Staff from these departments should not only team up with each other but also involve students with disabilities in decisions regarding their needs and services, and adopt an accessibility rubric to make better tech procurement decisions, the 17-page document states.
It also advises schools to make accessible educational content the norm and to lean on state agencies for help with assistive technology, such as screen readers for blind students and voice-controlled software for those with motor impairments.
These are not mandates but recommendations to help school systems create what ED calls accessible digital infrastructure, where “accessibility is not just an add-on but a foundational element of education.”
With careful planning now, the brief states, schools can help ensure all students have equal access to the same technology resources and avoid adding to the list of tools and content that must be replaced or retrofitted to comply with federal statutes.
The document includes links to resources on state assistive technology programs, which can help schools find and finance assistive devices for students with disabilities. In Massachusetts, for example, a mobile van travels to schools so students can try out different devices, the brief reports.
There are also links to resources that can help schools create and provide accessible educational materials, which include items such as electronic textbooks and other core content. Francis Howell School District in Missouri, for instance, requires its textbook providers to submit files to the National Instructional Materials Access Center, which publishes them for conversion to other formats. The district also asks its vendors to complete a Voluntary Product Accessibility Template and makes accessibility language a standard part of any purchase order or request for proposal, per the brief.
The document adds that teacher-made materials must be accessible as well. It points to a professional learning program from the South Carolina Department of Education, “intended to bridge the gap between theory and practice,” with sessions for teachers on topics that range from creating accessible videos and alternative text to identifying accessible digital resources.
“Educators (certified and classified) are becoming increasingly more accustomed to creating and implementing digital materials, such as collaborative documents, multimedia learning tools and online resources,” the brief states. “Now it is time to make sure all users can access these materials.”
Co-authored by ED’s Office of Educational Technology and the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, the brief is the fourth in a series on how to build technology infrastructure for K-12 learning.
