Transcript Slide 1

Universal Design
Online, On Campus, and In The Classroom
Rachel Cox, Ralph McFarland, Jennifer Weir
TAMU-CC Disability Services, CCH 116
01/10/2012
TAMUCC Students with Disabilities
Include Those With
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Learning
ADHD
Physical
Visual
Mobility
Psychological
Deaf/Hard of Hearing
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
Health
Asperger’s Syndrome
What is Universal Design?
• It is "the design of products and
environments to be usable by all people, to
the greatest extent possible, without the
need for adaptation or specialized design.“
(Ron Mace, Architect who used a wheelchair and experienced
building inaccessibility first-hand)
Classic Examples of UD in Physical
Accessibility is the Curb Cut
•People who have difficulty walking
•People riding bicycles
•People who use wheelchairs
•People pushing a baby carriage
Universal Design of Facilities
The Process of Universal Design
Sheryl Burgstahler, University of Washington, 2007
Sheryl Burgstahler, 2007SS
The principles of universal design can be employed to the development and delivery of any course
curricula, classroom activity, or student assessment. To apply universal design, the instructor can take
the following steps:
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Identify the course. Describe the course, its learning objectives, and its overall content.
Define the universe. Describe the overall population of the students eligible to enroll in the
course and then consider their potential diverse characteristics (e.g., with respect to gender; age;
ethnicity and race; naive language; learning style; and abilities to see, hear, manipulate objects,
read, and communicate).
Involve students. Consider perspectives of students with diverse characteristics in the
development of the course. If they are not available directly from students, gain student
perspectives through diversity programs such as the campus disability services office.
Adopt instructional strategies. Adopt overall learning and teaching philosophies and methods.
Integrate these practices with universal design guidelines or strategies for learning or instruction.
Apply instructional strategies. Apply universal design strategies in concert with good
instructional practices to the overall choice of course teaching methods, curricula, and
assessments. Then apply universal design to all lectures, classroom discussions, group work,
handouts, web-based content, labs, fieldwork, assessment instruments, and other academic
activities and materials to maximize the learning of students with a wide variety of characteristics.
Plan for accommodations. Learn campus procedures for addressing accommodation requests
(e.g., arranging for sign language interpreters) from specific students for whom the course design
does not automatically provide full access.
Evaluate. Monitor the effectiveness of instruction through observation and feedback from students
with a diverse set of characteristics, assess learning, and modify the course On an ongoing basis,
monitor effectiveness of the instruction by gathering feedback from student participation and
learning and make modifications based on this feedback. Also include universal design issues in
the course evaluation and make course modifications based on this feedback.
In the Classroom…
What is Universal Design in Instruction?
• Universal design is an approach to the
designed instruction, that takes into
consideration the variety of abilities,
disabilities, racial/ethnic backgrounds,
reading abilities, ages, and other
characteristics of the student body.
Universal Design: 3 Essential Qualities
• Multiple means of representation
• Multiple means of engagement
• Multiple means of expression
Sources: Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST) Curriculum
Transformation and Disability (CTAD)
Multiple Means of Representation
Provide various ways of acquiring
information and knowledge to
students such as:
• Chalkboard /Whiteboard
• Powerpoint presentations
• Overhead transparencies
• Models
• Simulations
• MORE…
Multiple Means of Representation cont.
• Assignments in written form and posted
on course website
• Accessible electronic materials
• Lecture outlines or notes distributed in
class and/or posted on course website
• Study guides
• Summary of major concepts
Multiple Means of Engagement
Tap into learners’ interests to offer
appropriate challenges and to increase
motivation including:
• Variety of assignments (e.g., readings, group
projects)
• Tutorials, web searches
• Small group discussions
• Whole-class discussions
• Lectures, etc.
• Teaching of explicit strategies to learn the
material
Multiple Means of Expression
The instruction provides learners alternatives for
demonstrating what they know:
• Variety of graded exercises (e.g., papers,
examinations, homework, presentations)
• Multiple formats on examinations (e.g., essay, short
answer, oral)
• Choices in graded exercises (e.g., final exam or final
paper)
• Sufficient time on examinations.
• Use of word processing, spell check, and grammar
check
Provide learners alternatives for
demonstrating what they know
• Considers practical needs for a vast array of
ages, cultures and lifestyles
• Recognizes development, growth and change
in people who use designs, services and
information
• Everyone benefits from people-centered
inclusive design
• People-centered and honors human diversity
Universal Design of Technologies
Universal Design has good style
and is easy to use
Online Teaching
Blackboard is accessible, to start, but it can become inaccessible
when instructors upload inaccessible content, including:
• Inaccessible PDFs, Graphics, Pictures
• Uncaptioned Video or Audio
• Links to Inaccessible Websites
By making courses accessible to students who are sight or hearing
impaired, you are also making the same course accessible to
students with a wide range of other disabilities.
What Makes A PDF Accessible?
Microsoft Word is More Accessible than a
PDF. When possible, save and upload a
document as Word instead of PDF.
• “Real Text” (You can highlight and
copy the text)
– You can produce Real Text when you type into
Adobe Acrobat, or “Save A Document as PDF”
from Word.
– Graphics of Text are NOT Accessible. This
happens when you use a scanner to scan a
document into a PDF without using OCR
software.
Captioning Video or Audio
• If you cannot caption your video due to
the software used, you must provide a
transcript of the video.
• YouTube videos can use Google
Captions (free) for a rough translation
using voice recognition technology
It’s The Law! Compliant Websites
• Section 508 compliance required by the
Texas Administrative Code
• Easy fixes include:
– Alt Tags on All Graphics
– Simple Navigation
– Avoid Use of Flash
– No blinking or flashing!
– Design your page for Mobile Users
Image courtesy of Joshua Johnson, Tips for Designing for Colorblind Users,
http://designshack.net/articles/accessibility/tips-for-designing-for-colorblind-users
Identification of systemic, physical and
attitudinal barriers
What can you identify in your…
• Office
• Department
• Campus
• Classroom
• On-Line Course
…as potential and real systemic, physical,
or attitudinal barriers?
Resources
TAMUCC Disability Services website –
http://disabilityservices.tamucc.edu
ADA Checklist for Readily Achievable Barrier Removal
http://www.adachecklist.org/checklist.html
DOIT (Disabilities, Opportunities, Internetworking, Technology)
Universal Design of Instruction
http://www.washington.edu/doit/Faculty/Strategies/Universal/
World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) http://www.w3.org/
DO-IT Distance Learning
http://www.washington.edu/doit/Faculty/Strategies/Academic/Distancel
earning/