The following resource portfolio contains the titles of 5 accessibility resources. Each title is a button with a direct links to the site.
5 Accessibility Resources
SETDA has created a website called the SETDA Accessibility Toolkit which assists K-12 teachers, school leaders, and policymakers in understanding how to implement digital learning that can be used by all the learners, their teachers, and even the children with disabilities. In addition, the toolkit enhances understanding of Section 508 and IDEA and devises plans how to implement the accessibility of technology and educational resources. One of the most prominent elements is The Accessibility Policy Guidelines, which present methods of the digital content, learning management systems and assistive technologies designed for students with disabilities.
Resource/Tool: The Accessibility Policy Guidelines and Implementation
This tool provides step-by-step guidance on aligning school and district policies with the provisions in the laws on accessibility of information and communication. It includes practice checklists for self-assessing the current status of activities, sample documents for developing accessibility policies, and materials to support accessibility evaluation of schools.
Ideas on How to Use the Resource/Tool:
Policy Development: The proposed templates for accessibility policies can be used to write or amend school and district accessibility policy that complies with Section 508 and IDEA.
Training and Professional Development: The guidelines can be helpful to the educators in planning the training of teachers on digital accessibility so that they are in a position to prepare accessible courses and materials.
Conduct Accessibility Audits: Aft hremaining ailing and qualified managers can use the check-lists to carry out an audit of the digital tools, software and other resources being used in classrooms if they are accessibility compliant.
Assistive Technology Integration: The suggestion can be used in promoting the use of assistive technology in schools for use by the students who have disabilities so that they can have the same access to the tools of learning to all.
CAST UDL Book Builder website helps K-12 students and their educators build customizable and user-friendly digital books employing Universal Design for learning principles. Teachers will create eBooks that integrate text, visuals, audio, interactivity and so on to accommodate different learners’ preferences. The Book Builder accommodates the notion of different speeds of learning allowing students of different abilities, including those with disabilities, to interact with the material. It assists teachers in crafting an individual-based and embracive education.
Resource/Tool: UDL Book Builder
Using UDL Book Builder Tool, educators design multimedia eBooks which are within the UDL framework. There are features such as text to speech, embedded coaching prompts and multiple knowledge demonstration options, which presents a big scope for the teachers to design content.
Ideas on How to Use the Resource/Tool:
Create Differentiated Instruction: The Teacher has the option to create the eBooks with a different levels of difficulty or for instance insert multimedia (pictures videos or audio in order to support either visual auditory or kinesthetic learning styles).
Support Special Education: The book creation tool encourages educators to make those books available for students who are visually impaired and those who need language and other supports for learning.
Activities Involving Interactive Reading: It is possible to insert questions or ask students to complete tasks in such a way that they also have to work on the text provided in the digital book.
Content Created by Students Later on, the student can use the platform of the institution to make digital books, where they are encouraged to be creative, where they improve their digital literacy, and importantly where they showcase their understanding of the topic covered.
Materials For Distance Education: When teaching remotely or in a blended format, you can use the UDL Book Builder to create interesting and interactive lessons that students will be able to complete asynchronously.
AXE Accessibility Checker by Deque has created a free open-source tool called AXE Accessibility Checker. This is for web professionals, educators, and content makers who would like their digital materials to reach target audiences adhering with standards like WCAG and Section107. The AXE tool is Chrome or Firefox web browser extension which is used to check the accessibility of web pages or the digital content in terms of various aspects such as cracked the text used for ALT tag and poor coloration among others which often hinder access by differently abled people to information displayed. AXE tools diagnostic help users to understand the issues at hand with regards to accessibility and how to improve on it.
Resource/Tool: AXE Accessibility Checker The AXE Accessibility Checker is an effective online tool that enables users to examine the accessibility checkers to ensure that documents of all types, printed or electronic meet the requirements of accessibility for the broad spectrum of people. It reveals issues and recommendations for usage in case of unreasonable efforts of a web audience by using established guidelines for web accessibility.
Ideas on How to Use the Resource/Tool: Web Content Audits: The AXE tool can assist educators and web developers to assess school sites, eLearning sites, and digital course texts, etc., for accessibility issues and make changes as necessary.
Professional Development for Teachers: , so teachers can consider using at least the AXE as part of their professional development for example, how to design lesson plans online that include lesson, activity, and resource accessibility.
Accessibility Testing of Learning Management Systems (LMS): Instruments like AXE could also be beneficial for schools to evaluate the learning management system (in this case, Google Classroom/Moodle) as inclusive, in this instance for students with disabilities.
Fixing Digital Assignments: As some digital assignmnets and eBooks will be dispensed to students, educators can examine such digital assignments and eBooks for accessibility employing the application AXE.
Supporting Inclusion in Remote Learning: In addition, the application AXE can be effective in making web based learning resources, such as online assignments and web based tests, accessible to all students, including those that are visually, hearing or intellectually challenged.
Google for Education Accessibility features website is equipped with a wide array of tools and even more built-in features to promote equal and full engagement of all students, even those who are handicapped, in digital learning environments. It has accessibility features embedded within the google tools such as google classroom, google docs, google slides, and chrome, and caters for students with different needs. Live Captions, Voice Typing, Screen Reader support, Closed Captioning for Google Slides, High-Contrast Mode and others are examples of this facility. These features improve usability and activate participation for students who may be visually, hearing or physically impaired in the proper way in the educational setting.
Resource/Tool: Google for Education Accessibility Features
This tool has several accessibility features such as dictation in Google Docs that enables students to speak instead of type; Screen Reader that assists visually impaired people to follow the content and even Closed Captioning for presentations among many others. These tools make sure that all the users and students are able to use the educational products developed by google.
Ideas on How to Use the Resource/Tool:
Assistive Technology in Classrooms: Voice Typing can be used by teachers in managing submit of tasks in written form by students suffering physically or those who have learning difficulties.
Assistance in Hearing Impairments: During either a presentation or a session of remote learning, the Closed Captioning option in both, Google Slides and Google Meet, can be beneficial to the students who have hearing disabilities.
Online learning which is easy to reach: Teachers may allow Support for Screen Reader to ensure that students with visual impairments can access the materials used in the class from Google Classroom or Google docs.
Incorporating the UDL approach: In order to meet different learning styles in one lesson, teachers can use other potential Google accessibility features alongside the lesson which makes the lesson more comprehensive.
Support for self-directed Learning: Students with disabilities can employ the use of some extension tools (in this case it will be a Chrome extension, for example a text-to-speech tool) to help them study, research, or do assignments independently incorporating independence into the learning process.
WAVE Accessibility Checker, where WAVE stands for the ‘Web Accessibility Versatile Evaluation Tool’, is a web accessibility evaluation tool. The WAVE approaching make it possible for them to examine web sites, documents and multimedial content of any type to see, if they conform with certain requirements regarding accessibility standards WCAG and Section 508. These refer to accessibility problems such as lack of alt text, low color contrast, and geometrical obstructions in site navigation. More importantly, It depicts the mistakes and suggests ways to correct them in order for the corresponding web content to meet the requirements laid down for the disabled population. It is accessible as a standalone software application or through the website to assess separate websites.
Resource/Tool: WAVE Accessibility Checker
WAVE Accessibility Checker is the most helpful tool for institutions that cares about there square reports. Checking web pages compatibility with this tool visually shows the importance of some elements to pages where the webmasters usually hide them. In addition it supplies users with the necessary information on how the errors that were found can be corrected making it easier and more convenient for them to publish their works in such a way as to reach all the target audience.
Ideas on How to Use the Resource/Tool:
Website Accessibility Audits: The WAVE tool is an excellent solution for schools to check that their websites and digital learning hubs are accessible to all students including those who are disabled.
Enhancing Teaching Aids: Teachers can gyroscope augmentative paper on lesson plans or other non-paper material in WAVE and make the necessary amendments based on the outcomes such as missing alt texts or insufficient contrast.
Educators’ Training: WAVE can be utilized during teachers’ professional development sessions so that teachers can know how to create accessible digital materials and learn the basic concepts of web accessibility.
Creating / developing Online Courses that are Accessible For All: While designing E-Learning courses or course assignments, educators can employ WAVE to ascertain that their course materials meet the set accessibility standards, thus allowing all students to participate.
Performing Group Check of Accessibility: WAVE is also useful in enhancing students’ understanding of inclusive design by allowing teachers and students to check the accessibility of student generated content of their course in WAVE as a group.
John T. King Jr.
Introduction to Accessibility
John T. King Jr. 
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