1. Traveling the Road with Accessible Educational Materials and Assistive Technology Joy Smiley Zabala, Ed.D. Director of Technical Assistance CAST and the National Center on Accessible Educational Materials for Learning

2. PART TWO: What do we know about Accessible Educational Materials?

3. aem.cast.org AEM Center Goal To build the capacity of states, districts, postsecondary institutions, families, publishers, and other stakeholders to increase the availability and use of high-quality accessible educational materials (AEM) that support improved learning opportunities for students with disabilities in Part C, K-12, higher education and workplace environments. 2

4. aem.cast.org Materials are Materials 3 Instructional = Educational = Learning

5. aem.cast.org Ongoing Collaborators AEM Center at CAST + = Learning Ally Benetech B4E NIMAC at APH, and APH 4

6. aem.cast.org 5

7. IDEA Access to Materials

8. aem.cast.org IDEA Fed. Reg. Section 300.172 Provisions require state and local education agencies to ensure that textbooks and related core instructional materials are provided to students with print disabilities in specialized formats in a timely manner. Legal requirement is placed on state and local education agencies. IDEA cannot place requirements on publishers 7

9. aem.cast.org Specialized Formats of Printed Materials Braille, large print, audio, and digital text Exactly the same information as the printed materials Only the presentation of the material is different

10. aem.cast.org A Four-Step Process for Decision-Making 1.Establish need for instructional materials in accessible format(s) 2.Select format(s) and features needed by a student for educational participation and achievement 3.Commence steps to acquire needed format(s) in a timely manner 4.Determine supports needed for effective use for educational participation and achievement. AIM Navigator at http://aem.cast.orghttp://aem.cast.org

11. Lesson Learned… The need or preference for instructional materials in accessible formats goes well beyond well beyond print and students with identified disabilities. 10

12. aem.cast.org Accessible Educational Materials… Are designed or enhanced in a way that makes them usable by the widest possible range of student variability regardless of format (print, digital, graphical, audio, video) Content may be “designed to be used as print” and require retrofitting Content may be “designed to be used digitally” and difficult to retrofit if not accessible from the start 11

13. Lesson Learned… When thinking about accessible digital materials, it is important to understand that content and delivery technology are two sides of the AEM coin and both require careful consideration and selection. 12

14. aem.cast.org The information is the content Technology is the delivery system that the student uses to perceive and interact with the content Two Sides of AEM Coin 13

15. Sources of Accessible Formats of Print-based Materials

16. There are multiple sources for acquiring accessible versions of printed materials but most sources do not deal all types of AEM and some cannot be used to provide materials to for all students 15

17. aem.cast.org Multiple Sources of Accessible Materials NIMAS source files from the NIMAC: Printed materials. Use constrained by copyright AND IDEA Accessible Media Producers: Printed materials. Use constrained by copyright restrictions (Bookshare, Learning Ally, APH, etc.) Locally Produced: May have constraints and certainly require significant human resources Free Sources: No limitations, but may not be the same as used by others Commercial Sources: Purchase for anyone, use with anyone!

18. Lesson Learned… As the publishing industry “goes digital” the most promising sources of AEM for widespread use are: accessible digital learning materials developed by publishers and made available for purchase accessible open educational resources (OERs) 17

19. Many of the digital educational materials and their delivery systems are not currently accessible! but here’s a problem… 18

20. White paper. Center for Online Learning and Students with Disabilities http://centerononlinelearning.org 19

21. Purchasing Accessible Learning Materials

22. aem.cast.org The PALM Initiative 21 Purchase Accessible Learning Materials Purchase Accessible Learning Materials

23. Lesson Learned… Purchasing materials designed from the start with rich options that increase their accessibility and make them more widely usable is beneficial in many ways. 22

24. aem.cast.org Benefits of purchasing accessible materials Supports inclusion All students use same materials at the same time Benefits all students’ learning All have access to supportive features and scaffolds Benefits teachers Easier to plan and teach Reduces complexity Eliminates eligibility questions Reduces costly accommodations No need for different sets of materials or to provide accommodations for inaccessible materials Created Accessible from the Start

25. aem.cast.org As exciting, inviting digital materials are being developed, publishers are not hearing much of a demand for accessibility or broad usability! and here’s another problem… 24

26. Lesson Learned… Asking a commercial publisher or a creator of OERs if their digital materials are “accessible” often leads to answers that are not very enlightening. 25

27. aem.cast.org What does “accessible” mean? 26 Chris Bugaj http://attipscast.com

28. The Moving Target of Accessibility

29. aem.cast.org Think about a student who is deaf or hard of hearing 28

30. aem.cast.org Accessibility is increased with… Captions for multimedia presentations Transcripts of multimedia presentations Simultaneous sign language input Alternatives for sound cues Amplified sound and noise reducing earphones 29

31. aem.cast.org Think about a student with low vision 30

32. aem.cast.org Accessibility is increased with… Compatible screen magnification software Flexible formatting such as fonts, font size, contrast and colors Text-to-speech software can be used Audio formats provided Logical order to content that is easily understandable 31

33. aem.cast.org Think about a student who is blind 32

34. aem.cast.org Accessibility is increased when… Screen reader software can be used Refreshable braille device with speech compatible can be used Transcripts of multimedia presentations are compatible with refreshable braille devices Alt text for images is provided Logical order to content is easily understandable 33

35. aem.cast.org Think about a student with a physical disability 34

36. aem.cast.org Accessibility is increased when... Navigation is mouse-free and all functionality is available from the keyboard or other devices Visual focus provides guidance Alternative input devices or programs are compatible such as voice recognition or visual keyboards when writing is required 35

37. aem.cast.org Think about a student who has a learning disability, dyslexia, ADHD, autism or other cognitive disability 36

38. aem.cast.org Accessibility is increased when... Formatting can be changed to meet preferences Text-to-speech software and supported reading software are compatible Access location supports and progress bars are available Time limits for responses can be extended Logical order to content that is easily understandable 37

39. Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 Developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Web Accessibility Initiative http://www.w3.org/wai 38

40. aem.cast.org WCAG 2.0, Level AA Principles Perceivable: Information and user interface components must be presentable to users in ways they can perceive Operable: User interface components and navigation must be operable Understandable: Information and the operation of user interface must be understandable Robust: Content must be robust enough that it can be interpreted reliably by a wide variety of user agents, including AT 39

41. aem.cast.org Section 508? DAISY? WCAG 2.0? ? ? ? ? Accessibility for the Rest of Us Show me! 40

42. aem.cast.org Seek out and purchase materials that: Can run on a variety of devices Are developed in device-agnostic file formats (e.g., accessible HTML, Microsoft Word, PDF, ePUB) Have content represented in multiple ways (e.g., video captions, alt text, text and image descriptions that can be voiced, digital braille ) “Show me” Indicators of Accessibility 41

43. aem.cast.org Seek out and purchase materials that: Are compatible with other technologies (e.g. assistive technology, screen readers, refreshable braille, text-to- speech, and human-voice reading) Have rich navigation alternatives (e.g., keyboard shortcuts/mapping or screen gestures) Have location supports such as page numbers and/or progress bars “Show me” Indicators of Accessibility 42

44. aem.cast.org Seek out and purchase materials that: Have mathematical, scientific, and music symbols, formulas, and notations represented in multiple ways (e.g., explained with text alternatives, MathML) If writing is required, keyboard entry is supported by alternatives (e.g., word prediction, on-screen keyboards, voice input) “Show me” Indicators of Accessibility 43

45. aem.cast.org Electronic Digital Rights Management (DRM) built into materials MUST NOT prevent access to built-in accessibility features or necessary assistive technologies. and another thing…. 44

46. And about those tests…

47. Commonly Used Supports Scaffolds, access supports and accommodations provided to students during instruction should be available during assessment as long as they do not violate the construct(s) being assessed. If technology or any other support/accommodation is commonly used in education and life, why would it be unavailable in assessment?

48. Tool/System Transparency If a student is unfamiliar with available tools or with the way the tools are presented, the cognitive and physical attention required to deal with the tools take cognitive attention away from the task.. Are available tools for the assessment those that are commonly used by THE INDIVIDUAL STUDENT who is expected to use them in high stakes assessments?

49. The Dilemma of Multiple Constructs When more than one construct is being assessed and the inability to successfully deal with one construct blocks the way for assessing the others, consideration should be given to accessing the constructs separately. Is the assessment designed to confirm what we already know a student cannot do or to determine what she CAN do?

50. System/Tool Interoperability Interoperability across platforms and tools (hardware and software) is critical to a flexible system that can be effectively and efficiently used across the widest possible range of student diversity and variability. Avoid writing one particular “solution” into a system. One size never did fit all.

51. Assessment Guides Instruction What is available in assessment has great influence on what is made available and used during instruction.

52. Decision-making Responsibilities Students, educators, families and others need support to build their familiarity with the strengths and challenges of various accommodations and their capacity to select among them. Do decision-makers know their roles and how to go about considering the barriers lowered – and possibly raised – by various support options?

53. Where can we learn more or get help when we need it?

54. aem.cast.org AEM Resources 53 The AEM Center Web Site Knowledge, Tools, and Supports at Your Fingertips! http://aem.cast.org

55. aem.cast.org Examples AEM Resources 54 Simply Said” Video All About AIM section AIMing for Achievement Article Series Accessible Instructional Materials: AIM Basics for Families Accessible Instructional Materials (AIM): A Technical Guide for Families and Advocates And much, much more

56. aem.cast.org AT Resources 55 The SETT Framework Brief Articles SETT Scaffolds http://www.joyzabala.com

57. aem.cast.org AT Resources 56 QIAT Visit the QIAT website Join the QIAT Lis t http://qiat.org

58. aem.cast.org Knowledge is power. Information is liberating. Education is the premise of progress, in every society, in every family. Kofi Anan 57

59. aem.cast.org Contact Information Joy Zabala jzabala@cast.org