio http://udlstudio.cast.org Website contentXerte Online toolkits FLUID http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/x erte/toolkits.aspx http://fluidproject.org/products/ infusion/ OER resourcesFLOW Handbook http://handbook.floeproject.or g/index.php/Home Youtube’s captioning toolAdds captions to Youtube videos https://support.google.com/yo utube/answer/2734796?hj=en

12. Supplemental Tools for Teachers and Students NameGeneral informationURL ThinkfinityVerizon Foundation supported resource with lesson plans, activitess, games, etc. http://thinkfinity.org readwritethinkActivities and ideas - sponsored by International Reading Assoc. & NCTE http://readwritethink.org/ illuminationsNCTM sponsored site with lessons, activities, games, etc. http://illuminations.org/ OEROpen Ed Resources for teachers aligned with the Common Core http://oercommons.org/ CurrikilFree learning resources for teachers http://curriki.org/ Ck12 Resources for STEM http://ck12.org/ Dragon SpeakingSpeech to text program http://tinyurl.com/ld98wk3 BookshareFree books and magazines in digital formats and Braille https://www.bookshare.org/

13. Supplemental Tools for Teachers and Students NameGeneral informationURL BrainPopAnimated curricula to engage students http://www.brainpop.com/ Study IslandInstructional and diagnostic tool in reading and math http://www.studyisland.com/ Khan AcademyVideos in math and the sciences https://www.khanacademy.org Gizmos Collection of virtual manipulatives. http://www.explorelearning.co m

14. Accessibility Tools for Teachers and Students NameGeneral informationURL Begin with the accessibility tool in the operating system. Windows and Mac have robust accessibility features Natural ReaderStand alone text to speech reader http://naturalreaders.com Read & Write GoldAll in one accessibility toolbar for computers http://texthelp.com/North- America/Our- products/Readwrite PremierText to speech that can run from a flash drive http://readingmadeeasy.ca/pr oducts/PurchaseProducts.php ?V=W Kurzweil 3000-firefly Suite of literacy tools and OCR software http://kurzweiledu.com/kurzwe il-3000-v113-windows.html WYNN Text to speech and OCR http://freedomscientific.com/ls g/products/wynn.asp ConnexionsDigital repository and content management system for educators http://cnx.org/ Youtube’s captioning toolAdds captions to Youtube videos https://support.google.com/yo utube/answer/2734796?hj=en

15. Principles of UDL Apply Multiple Means of Representation (Text, Video, Charts, Graphs, Study Guides, Graphic Organizers) Multiple Means of Action and Expression Respond in multiple formats (text, image, digital audio and video recording) Multiple Means of Engagement Allow for students to choose activities and goals based on their interests

16. Quality Matters Checklist for Accessibility The course employs accessible technology and provides guidance on how to obtain accommodations. The course contains equivalent alternatives to audio and visual content. The course design facilitates readability and minimizes distractions. The course design accommodates assistive technology.

17. Operating Principles 1. It is easier and more efficient to use programs and software that are created with accessibility features. 2. When it is not possible to purchase or use programs and software that are already accessible, we must adapt them for students. 3. It is difficult for teachers to address all issues of accessibility when they are creating new blended or online classes.

18. References Center on Online Learning and Stuednts with Disabilities. (July, 2011) The foundation for online learning for students with disabilities. Retrieved from http://centerononlinelearning.org/wp- content/uploads/Foundation_7_2-12.pdfhttp://centerononlinelearning.org/wp- content/uploads/Foundation_7_2-12.pdf Hashey, A. & Stahl, S. (2014). Making online learning accessible for students with disabiltities, Teaching Exceptional Children, 46 (5), 70 - 78. Hirumi, A., (2014). Grounded Designs for Online and Hybrid Learning. ISTE, Eugene, OR. Martin, J.L., (2011) Cyber/school: Online/virtual schools and special education. Retrieved from http://www.schools.utah.gov/sars/DOCS/calendar/11lawconference/4cschl.aspx http://www.schools.utah.gov/sars/DOCS/calendar/11lawconference/4cschl.aspx National Center on Universal Design. (2011). UDl guidelines-Version 2.1. Retrieved from http://www.udlcenter.org/aboutudl/udlguideleines http://www.udlcenter.org/aboutudl/udlguideleines U.S Dept of Education, OFfice for Civil Rights & U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, (2010). Joint Dear Colleague letter: Electronic book readers. Retrieved from http://www2.ed.gov/about/offoces/list/ocr/letters/colleague-20100629.html. http://www2.ed.gov/about/offoces/list/ocr/letters/colleague-20100629.html Watson, J., Murin,A., Vashaw, L., Gemin, B., & Rapp, C, (2012). Keeping pace with K-12 online learning: An annual review of policy and practice. Retrieved from http://kpk12.com/cms/wp- content/up;oads/KeepingPace2012.pdfhttp://kpk12.com/cms/wp- content/up;oads/KeepingPace2012.pdf