"Ramp to Academic Accessibility"

Accessibility in the Classroom

    "S/he gets to type it out, that's not fair!"                                                                   Image Source: Tidy Lady

    "How come so-and-so gets to talk into the computer, but I can't?"

    Over time, we as educators can get pretty exhausted from hearing our students continuously complain about how their peers are receiving accommodations in the classroom, and they are not. What our students don't understand is that we don't hand out "freebies" or "easier" assignments to students because we want to make everyone else's time in school more difficult--it's because these students need the modifications and accommodations in order to complete tasks, gain knowledge, and simply have the SAME opportunity in learning as other students do.

    

    But how do we explain this to our classmates without throwing other students under the bus? How can we explain that students learn differently and need certain materials or accommodations to be able to comprehend our lessons?

    An important lesson we are taught as teachers-in-training is that fair isn't always equal. The topic of equity v. equality is a huge one--not to mention significant as it becomes a part of our day-to-day routine in the classroom. 

    

    Sure, everyone could use their 1:1 devices to speak into their documents when they're working on a writing assignment, however, this would simply provide a "crutch" for the students who are fluent in the language and are more than capable of spelling/learning new words, forming sentences, and being able to read back the thoughts they put together while fully understanding every word they put down. Whereas a student who does not speak the language or is still in the process of learning and understand the language and its grammar; a student who is dyslexic, or perhaps has little-to-no function in their hands/arms could truly benefit from a speech-to-text feature on their devices.

Universal Design for Learning

Image Source: Giulia Forsythe (Flickr)

    The Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is, "an approach to teaching that aims to give all students equal opportunities to succeed, no matter how they learn," (The Understood Team, n.d.). This design is implemented in classrooms for a few reasons:

• It can provide students with an equal opportunity in learning
• Teaching methods are flexible for a variety of learners
• Helps keep students motivated

    UDL is the method we use to provide students with equity (rather than equality) in a learning environment. For a more in-depth understanding of UDL, check out Amanda Morin's article, "What is Universal Design for Learning?" She focuses on the structure of the design and its success in the classroom.

What I Know

    Educators across the country need to be able to identify what device features can be beneficial for their students. Not every student will be suddenly successful in learning when we hand them a device. Although laptops, tablets, computers can be beneficial for many students, they can be just as difficult to use for others. We need to ensure that we are providing all the information about our devices to our students before we send them off to complete a number of tasks while they are unaware of how to use their given devices.

    A number of students thrive when they have the ability to use their devices as an accommodation in the classroom, however, it's important to be able to explain to students using devices that they are being given accommodations to help them succeed in education. It's equally as important to be able to explain to other students why they are not being given as much screen time as some of their classmates. We may know the difference between equity and equality, but our students may not, and we need to be able to take the time to explain it to them without having our accommodated students feel singled out.

Chromebook Accessibility Features

Image Source: Author

    My students are fortunate enough to be a part of a 1:1 school. Students at our school are introduced to iPads in kindergarten and 1st grade. Students use the devices to familiarize themselves with some easier learning applications and sites.

    From grades 2 thru 8, students each get their own device--a Google Chromebook. As someone who was unfamiliar with Chromebooks and their features, I had to sit down a play around on the device to find out how it functions and what features come with the device. I can honestly say that my students had an easier time figuring out the device quicker than I did, and this may be because they have similar devices at home, or simply because their brains function in a different way since their generation was born into a world of constant technological exposure.

    Some of the top features of a Chromebook are ones I like to use to accommodate for a handful of my students. One of the top features of a Chromebook is the dictation. Now, I am aware that most devices include this feature as well, but I have never had a device (as a younger student) that would provide a talk-to-text feature. If I struggled with spelling words and forming sentences, I had to work through it, and I would either learn from my mistakes or those mistakes would persistently come up in my written assignments. Today, if I have a student who is struggling to spell due to dyslexia or is learning English as a second language, I allow them to use the dictation feature, which allows them to say their thoughts into the device, and their words come up on the screen. This is also beneficial for students who struggle to type quickly enough to save time when writing. For students who enjoy writing on a screen, but do not enjoy typing on a physical keyboard, they can access the on-screen keyboard, which also allows for a hand-written feature. Students can use their stylus pens to write on the screen. The device then detects their handwriting and switches it to typed out letters/words. The on-screen keyboard also provides an additional access to the talk-to-text (dictate) feature in case if someone would like to quickly switch over to dictate a word they may not know how to spell.

    Another feature that Chromebooks have is the Chrome Vox. I find this feature incredibly helpful again for students who are struggling readers or those who need to hear words read to them as they read along. This feature provides an audio of the text on the screen. This way, if students cannot figure out the pronunciation of a word or would like to listen to the text as they read along or complete a task while they listen to the audio, they have the option of doing so. The Chrome Vox also can be switched to read aloud in other languages and has customizable voices. The audio can also be adjusted for individuals who may be deaf in one ear. The speaker system on a Chromebook can be switched into "mono audio," which adjusts the sound to be played from one speaker or both. Individuals who may be heard-of-hearing or entirely deaf in one ear, can shift the sound to come out of one side of their device (or from one direct earbud). This feature allows for the individual to hear all of the sound playing, rather than only hearing specific melodies/beats that are played out of that particular speaker.

    Lastly, Chromebooks, like many other devices, have easy touch mousepads and cursors. Chromebooks, however, now have a new focus on the visibility of the cursor on the screen, which makes it easier for individuals to locate their mouse on the screen of the device (and believe me, that's an issue I still face as an adult). The easy touch of the mousepad allows for a quick way of selecting and highlighting items on the screen. Rather than continuously clicking and dragging the mouse across the screen to select and highlight, this motion can now be completed in an easier/quicker fashion.

    

    The Chromebook is full of many wonderful and newer features, which can be found here along with explanations on what these features do and how we can access/use them. If we take the time to explore our devices, as well as the ones our students use (if they happen to be different), we can find various way to provide technological accessibility for our students.

References

Gavin, B. (2019, June 10). A Guide to Your Chromebook’s Accessibility Features. How-to Geek. https://www.howtogeek.com/415909/a-guide-to-your-chromebooks-accessibility-features/

Morin, A. (2022). What Is Universal Design for Learning? Www.understood.org. https://www.understood.org/en/articles/universal-design-for-learning-what-it-is-and-how-it-works

The Understood Team. (n.d.). The Difference Between UDL and Traditional Education. Www.understood.org. https://www.understood.org/en/articles/the-difference-between-universal-design-for-learning-udl-and-traditional-education