Nearly 75% of 2.4 million U.S. students with disabilities choose not to seek accommodations. Designing accessible online courses should be a priority for institutions as it benefits all learners. Attendees will review and discuss research data and strategies that highlight the need for accessibility in online courses.
The presenter for this discovery session is a graduate student earning their Ed.D. in educational leadership with a concentration in learning, design, and technology. The focus of their qualitative research is accessibility in online course design. The purpose is to examine the effectiveness of training to design accessible online courses to support students. Current research questions include: How do faculty describe the need to make online courses accessible for students? How do faculty explain the barriers and facilitators to creating online accessible content? How do faculty perceive professional development informing their practices related to creating accessible courses? This session will highlight major takeaways in current literature regarding accessibility in online learning as well as strategies that attendees can immediately implement to make online courses more accessible. The presenter hopes to share the research that they have collected so far with attendees as it is an important topic to consider for professionals who create online learning experiences for students. In sharing this information, the presenter looks forward to conversations with attendees and gaining insight on what they believe works best in training opportunities for faculty, designers, and other stakeholders. The presenter will feature an online presentation, host an interactive discussion with attendees who visit their station, and share giveaways. The presenter will design an accessibility checklist on bookmarks that attendees can select and keep for future reference.
References:
Accredited Schools Online. (2016). Higher education for students with disabilities. http://www.accreditedschoolsonline.org/resources/best-accredited-colleges-schoolsfor-students-with-disabilities/
Huss, J. A., & Eastep, S. (2016). Okay, our courses are online, but are they ADA compliant? An investigation of faculty awareness of accessibility at a midwestern university. I.e.: Inquiry in Education, 8(2).
Wynants, S. A., & Dennis, J. M. (2017). Embracing diversity and accessibility: A mixed methods study of the impact of an online disability awareness program. Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, 30(1), 33–48.