The resource introduces the audience to the OER Service as well as the university’s efforts to improve the accessibility and inclusivity of its resources. By looking at and together analysing three already published OER (all listed below), learners are taught what points to keep in mind as they are creating their own resources. The resource is available as a video and in transcript format with PowerPoint slides embedded.

This resource is a collaborative effort and was created for Geoscience Outreach students to practice considering the accessibility, inclusivity, and OER suitability of their created resources. It was originally run as a workshop by Open Content Curator Interns Molly Wickett and Alyssa Heggison in 2022, and has now been adapted for sustainable use as a video with accompanying transcript by an Intern August Enger in 2023.

Acquiring the accessible formats a learner needs is part of a multi-step decision-making process. By prioritizing accessibility, access barriers for learners with disabilities will be minimized when materials are acquired. In cases where inaccessible materials have been selected, alternative forms - accessible formats - of those materials will have to be acquired for learners who need them. Examples of accessible formats include audio, braille, large print, tactile graphics, and digital text conforming with accessibility standards.

Accessible formats of materials can be acquired from:

Accessible Media Producers (AMPs)
Publishers
Local Conversion

This instructional text and designer resources have been prepared to support those learning about adaptive apparel design. The text is easy for students, scholars, and designers to use, and is organized around the apparel design process: research, sketching, developing a sample notebook, mood or inspiration board, pattern work, first sample, and the completed ensemble. Users can read from beginning to end or jump into resources related to their current phase of design.

Advocating For My Accessible Educational Materials (AEM) is a workbook designed for students to use as they begin to learn to advocate for the accommodations and accessibility features they need in their educational programs. It applies common self-advocacy principles to the needs of students who use AEM in their daily educational programs. Students and their support teams will find this guide useful when an assessment has been completed to establish the need for accessible educational materials, technology, and assistive technology. In creating this workbook, the authors have assumed that the student is already using their AEM in functional ways in their educational environments. Because students can start building self-advocacy skills as soon as they begin to use AEM, individual sections of the workbook may be useful as soon as students begin to learn to use AEM.

Strategy for reducing anxiety that may cause inattention and zoning out in triggering situations. 

Apps for students with learning disabilities/dyslexia
Overview
Student using iPad to readMost of the Assistive Technology (AT) software applications designed for students with learning disabilities/dyslexia are focused on accommodating the reading process. However, there are also a large number of software applications that can assist students with learning disabilities in other ways including, planning, time management, organization, speech-to-text (for students who also have written expression issues), audio recordings, note-taking and many others.

The following are lists and resources for locating lists of apps, software applications and other technologies designed to assist students with learning disabilities/dyslexia.

Quick teaching tip: Strategy for Asperger's syndrome in the classroom.

Made with Vyond.

This Module offers an overview of assistive technology (AT) and explores ways to expand students' access to it in the classroom (est. completion time: 2 hours).

Learning Center
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The new ATIA Learning Center is a user-friendly source of high-quality education, presented by leading AT professionals and designed for educators, consultants, and service professionals working at the local, state and national levels in government and private organizations. The Learning Center is the place to:
Discover courses covering a wide variety of AT topics*
Expand your knowledge and skills on your own time
Download handouts for future use
Earn CEU certificates immediately (upon completion of course assessments)
Store your unfinished courses, completed assessments, and CEU certificates in one place – indefinitely!
Complete feedback surveys to improve the user experiences

In this module, we will explore how Individual Education Plan (IEP) teams can assess if assistive technology is required to reduce or remove learning barriers for students with a disability.  In the past, IEP teams have looked to specialists as experts to conduct an assistive technology assessment for their students. However, the IEP team is the best expert on their student. It is best practice for the IEP to conduct an AT assessment on their students, with each team member contributing in the area of the assessment that aligns with their expertise.  In this module, we will share the steps necessary for an assistive technology assessment, as well as resources and tools that will help the IEP team make data-informed decisions.  Assessment ideas for common types of assistive technology tools will be discussed, such as tools for reading, writing, and math.  In addition, resources will be shared for AT assessments that involve AT for vision, hearing, motor, and communication.  We will also share WA State support agencies who exist to guide IEP teams during the AT assessment process.  

Audio-supported reading (ASR) is a practical and supportable intervention that has been documented to minimize the constricting impact of limited text decoding, thereby improving academic outcomes for many students with reading-related learning disabilities. This article provides detail on the nature of reading; the challenges of reading-related, learning disabilities; the supporting legal landscape; and practical considerations for how to accurately target ASR interventions to address the needs of students with learning disabilities.

The purpose of the Quality Indicators and Critical Components is to assist state and local education agencies, institutions of higher education and workforce development agencies with planning, implementing, and evaluating dynamic, coordinated systems for the timely provision of accessible educational materials and accessible technologies. Given the variability of policies and practices across these organizations, the Quality Indicators and Critical Components are designed to provide agencies with consistent goals and to promote discussion around multiple methods to achieve those goals.

Case study of a K-12 learner illustrating the impact of accessible educational materials and technologies.

This course/lesson/material was developed from Creating Accessible Course Content, a course developed by @ONE, a project of the California Community Colleges.

Creating Accessible Course Content by @ONE, a project of the California Community College's Online Education Initiative (Links to an external site.) is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (Links to an external site.)

Re-mixed and created content for Bay College by Bay College Online Learning, also CC-BY.

CC-BY Images from Pixabay.

This is a weekly behavior chart that is meant to be modified for your students and their unique needs. 

Events such as conferences, festivals, annual meetings, award ceremonies, fundraisers and seminars are an important part of the lives of many people including persons with disabilities and the elderly. Thus, it is important to ensure that such events are planned and organized in an accessible and inclusive manner to meet the needs of all visitors and participants.
This document aims to help organizations to make events more digitally accessible for persons with disabilities who may be attending as presenters, participants, or sponsors. It provides guidance on how to ensure ICT Accessibility before, during and after the event, offering a set of best practices adopted internationally and locally with reference to the topics outlined in the CPRD policy framework that will open up a section of a potential market that is often overlooked and help to meet existing legal responsibilities of the organizations from an ICT perspective.

Accessibility is frequently the last thing course and website developers want to think about when creating an online content. There is extra time involved up front, but it can help prevent problems down the line. I think most of us in higher education care about all students and want to help them to our best ability. There are also laws protecting the rights of individuals with disabilities to have access to programs and services that institutions of higher education offer. Section 504 of The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 says that public institutions receiving federal funds, this includes student financial aid, need to ensure that people with disabilities can participate in programs & activities and have the same benefits that people without disabilities have. It requires academic adjustments and accommodation to ensure full participation. Section 508 is an amendment that requires electronic information and technology, such as websites and online courses be accessible. The American with Disabilities Act of 1990 expands the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 to private as well as public institutions of higher education. The newest is The 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010. It requires modern communications to be accessible to people with disabilities. This includes VOIP services, electronic messaging, video conferencing, video communications and mobile browsers.

Michael Cantino from Northwest Regional Education Service District presents Creating Accessible Documents in the Microsoft and Google Suites.