Accessibility and Technology

Prior to this week, I had a basic understanding of digital accessibility. I am registered with the Centre for Accessible Learning and have seen all of the different types of technology students can use. However, most of the time when I think of accessibility, I think of a more broad view and relate it to physical accessibility related to physical disabilities, such as ramps, steps into buildings, etc. This really helped to expand my view of what accessibility means, bringing technology into the conversations I will have.

Digital accessibility practices definitely need to be talked about more as I was fairly unaware of some of them. Before today, I had not been using the alternative text feature. I have started to notice more alternative text or image descriptions added to images. In particular, a lot of queer and disabled Instragrammers have added image descriptions to everything they post. This is such a simple way to create accessibility for all.

As an able-bodied person, I need to always be reflective and aware of how I present digital media, especially in terms of colour, audio, and visual. In particular, I will work on including alt-text, subtitles, headings, and full-text transcripts. In a way, this forces me to be more purposeful in my choice of media. I am most surprised by how digital accessibility needs to be discussed and taught to parents of disabled children. I can imagine it can be very overwhelming as a parent to have to navigate raising a disabled child. As teachers, it is our job to help these parents and guide them. In particular, giving them resources such as BC Ed Access.

It is a fairly common reason why many digital accessibility practices aren’t more well-known or commonly used. Able-bodied people live a privileged life where they have no basis of understanding of what disabled people experience. I say this as one of these privileged people. It is important to always think from alternative perspectives and engage in discussion with disabled people. They are the best resources for their needs and experiences. As educators, we must always think from multiple perspectives and abilities. As well, we must actively seek out information and resources related to digital accessibility practices.

Youtube Video with Subtitles

Images and Alt-Text