[Pibe-division] Re-Defining the Term "Accessible" for preK-12 in the Digital Education Era - We Need a Better & More Effective Definition

[Eric Guillory]

Thank you so much for this comprehensive message. While technology has presented tremendous opportunities for our blind and visually impaired students, it has also presented many unintended challenges and roadblocks for those of us who serve them. I am grateful that, here in Louisiana, though the state is slated to become entirely computer-based with regard to end of course and other assessments, we have been assured that are blind kids will continue to receive hardcopy braille forms of those assessments. As you say, maps, graphics, mathematics, and other multiline assignments simply cannot be conveyed adequately using digital means. And, as you also wisely point out, even in instances when information can be conveyed digitally using refreshable braille, screen readers, and the like, our students simply, at least in many instances, have not been adequately trained, nor have their instructors.

These are murky waters indeed, but we have been compelled to navigate them and must do so with the knowledge that, for our kids to be competitive, we who serve them must remain current and alert to potential difficulties and challenges. Thank you, as always, Dr. V for keeping this issue in the forefront of our thinking.

Eric Guillory
PIBE Pres.

Sent from my iPhone

On Feb 21, 2013, at 1:00 AM, DrV <pumpkinracer at gmail.com> wrote:

> Hi All,
> 
> This is a follow up to a prior post. I got a few private responses. The best proposal was put forth by Sharon Maneki who wrote: “Here is a definition of accessibility that we are trying to get the Maryland State Department of Education to adopt.  Much of this language comes from the Department of Justice uses.  I think it is a good definition.  
> 
>  
> 
> "Accessible" means fully and equally accessible to and independently usable by blind individuals so that blind students and professionals are able to acquire the same information, engage in the same interactions, and enjoy the same services as sighted students and professionals, with substantially equivalent ease of use.”
> 
>  
> 
> The proposed definition is a good one & is based on the precedent set by US Dept of Ed & US Dept of Justice definitions, however I will be provocative & state that I don't feel it is specific enough to address the needs of pre-K through 12 students.
> 
>  
> 
> It needs to be acknowledged that different tools (laptop, i-device, electronic braille notetaker) provide different levels of accessibility to the same e-content. It is critically important to understand that the same webpage that may technically be accessible to an experienced blind adult, or a student in middle school or high school (who has been trained in blind technologies) may very well not be independently accessible to a student in the younger grades, for various reasons including:
> 
> - the technologies may not yet have been introduced,
> 
> - or they may not yet have the required proficiently,
> 
> - or they may not have the needed software or hardware to access required assignments both at school & at home.
> 
>  
> 
> As I heard so many times in my pediatric training - "Children are not just little adults". 
> 
>  
> 
> Thus I think that the Educational Definition of “Blind-Accessible” in Childhood should be more specific, for it includes the following components:
> 
> 1.     Content needs to be designed and presented in a universally accessible format (ie: reading assignment, presentation, video, graphic, i-textbook). For this to be a consistent reality, districts need to assure that all teachers are not only aware of this legal requirement, but must ensure they have the training and tools to create or otherwise provide accessible content. Likewise, suppliers of textbooks to blind students need to be held accountable for making sure that the materials they provide are compliant with the described current accessibility requirements. The same holds true for iBook publishers - rules and procedures should be set in place to make sure that all i-textbooks are vetted to assure adherence to access standards.
> 
> 2.     Students need to have full-time access (at school & at home) to the needed accessible “hardware”. For a blind/VI child that includes: a laptop, an i-device, an electronic braille notetaker, and/or an independent portable refreshable braille keyboard.
> 
> 3.     Students need to have round-the-clock access to needed software. For a blind child that includes: screen-reading software, a braille translation program, accessible apps, etc.
> 
> 4.     Students need to receive training that assures they acquire grade-appropriate proficiency in the skills to use the various devices and programs & how to best integrate them to access and manipulate information and data. The new reality is that this training needs to be initiated much earlier than has been the historical norm, ideally starting in elementary school or sooner. Likewise, the student’s VI service team needs to be up-to-date and proficient with the tools and skills as well.
> 
> 5.     Accessible tactile back-up plans must be in place. It is critical to assure that there is an identified effective mechanism to assure that content that can’t be presented effectively in an accessible digital format be presented in hard copy in real time (math, maps, graphics). 
> 
> Any other thoughts?
> 
> Eric
> 
>  
> 
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> On Sat, Jan 26, 2013 at 8:02 AM, DrV <pumpkinracer at gmail.com> wrote:
>> Hi All,
>> 
>> Education is moving more & more into the digital realm.
>> 
>> Students of all ages are being asked or required to access teacher websites, web-based calendars, and are being directed to watch on-line videos clips, download assignments, upload assignments, or perhaps blog.
>> 
>> Some districts have adopted digital textbooks, other are seriously planning to do so.
>> 
>> Some students are being expected to do on-line drills.
>> 
>> An increasing number of students are starting to be tested using on-line quizzes & tests, including for math & foreign languages.
>> 
>> Many school districts are creating Technology Departments & Committees to address & some are trying to standardize their districts digital education needs & operation.
>> 
>> A student’s performance & grade is increasingly being assessed based on their digital performance.
>> 
>> There are many tools young blind & low vision students can use to access what they need.
>> 
>> What information is “visible” on a given website can vary depending on the tool used to access it; the same website may look very different to a student using a Braille Notaker vs iphone vs ipad vs laptop with JAWS vs a Mac laptop.
>> 
>> This is no longer an issue just for students at the upper grade levels, but also in the early education years down to kindergarten & preschool.
>> 
>> As parents, vi professionals, & students interact with classroom teachers & with school districts they need to figure out how accessible things are.
>> 
>> This is not an academic or philosophical question, but rather a very real issue.
>> 
>> Given the spectrum of tools & age groups pre-k through grad school, has anyone come across an accepted working definition of what “accessible” now means?
>> 
>> I look forward to your thoughts, insights & discussion.
>> 
>> Respectfully,
>> 
>> EricV
>> 
> 
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