Presentation for the University of Otago and the University of Canterbury on Universal Design for Learning

1. Universal Design for Learning
and
Making Digital Content Accessible to
All
Raymond Rose
Rose & Smith Associates
Port Aransas, Texas
ray@rose-smith.com
Slides available at: http://www.slideshare.net/RaymondRose
This work by Raymond Rose is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

2. http://www.inacol.org/resource/access-and-equity-for-all-
learners-in-blended-and-online-education/
Access and Equity for All Learners
in Blended and Online Education
2014iNACOL
http://tinyurl.com/accessandequityforall
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3. What about you?
What is your preferred learning style?
What’s your favorite content piece to teach?
What is your least favorite content piece to teach?
What content piece do students have the most problem
with?
What disabilities/accommodations do you experience in
your daily living?
Do you ever take advantage of accommodations
designed to assist others?

4. What is Universal Design?

5. FROM THIS TO ….

7. What is Universal Design for Learning?
Applies the general concept of Universal Design to learning
environments. Sometimes organizations with use Universal Design for
Instruction (UDI) rather than Universal Design for Learning (UDL).
Definition of Universal Design for Learning
A framework of guidelines that integrates accessibility into the creation
of learning materials (for digital or face-to-face environments), so that
all students have equal opportunity to achieve the learning objectives
and goals, thereby being able to demonstrate the desired learning
outcomes.

8. Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
• Principle I: Provide Multiple Means of Representation (the “what”
of learning)
• Principle II: Provide Multiple Means of Action and Expression (the
“how” of learning)
• Principle III: Provide Multiple Means of Engagement (the “why” of
learning)
http://www.udlcenter.org/ 9

9. Why Universal Design for Learning?
Lecture and textbook have served higher education for
decades. For those who have particular challenges, or
come a little short of having an official diagnosis but
still encounter difficulties with certain formats when
learning material, implementing Universal Design for
Learning can mean the difference between a student
struggling through a course or being able to learn the
material with "lower" barriers or no barriers at all.

10. Engagement
For purposeful, motivated learners, stimulate interest and motivation
for learning.
Representation
For resourceful, knowledgeable learners, present information and
content in different ways.
Action & Expression
For strategic, goal-directed learners, differentiate the ways that
students can express what they know.
http://www.cast.org/our-work/about-udl.html#.V5aMHbh97IU

11. UDL principles provide flexibility in the teaching and learning
processes in order to reduce barriers to learning.
Flexibility in the ways that..
• information is presented
• students can respond or demonstrate knowledge and skills
• students are engaged
Reduces barriers...
• in instruction
• by providing appropriate accommodations, supports and challenges
• Maintains high achievement expectations for all students

12. What UDL is not...
UDL does not change curriculum or student outcomes.
UDL does not make it easier for students to cheat.
UDL does not give special privileges to only a few students
Implemented correctly, UDL creates a level playing field so
that barriers are reduced and all students will be able to
demonstrate the same outcomes at the same level.

13. Accommodation vs Modification
An accommodation is a change in the way information is presented or
an activity is completed. Examples include providing a transcript for an
audio clip or allowing extra time on a timed assessment.
A modification is a change in the curriculum or the level of
expectations for a student. Legally, while institutions receiving federal
funds are required to accommodate in documented cases of disability,
changes in curriculum and/or level of expectations are not to occur
unless the change affects all students.

14. Accessibility Needs and Preferences
Accessibility needs are needs that must be met in order for students to be
successful. It should be kept in mind that a student with one or more
accessibility needs is usually required to register with the institution’s office
that supports students with disabilities in order to receive official
accommodations. There are some students who choose not to register, but
who still have accessibility needs.
Accessibility preferences typically apply to individuals with a disability to the
extent that the disability impacts the student's ability to be successful
academically, but most probably will not cause the student to fail. An
example would be someone with a significant hearing loss who may or may
not be benefited with a hearing aid, but generally manages to pass his or her
courses. In this case, the student may prefer a transcript for audio clips, but
who could get most of what is said without it and chooses to do so.

15. UDL Helps All Students
Implementing the principles of UDL can help not only those
students with official accommodations but also those who
have not registered as having an accessibility need.
Additionally, UDL helps all students in that using UDL
principles allows all students to learn in ways more closely
aligned with their learning preferences.

16. When including "a thing" in a course, define the
rationale for it, as well as for the delivery of it and
for the [type and modality of student product]
that is submitted in response to "that thing].".
(lectures, readings, videos, web pages/sites,
assignments, etc)

17. While UDL offers students choice in how they engage
with the materials of the course and how they
demonstrate achievement, care should also be taken to
avoid overwhelming them with too much
choice. Additionally, each option students have must
be fully and carefully explained.

18. UDL Rubric
http://www.leadingpbl.org/f/Rubric%20for%20Implementation%20of%20UDL.doc

19. UDL in Assessment
UDL in assessment includes the provision for multiple formats of
products from which students can choose. These options can include
written, verbal, role play, and digital formats.
Examples:
• self-quiz, graded (number, letters, or pass/fail) or ungraded
• verbal expression F2F, by phone/web conferencing, or recorded
• report - analog or digital, essay or PowerPoint with full expression
(words, graphics and other media) to meet the requirements of
assignment
Reflect for a moment - How might you modify some elements of your
course to incorporate some of the variety in assessment listed above?

20. A question to ponder...
Why would we want to leave barriers in place that cause
students to spend time creating workarounds (if they exist) to
access the material?
Would it not be more efficient to use that additional time and
effort on additional activities that deepen and/or extend their
learning?

21. Universal Design for Learning brings benefits for
all students.
Good practice in undergraduate education:
1. Encourages contacts between students and faculty.
2. Develops reciprocity and cooperation among students.
3. Uses active learning techniques.
4. Gives prompt feedback.
5. Emphasizes time on task.
6. Communicates high expectations.
7. Respects diverse talents and ways of learning
Arthur W. Chickering and Zelda F. Gamson's Seven Principles of Good Practice in Undergraduate
Education.

22. Dyslexia Simulation

23. Dyslexia Simulations
• http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3480257/What-s-
REALLY-like-read-dyslexia-Simulator-reveals-letters-words-appear-
people-condition.html
• http://webaim.org/simulations/dyslexia
• http://geon.github.io/programming/2016/03/03/dsxyliea

24. Tools students may use to make content
more accessible
• Hearing aid
• Screen magnifier
• Screen reader
• Closed/open captioning of video
• Automatic translation

25. Suggestions: Reading Order
Many Microsoft programs provide templates and tools
to improve accessibility, beginning with structure and
reading order. Two common examples are Styles in
Word and the ability to check the reading order of each
slide in PowerPoint. Some individuals with vision issues
choose to use screen readers. These features ensure
that screen readers recognize the correct order of your
content.

26. Color Contrast –
Certain color combinations can be difficult to see for
individuals with color blindness or low vision. The
WebAIM Color Contrast Checker lets you compare
foreground and background colors using hex codes. The
Colour Contrast Analyser by The Paciello Group
provides an assessment of your color contrast from
sampled colors within your content. It also allows you
to simulate different visual conditions, such as color
blindness or cataracts.

27. Closed Captioning
Organizations now use videos for marketing and
outreach, training, and projects. Closed captioning
allows you to expand your audience to include
individuals with limited hearing abilities. YouTube offers
several closed captioning options, including automatic
captioning, in several languages.

28. Specific actions that can make content more
accessible
• Provide lecture notes in readable formats
• Ensure PDFs are readable by a screen reader
• Provide transcript for podcasts/audio files/videos
• Use captioned video (caption videos)

29. Resource
Cheatsheets
1 page accessibility resources for a variety of
applications including MS Office and Adobe
http://ncdae.org/resources/cheatsheets/
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30. Resources
Tools and Tips for creating accessible digital images
http://diagramcenter.org/
Image Description Resources
http://ncam.wgbh.org/experience_learn/educational_media/a
ccessible-assessments/image-description-resources
Guideline to Provide access to graphs for users who are
blind or visually impaired
http://ncam.wgbh.org/invent_build/web_multimedia/accessibl
e-digital-media-guide/guideline-f-graphs
Diagrams Charts Graphs
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31. Resources
PDF Information: Adobe and Accessibility website
www.adobe.com/accessibility.html
http://www.adobe.com/content/dam/Adobe/en/accessibility/products
/acrobat/pdfs/acrobat-xi-accessibility-checker.pdf
http://webaim.org/techniques/acrobat/acrobat
Creating Accessible Tables and Data Tables
http://webaim.org/techniques/tables/
http://webaim.org/techniques/tables/data
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32. Resource
Color Blindness Simulator
http://www.seewald.at/en/2012/01/color_blindness_corre
ction_and_simulator
See through the eyes of your red, green or blue colorblind
student.
Android only
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33. Resources
FREE Video Captioning Apps
NCAM.wgbh.org
MAGpie (captions and video descriptions to QT, Windows
Media, Real and Flash)
CCforFLASH, ccPlayer, ccMP3Player
How to add closed captions to YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9K4WJs94FfY
CART service $
http://www.captionfirst.com/CART
(communications access realtime translation)
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34. Resource
FREE Screen Reader
NVDA
http://www.nvaccess.org/
NVDA (NonVisual Desktop Access) is a free “screen reader”
which enables blind and vision impaired people to use
computers. It reads the text on the screen in a computerized
voice. You can control what is read to you by moving the cursor
to the relevant area of text with a mouse or the arrows on your
keyboard.
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35. Resources
10 Free Screen Readers
http://usabilitygeek.com/10-free-screen-
reader-blind-visually-impaired-users/
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36. Resource
Raymond Rose
ray@rose-smith.com
512.791.3100
Presentation slides on this topic are available at:
http://www.slideshare.net/RaymondRose
And at my blog:
http://rmrose.blogspot.com
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