Participate and share: Poster 
Attendees will…
–sharpen their understanding of universal design for learning
–explore and familiarize themselves with the accessibility tools of a device of their choice
–reflect on how accessibility tools might be useful to them and those they know, both in their classroom(s)… and in their daily lives
Attendees will leave with a hard copy of a QR code and short URL that will enable them to access and share these resources beyond the session.
As a poster session with attendees constantly passing through, this presentation is designed to be more of a self-service buffet, where people take what they want in the order they want it, than the carefully sequenced and managed, five course meal that is a workshop. A brief (5 min.) video introduction to the concepts of accessibility and universal design for learning (UDL) will be available for attendees to watch on Chromebooks as they arrive. Attendees will be encouraged to choose a device (PC, iPhone, Chromebook, etc.) for which they want to explore the accessibility features. Attendees will then use a QR code, the short URL, or the Chromebooks provided to access the Everyday Accessibility website, where, at their own pace, they’ll select brief tutorial videos about each accessibility feature on their chosen device. It takes 20-30 minutes if a person chooses to watch ALL the tutorials and try out the features on a device. Five Chromebooks with headphones will be available for attendees who need an extra screen, so they can explore the features of their chosen device without continually toggling back to the tutorials.
One ramification of the Americans with Disabilities Act was that all commonly available technology devices (computers, mobile), would need to include built-in accessibility features, so users with disabilities could access, interact with, and produce, content (See, for example, the Justice Department’s webpage: https://www.justice.gov/crt/disability-rights-section). The results were transformative. A U.S. government review of research found that when companies provided accessible technology and accessible design they actually lowered costs, while increasing productivity, innovation, and revenue. (https://digital.gov/2017/05/09/benefits-of-accessible-design/). And accessibility features were not only benefiting people with disabilities, but the larger workforce and customer base (“Accessible Design Is for All!” https://uxplanet.org/accessible-design-is-for-all-bb83bb2b4b2f). As technology started becoming widely available to students, educators began realizing that those same accessibility tools could go well beyond supporting students with identified disabilities; they could support the whole multitude of learning styles, preferences, and abilities that existed in their classrooms. This is simply part of universal design for learning (“The Importance of Teaching All Students About Tech Accessibility Features, https://www.edutopia.org/article/tech-accessibility-features-k-12-schools/#:~:text=By%20taking%20the%20time%20to,variability%20and%20promote%20student%20agency). This session will help educators discover the accessibility tools that are built into the devices they and their students have in their classrooms, and it will encourage educators to reflect on how their students might leverage those tools to support their learning and increase their productivity.
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