Making materials accessible in the classroom

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Thursday, 27 March 2014 17:22pm

Accessing education materials, such as videos and diagrams, in the classroom is a particular challenge for students who are blind or vision impaired. A number of new technologies are making it easier for teachers to meet the needs of these students across subjects.

The DIAGRAM Center in the USA is a research and development centre focussing on making content accessible for students. Part of the Benetech Global Literacy initiative, DIAGRAM provides information, tools and tips for creating accessible images. The centre runs a series of webinars such as on topics such making maths accessible and integrating accessible images into eBooks.

The next webinar is on how 3D printing can be used to create accessible tactile diagrams and other materials for blind and vision impaired students. This will be held on April 30 at 7pm GMT and placed on the DIAGRAM website for teachers’ convenience.

Media Access Australia’s Vision Education Scoping Report highlighted the need for initiatives to assist schools to implement effective and accessible strategies to promote and enhance students’ access to teaching and learning. This includes information on accessible text books, assistive technologies and how the challenge of providing access is being met in different states and school sectors.


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