In the United States alone, 26% of people live with a disability. Many
people with disabilities use screen readers and other assistive technologies
to help them access content every day, including websites and learning
content. The importance of accessibility in learning and development cannot
be understated or ignored. Accessibility in learning and development ensures
that everyone has access to education and proper training. Whether you're
implementing a course for workplace training or an educational eLearning
course for high school or higher education, accessibility matters. You
can make a positive impact by improving your education program's accessibility
and encouraging others to do the same. In this article, we review the basics
and importance of learning accessibility and what tools you
can use to achieve it.
What Is Accessibility?
Accessibility is the idea and process of improving a system, site, application,
or so it is more accessible for people with disabilities. Accessible learning
content is learning content that is designed to be accessible and usable
for people with disabilities, including visual impairments and deafness.
Accessibility requires adherence to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).
The WCAG outlines the specific actions website owners and those who manage
to learn management systems should take in order to make their content
more accessible to people with disabilities.
Benefits of Accessible Learning
Of course, making learning resources more accessible allows more people
- including those with learning difficulties - to access learning materials
and thus further their personal and professional development. The benefits
do not end at just allowing more people with learning disabilities to enjoy
learning experiences, though; instead, creating accessible content makes
the learning experience better for everyone.
Helping All Learners
Learning is not a one-size-fits-all process; everyone learns differently,
so creating an individualized learning experience is incredibly important.
The Universal Design for Learning is a framework that gives all students
an equal opportunity to succeed, accommodating the needs of all students
rather than focusing on the needs and learning preferences of only some
students. While its name might imply that the Universal Design for Learning
touts the idea that all students - including students with learning difficulties
- should learn using one single framework, it actually promotes the idea
that students should be presented with multiple ways to consume information,
and they can choose the one that fits best for them. In this way, creating
accessible learning experiences helps ensure that all students learning
needs are met and creates a better classroom for everyone.
Better Understanding And Retention
When students can understand and easily access the material provided to
them, they will better retain the topics learned in class. Students can
focus on the material being taught rather than struggling to make it work
with their screen reader or other accessibility tools. Ensuring that all
the content you provide meets accessibility standards will help your students
read, understand, and retain information.
Flexibility In Learning
The Universal Design for Learning helps all students get their learning
needs met by providing multiple ways to learn any given topic, offering
children and adults alike flexibility in their learning journey. When presented
with flexibility and the ability to choose the way they learn best, students
are more independent and more likely to be interested in the material presented
to them.
Increasing Accessibility In Learning And Development
Increasing accessibility to learning content is a necessary step to take
to ensure that students with disabilities have equal opportunities and
equal access to all resources. By ensuring that all of the content you
provide - audio and video and text alike - is created accessible, you play
a part in enabling people with disabilities to access a wide range of learning
content. Increasing the accessibility of your learning materials requires
following accessibility standards, making your content compatible with
assistive technologies, and keeping people with disabilities in mind during
every step of the development process. Using Maestra Suite can help you
ensure that all of the learning content you provide is up to accessibility
standards, allowing you to provide transcripts alongside
audio and video content, as well as closed captioning for
all kinds of content. Transcribing educational content increases
accessibility and ensures people who are hard of hearing, have vision impairment
or struggle to learn via audio have the tools they need. Get started with
your 15-minute trial of free transcription from
Maestra Suite today!