Inclusion or Illusion: The life and times of ICT in E&T This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication [communication] reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. Mattheos I. Kakaris

Inclusive Design and Accessibility Inclusive design: design for all, digital inclusion, universal usability, and similar efforts address a broad range of issues in making technology available to and usable by all people whatever their abilities, age, economic situation, education, geographic location, language, etc. Accessibility: focuses on people with disabilities — people with auditory, cognitive, neurological, physical, speech, and visual impairments. 2

Universal Design for Learning - UDL In E&T, the Design for All (DfA) idea is served through Universal Design for Learning (UDL). UDL is the framework for learning which includes all the learners. An approach to curriculum and instructions using technology to enable learners with diverse learning needs to be successful. UDL basic principles comprise flexibility, offering of multiple presentation/delivery means, means for engaging in the learning process, suitable learning environments, etc. 3

“Universal”? Universal in UDL refers to not targeting a particular type of learner. Examples of universal design: Closed captions, automatic doors, mobile phone accessibility features, etc. They help people with disabilities or maybe everyone? Hint: Have you ever tried to watch television in a loud environment? Did you try the closed captions feature? 4

UDL Viewpoint Under the UDL viewpoint we treat technology as a tool and as with most tools there are several uses. So, technology is seen as a constant and we act on the ways it is used. How? UDL is a set of principles for the development of training programs granting equal learning opportunities to all. UDL is a draft for the creation of learning targets, methodologies for content creation and evaluation, which respond to the needs of the many without one-size-fits-all solutions. 5

UDL Principles Representation: offer information in more than 1 format (not just textbook but also audio, video, hands-on learning) -> Provision of multiple means for delivery/presentation. Action and expression: provide more than one ways to interact with the material and to show what has been learned (pen and paper test vs. oral presentation or group project) -> Provision of multiple means of action and expression. Engagement: Look for ways to motivate learners. Let learners make choices and give them assignments that are meaningful for them -> Provision of multiple means for engagement to the learning process. 6

UDL at a glance UDL helps make curriculum more accessible. UDL is based on the assumption that the biggest obstacle in learning environments are one-size-fits-all, not flexible training programs. Individuality of students is the rule and not the exception. At a glance 7

Accessibility Myths Digital content is accessible. Accessibility concerns learners with disability only. Accessibility is hard to achieve. Accessible content is boring and low aesthetic. Learners with disabilities are not going to read my content. I need to create a 2 nd version of my material to make it accessible and this will need a lot of effort. 8

Problem Solved….. We apply UDL and content becomes accessible granting equal opportunities to all learners! But what about limitations? Limited classroom integration of available technological hardware & software. Limited resources to train educators on computer hardware & educational software. Limited awareness of the importance of UDL design. Limited resources (time) for collaboration. 9

Educator Support Authoring tools should embed best practices and guide educators in the creation of accessible content. Educators are not likely to learn how to use a general purpose ICT tool for creating accessible content. To achieve DfA ICT tools should better guide the authors on creating accessible content by embedding all the relevant knowledge and eliminating the necessity for educators to keep up to date with latest practices and technology trends. Support teachers, embed accessibility BPs in ICT: real time agents/coaches, adaptive templates, separate content from presentation, multimedia libraries, …. Under the Design for All (DfA) viewpoint, the objective is to use ICT without modifications, based on prototype interfaces accessible using assistive technology. 10

Examples of Assistive Technology(Classroom) Audio players & recorders: Ability to listen to the words while reading them on the page. e-books have audio files, smartphones and tablets come with text-to- speech software that can read aloud anything on screen. Whatever the teacher says in class the learner can listen to it again at home. FM Listening Systems: Frequency modulation (FM) systems can reduce background noise in the classroom and amplify what the teacher says. Helps auditory processing and attention issues. The teacher wears a microphone that broadcasts either to speakers around the room or to a personal receiver worn by the learner. FM systems are also used to help learners with hearing impairment, autism spectrum disorder and language-processing issues. 11

Examples of Assistive Technology(Classroom) Calculators: Talking calculators or large display calculators. A talking calculator has built-in speech output to read the numbers, symbols and operation keys aloud. It can help confirm that the correct keys were pressed. Graphic Organisers: Graphic organizers can be low-tech. There are many different designs to print out that can help organize learners thoughts for a written assignment. There are also more sophisticated tools such as organizing programs that can help learners map out their thoughts. 12

Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) The Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) supports the DfA principle by developing: - Guidelines for web accessibility. - Supporting material to help understand and implement web accessibility. - Resources, through international collaboration. Under WAI there are guidelines and techniques for every kind of disability, including the needs of the elderly. 13

WAI Guidelines and Resources WCAG: The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) provides a single shared standard for web content accessibility that meets the needs of individuals, organizations, and governments internationally. It explains how to make web content more accessible to people with disabilities. ATAG: The Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines (ATAG) 2.0 provides guidelines for designing web content authoring tools that are more accessible to authors with disabilities (Part A) and designed to enable, support, and promote the production of more accessible web content by all authors (Part B). 14

How All Works Together? 15 At the beginning there was an accessibility strategy…… » Design frameworks, standards, guidelines, best practices, … In the end there was exclusion…… Automate, automate automate: One-tool-fits-all to eliminate one-size-fits-all