This week in class we went over some beginner level ways to make the information we share more accessible to all students. I learned new practices that are easy to implement, and by adding them preemptively to all content it will be ready if a student does need it.
I think that checking websites and content for substantial contrast between backgrounds and fonts, colours and sizes is imperative. Any student that has less than perfect eyesight will definitely benefit and even students with no visual impairments will be straining their eyes less which is never a bad thing.
I think there is a stigma around allowing all students access to assistive technology and in reality it doesn’t seem to do them any harm, but rather further benefits the students who need it by making them feel less isolated. The only downfall to allowing all students access are the potentially limited amount of resources available, in this case priority would need to be given to students with impairments.
I was very surprised how easy it was to add alternative text to a photo for people with visual impairments so they can listen to a description of it. It would be imperative to those who need it and truly took less than 30 seconds to accommodate. As teachers we should get into the habit of adding as many accommodations as possible!
