Accessibility in Education Using Technology

 Accessibility in Education Using Technology 

Image Source: Westminster 

What does accessibility look like in a classroom? 

In classrooms, there are students who need more support or different kinds of support to allow them to be successful just like their peers. Accessibility is the understanding that all students no matter their abilities can have equal access to resources that benefit the way that they learn. Accessibility has become a huge asset for our students who have higher needs because of the help of technology. Technology has allowed all students to participate and be active members in classrooms because of the resources that new devices have. 

When I was doing some research on the topic of technology accessibility, I found some data that is helpful to understand this idea. University of Berkeley notes that there are between 15%-20% of people who live with disabilities. Technology has helped this people negative the world around them by providing accommodations to their everyday life. This article from Berkely noted that we need to make sure that everyone can understand material with using at least one of their senses. People should have interactive tools that make sure their world is simplified like buttons that can be used for people who struggle with using their hands. All individuals should be able to understand content that they are using by having the tools they need to understand the links they are on. Finally, all websites should have access to all assistive technology and should be able to be used on any device. 

As I am a first-grade teacher and a many of my students are coming into the grade with little to no skills in reading. I have fallen in love with helping my students become better readers and helping them become confident readers. For this blog, I decided to look at tools that could help my struggling readers or tools that could help my students who have dyslexia. 1 in 5 students may be dyslexic. I know that struggling readers do not necessarily have dyslexia, but these tools can be incorporated in lessons to help address students' needs in reading, writing, and comprehension. Below I created a poster that has built-in accessibility tools and a couple extensions on the chrome that users can add to their device. These tools allow all students to understand the material in the way that is beneficial to them. 

Image Source: Personal Creation on Canva

On this poster, I displayed five different accessibility tools that students with dyslexia, or our lower skilled readers could use on their Chromebook. 

1. OpenDyslexia: OpenDyslexia is an extension on chrome that changes the font to make it easy to read for students with disabilities. 

2. Word Predication Software: This is a tool for students to use that suggest words or phrases that helps with the spelling and word recognition to speed up the typing process. 

3. Speak It: Speak It is a text to speech tool that reads any text out loud. There are options for students to pick the pace and voice of the speech to help students with the comprehension. 

4. Dictation: Dictation allows students to speak into their Chromebook to enter the text from them. This help students with spelling, short answer questions, note taking etc. 

5. Read Mode: This is a tool that is on chrome that simplifies what is on the webpage by removing all the distractions for focus. 

Why is accessibility important? 

In just my seven years as a teacher, I have watched so many of my students struggle with reading and writing. A ton of my students love to use their devices instead of using a pencil. These tools can provide my students resources on a tool that they love to use. Every student deserves to have access to support in the way that will benefit them. These will keep their stress level low because instead of continuing to struggle, students will feel that they are supported by their device. In my classroom, my students are given the option to either write their spelling words on paper or they can write them on their tablets. For some of my kiddos, they struggle with spelling and writing so I have given them access to these tools, especially the dictation one. They can use that to dictate the word but then they do need to copy it with either the keys or a drawing of the spelling. I also love to use read mode and word predication with them because at their level they are beginning to learn how to read and write. They should not have to struggle in typing or reading online materials because of the struggles they have already in the classroom. These are three things that I am very good at using in my classroom because I have seen the benefits that it has had on my students of all skill level. I introduce these tools at the beginning of the school year so students can practice using them. One thing that I would like to get better on is learning more about accessibility tools that devices offer. I have a student in my classroom right now who speaks only Spanish. I struggle to remember to talk into Google Translator so my student can understand in his language. I want to find a tool that dictates what I am saying in my students language without the constant pulling up Google Translator. I want to get better at exploring and using tools that will meet my student's needs.  

References: 

                        American Consortium for Equity in Education. (2023, November 10). Understanding the definition of accessibility. 

                                    Visser, C. (2024, August 1). Unlocking Potential: Assistive Technology for Dyslexia. Accessibility Checker. 

                                        Learning Ally. (2024, June 21). Dyslexia Awareness Strategies from Learning Ally. 

                     World Health Organization: WHO. (2024, January 2). Assistive technology.