Holding out for Accessibility Heroes: Digital Accessibility in PK-12

Framework

This study follows an exploratory mixed methods approach grounded in the theoretical perspective of pragmatism (Feilzer, 2010). Within the perspective of pragmatism, we explore the complex issues of accessibility and perceptions of accessibility through layers of objective and subjective realities. Using both quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis methods we seek to achieve a deeper understanding of teachers’ perceptions of digital accessibility issues and the need for shifts in practice.
We base our definition of digital accessibility on the WebAIM Strategic Accessibility Framework (WebAIM, 2023) which asserts that web accessibility’s purpose is to ensure that users with disabilities have no barriers to access. In our definition we apply in a PK-12 context, we broaden the idea of digital access to encompass all PK-12 students as well as practitioners, understanding that barriers to digital access manifest across a broad spectrum and affect technology users individually according to their unique needs, backgrounds, and abilities. Rogers’ (2003) Diffusion of Innovations (DoI) serves as the theoretical framework through which we examine digital accessibility as an innovation of practice and professional development as a potential change agent. In addition, DoI provides a lens for understanding whether and why teachers are willing to adopt digital accessibility practices as well as the perceived barriers to adoption.

Methods

The target population for this study is in-service PK-12 teachers. Participants will be recruited through the school librarians who are co-investigators of this study as well as presenters. The librarians will work with their principals to schedule a one-time professional development on digital accessibility for their faculty. The professional development will be one hour and fulfill two objectives: raise awareness of digital accessibility and provide basic tools for adopting digital accessibility practices. Following the professional development which will be conducted by the librarian as well as the principal investigator (PI) of this study, the teachers will be invited to participate in an anonymous online survey. (The PI is a fully certified school librarian and a faculty member in a school librarian preparation program.) The librarian and PI will inform the teachers that participation is voluntary and confidential in accordance with the IRB protocol for this study.

In alignment with the mixed methods design used in this study, our survey will collect quantitative and qualitative data from participants. In addition to general demographic information including prior experience and confidence with using digital instructional materials, the survey will collect information on the following using checklist survey items: types of digital materials used in the classroom, types of accessibility barriers most often encountered by the teacher, and types of accessibility barriers most often encountered by students as perceived by the teacher. For each of these checklist items, participants will receive the opportunity to provide any additional pertinent information through a comments field. The survey will measure the following variables related to participants’ perception of digital accessibility using Likert-type scales: familiarity with the term digital accessibility, frequency of personal experience with digital accessibility barriers, frequency of perceived student experience with digital accessibility barriers, and overall perceived accessibility of digital instructional content currently used in the teacher’s classroom. Each item will allow participants the opportunity to provide anecdotal feedback. The survey will also measure variables related to participants’ willingness to adopt the following digital accessibility practices in the future using Likert-type scales: likelihood of choosing digital instructional materials based on accessibility, likelihood of adapting current digital instructional materials to be more accessible, likelihood of adapting future content creation practices to promote accessibility, and interest in future digital accessibility training opportunities. The survey will then use a Likert-type item to measure participants' confidence in being able to address digital accessibility issues. Finally, the survey will measure participants’ perceptions of the likely challenges they may encounter to adopting digital accessibility practices using Likert-type items. A comment field will accompany this section of the survey, allowing participants to discuss any additional challenges they feel they might encounter.

We will first analyze quantitative data using descriptive data analysis examining response frequencies for checklist items and means for Likert-type items. To explore possible relationships among the data, we will begin by examining a bivariate correlation matrix of Likert-type survey items followed by an investigation of participant response patterns using cluster analysis. After determining the existence of clusters in the data using the results of cluster analysis, we will examine between-cluster member demographics to identify patterns in cluster membership that suggest whether certain variables were predictive of participants’ responses. These analyses will allow us to identify potential patterns in the data suggesting theoretically meaningful relationships among the variables. We will then analyze qualitative data using Seldana’s (2021) coding methods to identify meaningful themes that emerge from the data and conduct member checking with consultant experts outside our research team to validate identified codes and themes. Findings from quantitative and qualitative analyses will be synthesized in the results, and from the synthesis we will draw tentative conclusions.

Results

Through this exploratory mixed methods study, we seek to understand PK-12 teachers’ perceptions of digital accessibility and their willingness to adopt digital accessibility practices after completing a professional development training conducted by school librarians. Upon completing data collection during the first quarter of the Spring 2025 semester, we will conduct data analysis during the second quarter of that semester and complete all analyses by April 30, 2025. From the quantitative survey data, we expect our findings to shed light on the following variables and their relationships with each other: teachers’ familiarity with, prior knowledge of, and perceptions of digital accessibility; teachers’ willingness to base future selection of instructional materials on digital accessibility; teachers’ willingness to adapt current instructional materials to comply with digital accessibility guidelines; teachers’ willingness to adapt future digital content creation practices for digital accessibility; teachers’ confidence in addressing digital accessibility issues; the perceived barriers to adopting digital accessibility practices; and teachers’ interest in future digital accessibility training opportunities. Through analysis of qualitative data, we expect to achieve a deeper understanding and context for teachers’ perceptions of digital accessibility and their willingness to adopt digital accessibility practices, as expressed in the quantitative data.

Importance

Researchers have cautioned that the increase in access to and demand for digital instructional content may lead to increased barriers for marginalized populations and increase the complexity of meeting diverse learning needs (Bong & Chen, 2021; Gilligan, 2020; Wilkens et al., 2021). Research has reported efforts in higher education to understand digital accessibility issues (Bong & Chen, 2021; Gilligan, 2020; Guilbaud et al., 2021; Lomellini et al., 2022; Sanderson et al., 2022) and train and equip faculty and staff to adopt digital accessibility practices (Mancilla & Frey, 2021). However, very little is known about the awareness of digital accessibility issues and best practices among PK-12 teachers or how professional development can fill this gap (Shaheen, 2022). This study will offer insight into the potential of digital accessibility professional development conducted by school librarians to create awareness and recognition of students’ needs for digitally accessible instructional content, equip teachers with basic skills for adopting digital accessibility practices, and motivate change.

ISTE attendees will benefit from the study’s findings as they will lend valuable insight into PK-12 teacher perspectives of digital accessibility and how to create awareness and sympathy. The more teachers that adopt digital accessibility practices, the better equipped the PK-12 field will be to meet students’ increasingly complex and diverse needs. In addition, the presenters will provide attendees access to the professional development materials used in the study so that they can use and/or adapt the materials as needed to conduct similar training in their own schools.

References

Bong, W. K., & Chen, W. (2021). Increasing faculty’s competence in digital accessibility for inclusive education: a systematic literature review. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 1-17. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/13603116.2021.1937344

Feilzer, M. Y. (2010). Doing mixed methods research pragmatically: Implications for the rediscovery of pragmatism as a research paradigm. Journal of mixed methods research, 4(1), 6-16. https://doi.org/10.1177/1558689809349691

Gilligan, J. (2020). Competencies for educators in delivering digital accessibility in higher education. In Universal Access in Human-Computer Interaction. (pp. 184-199). Springer International Publishing. https://arrow.tudublin.ie/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1019&context=ittscicon

Guilbaud, T. C., Martin, F., & Newton, X. (2021). Faculty perceptions on accessibility in online learning: Knowledge, practice and professional development. Online Learning, 25(2), 6-35. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1301723.pdf

Lomellini, A., Lowenthal, P. R., Snelson, C., & Trespalacios, J. H. (2022). Higher education leaders’ perspectives of accessible and inclusive online learning. Distance Education, 43(4), 574–595. https://doi.org/10.1080/01587919.2022.2141608

Mancilla, R., & Frey, B. (2021). Professional development for digital accessibility: A needs assessment. [Online white paper.] https://www.qualitymatters.org/sites/default/files/research-docs-pdfs/QM-Digital-Accessibility-Professional-Development-WP.pdf

Rogers, E. M. (2003). Diffusion of Innovations (5th ed.). New York: Free Press.
Saldaña, J. (2021). The coding manual for qualitative researchers. 1-440.

Sanderson, N., Kessel, S., & Chen, W. (2022). What do faculty members know about universal design and digital accessibility?: A qualitative study in computer science and engineering disciplines. Universal Access in the Information Society, 21(2), 351-365. https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s10209-022-00875-x.pdf

Shaheen, N. L. (2022). Technology accessibility: How US K-12 schools are enacting policy and addressing the equity imperative. Computers & Education, 179, 104414. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2021.104414

Wilkens, L., Haage, A., Lüttmann, F., & Bühler, C. R. (2021). Digital teaching, inclusion and students’ needs: Student perspectives on participation and access in higher education. Social Inclusion, 9(3), 117-129. https://www.cogitatiopress.com/socialinclusion/article/viewFile/4125/2177