The following is from Digital Learning Tools: What to Consider When Building Inclusive Classrooms Online a Blog by Harmonize

When creating online courses, we should be designing with Accessibility, Usability, and Inclusion in mind.

Evolving technologies in online learning expose instructors and students to new ways of engaging in a virtual classroom. However, that innovation doesn’t matter if it’s not built to be accessible.

At its core, accessibility is about the ability to benefit from a system or entity. In our online world, web accessibility is when websites and tools are properly designed, specifically for people with disabilities, so everyone can understand, navigate, and interact with the web content presented.

Currently, many sites and tools are developed with accessibility barriers that make them difficult or impossible for some to use. When thinking about accessibility and the kinds of tools to employ for creating equity in the classroom, ask these questions:

Can the user easily perceive the elements presented in the tool?
Can they operate the various functions of the tool easily?
Can they easily consume and understand the content presented in the user interface?

While making sure tools and technologies are designed so that people with disabilities can use them is no small task, so too is ensuring that access to an online learning experience is equitable among students with a diverse set of needs. When looking for tools that support equitable access, consider the different types of students you serve.

Inclusive of Learner Styles

Inclusion also takes into account the diverse ways students learn. For example, a hearing-impaired student may struggle with video or audio files, but thrive when asked to annotate a photo or comment on another student’s post.

Further, a visually-impaired student may struggle to synthesize concepts presented in an online gallery full of images but is actively participating in the online discussion using audio files. Neither approach is better than the other; what is important is providing tools that accommodate any which way a person learns.

To read more, travel to the blog linked above!