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Table of Contents
We already discussed the different learning styles and preferences, the Universal design (UD) and the Universal design for learning (UDL), which has been created to make any activity, including the training ones, accessible and inclusive and all the instruments and applications involved in it – usable and efficient. Potential trainees have an unlimited variety of characteristics, which the training offer should accommodate.
The UDL principles are translated into information technologies (IT) requirements by means of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), originally published in 1999 and most recently updated in 2018. According to these guidelines, users must be able to perceive the content, in our case peer learning content within the cultural sphere, regardless of the device they are using, the content should be operable, which means that users can navigate through all the controls and buttons, all the information delivered should be understandable and the entire coding should be done in a robust way, which means that all content is adequately interpreted by different devices, browsers and assistive technologies. The WCAG standards do apply to digital media, software and all kinds of technologies, even if they were initially developed to be only applied to web-based technologies.
Trainers should always anticipate that participants in online activities will have diverse characteristics. In order to make an online activity inclusive, we need to make sure that everyone feels welcome to it, that everyone is encouraged to participate and is able to fully engage in the scheduled activities. Online activities and trainings should therefore include adaptations for people who fall into the following demographics (the list is most certainly far from exhaustive):
Even if content and activity inclusivity and accessibility would require for a facilitator/ instructor as well as for the designers of the IT infrastructure to make an extra effort, accessibility should not be limited to pure compliance by adding alternate text to images and captions to videos, but it should go beyond and convert each online activity into a unique enriching experience for each and every user (Lowenthal, et al., 2020). When online delivery is designed to be inclusive from the outset, numerous potential problems would be neutralized, the need for higher levels of support would be avoided and additional costs, risks and stress for either side involved in the activity would be minimized (Taylor, 2021).
Once designed though, accessibility would foster the independence of all users or participants in an online activity. It would certainly enhance their productivity and would improve their engagement and achievement, as they will notice and enjoy the fact that their needs have been taken care of (Taylor, J. & Mote, K., 2021).
There are many assistive technologies (AT) and various accommodations that make it possible for participants of different abilities to access IT, however it is not required for trainers or organizers to know everything about AT in order to design accessible contents. Instead, it is the limitations of AT, which are far less, that can be used for determining how technologies can be designed so that users of AT can access them. Here comes a summary of the basic limitations as provided by Sheryl Burgstahler (2020):
| Assistive Technology: | Therefore: |
| May emulate the keyboard, but not the mouse | Design web, software to operate with keyboard alone |
| Cannot read content presented in images | Provide alternative text |
| Cab tab from link to link | Make links descriptive |
| Can skip from heading to heading | Structure with hierarchical headings |
| Cannot accurately transcribe audio | Caption video, transcribe audio |
Regardless of all the effort that could have been initially employed for the purpose of:
Considering all of the above, here comes a list of tips on how to guarantee that all your online activities and peer-learning offers are inclusive and accessible.
Tip 1: When presenting content, use clear layouts, navigation, and organization schemes. If you use text, your paragraphs should be short, not justified, not bulky, presented in an accessible font and without flashing content. Taking the above into consideration would make your content accessible and inclusive for all participants and in particular for the ones with attention deficit, visual impairments, dyslexia or learning disabilities.
Tip 2: Do not insert automatically playing videos in your content. If you have links to or directly use videos that have flashing content within, make sure to point this out and mark the exact timings in the video/s where this is happening, so that vulnerable users are enabled to make a choice whether they will be watching or to avoid the flashy moments. Allow users to play videos at their own discretion and after reading certain instructions, in case such are necessary. This would be extremely important for trainees with epilepsy or other neurological conditions, as well as for users who would get disoriented by randomly playing content.
Tip 3: When your text content includes headings and lists, use the built in features and designs in the software, because assistive technologies use this information to provide context to the users. This would be particularly useful for all trainees using screen readers. Simply bolding and making a certain part of a text bigger does not assign to it features of importance when screen readers are used.
Tip 4: When inserting hyperlinks, use descriptive wording such as “Go to the CULPEER website” or “Go to the Bulgarian-Ethiopian 30 questions to fall in love with a culture recording” rather than “click here”. This would help screen reader users to actually hear where each respective link is leading to without having to read the entire surrounding text.
Tip 5: PDF documents are not really accessible for all users, therefore, try to avoid them. It would be best to use pure HTML text. Thus, for example some PDF files are actually collections of scanned images – if the text within cannot be copied then it is also impossible to be read by text-to-speech software and is inaccessible to users of such. If a PDF is desired, then it should be a secondary source of the information and made readable. The same applies when you put links to external sources providing content in the form of PDF documents. Check those and restrain yourself from directing trainees to inaccessible files.
Tip 6: When using images inside your training offers, you need to make sure that each image is accompanied by concise alternate text descriptions of content within. Considering that some users might not be able to perceive the contents of an image otherwise, such descriptions – alt text - are compulsory if we want our content to be inclusive and accessible. When creating alt text descriptions make sure to point out the most important aspects, which might mean that some elements of the image can be missed out. The descriptions need to be precise and brief and should complement, not repeat word for word, the text surrounding the image.
Tip 7: Follow the BIG, BOLD and BRIGHT rule on online pages and make sure that those pages are not cluttered, i.e. do not include too many objects and bits and pieces. Also make sure you minimize glare by using plain but mildly colored backgrounds (not pure white) with excellent contrast. This is particularly useful for users who are visually impaired, but would improve content accessibility also for trainees with reading-related learning disabilities, as well as for everyone in general, as eyes do get weary faster when working with material on a bright white background.
Tip 8: Captioning videos and transcribing audio content makes it accessible and inclusive for many more user groups than you can initially imagine. It is not just the hard of hearing or deaf that would benefit from such content, but also users who would like to study the language the captions or transcripts are in, to learn the correct spelling, to understand the content even in a noisy location or in a location where noise is prohibited. If you make proper captions for your videos, the auto translating service provided by YouTube for example will generate more accurate automatic translations for users of other languages and this would make your video materials useful to an even greater audience. Converting captions, which in contrast to subtitles, give not only information about the spoken words in the videos, but also about the context, into transcripts or audio-descriptions makes each video ultimately accessible.
Tip 9: Participants in training activities should not be overburdened with the use of too many IT products or applications, unless of course, this is the core topic of the course. Furthermore, you need to make sure that the selected mix of applications require the use of the keyboard alone as mouse control might be inaccessible to certain users.
Tip 10: Create educational content and processes that try to minimize the IT skills needed for accessing and using them. When necessary, always recommend videos and further written materials, which can help the participants gain the technical skills they would need for course involvement. Such additional teaching materials would minimize the negative impact on trainees who find it hard to use complicated applications and would lower the IT barriers for trainees using assistive technologies.
Tip 11: Following the concepts of UD, UDL and the various learning preferences, you should provide multiple ways for trainees to learn (e.g. via text, video, audio, images, synchronous and asynchronous activities, etc.). This, as beneficial as it is for trainees with various learning preferences, is literally crucial for trainees with disabilities. You should consider that some participants may need longer to finish up tasks, to hand in research, to finish an activity or to verbalize an answer during synchronous sessions. Allow them this time, without pressing or stressing them as well as without trying to imagine what they are going to say or saying. If a part of their presentation is unclear, ask additional questions and allow them to take their time and explain.
Tip 12: The process of learning includes a lot of communication and collaboration. Therefore, communication and collaboration opportunities need to be made accessible to individuals with a variety of disabilities or special needs due to certain circumstances, related or not necessarily related to a disability. Such could be participants whose first language is different from the language of the instruction/course/peer learning activity, whose culture respects interaction patterns that are different from those of the main group or of the instructor or who are simply new to the technology being used. Then, getting back to trainees with disabilities, adaptations that facilitate simple, asynchronous communication could be beneficial for trainees who take longer to compose and express their thoughts, that type slower than average, that have a specific learning disability or that have a developmental disability or disorder that impacts social interaction, that use assistive technologies, which make the interaction slower. One of the advantages of online activities is the schedule flexibility, due to which instructors or facilitators are advised to use asynchronous communication as much as possible.
Tip 13: As people have different learning preferences and/or needs, they also have different preferences concerning the methods they use to share or present what they have learned or understood. Having this in mind, the trainer/instructor should consider providing multiple ways for demonstrating what one has learned (different test types, visual presentations, speeches, discussions). This would certainly make the assessment process harder for the instructor as they need to set and observe clear academic standards for all participants, however, once it becomes a routine, it would be extremely beneficial in the long-term, especially for those trainees who are experiencing some challenges.
Tip 14: Consider that the group of trainees probably covers a wide range of language skills – from individuals, whose native language is different from the language used for instruction and who have not yet mastered the command of this new language, to users who have learning and comprehension difficulties, for whom shorter and simpler sentences would make a huge difference and to users, who are proficient. Unless this is the aim of the instruction, try to use unsophisticated words that are easier to understand. When you use acronyms - spell them out, define the terms or the jargon you are using, if and when you are using such. Consider that it is advisable to avoid jargon, idioms or figures of speech.
Tip 15: Considering the diversity of reasons adults engage in learning, the variety of their characteristics, the instructor needs to make the justifications of why and how something is useful and necessary to be learned and then the examples and the assignments related to the process of mastering it, relevant for all the trainees. Again, creating various assignments and examples is time and effort consuming, but it is a worthy investment as it would provide the necessary motivation for trainees with different interests and backgrounds to actually learn the content and the skills, which are provided via the activity.
Tip 16: Provide opportunities to practice that are adequate to what the different students need. Do not assign the same amount or type of practice to all trainees as some may be more advanced than others and other may be in need of more repetitions.
Tip 17: Provide feedback on the progress and offer corrective opportunities. This is particularly useful for participants, who may have misunderstood the assignment or who need extra encouraging and assurance on the way. Allow participants to get back with questions but also set pre-scheduled sessions for consultations, in order to provide valuable ideas, insights or even clarifications to participants.
Tip 18: Last but not least, if and when possible, co-build the online activity offer together with a group of its future users with mixed abilities and needs. When this is impossible, consult it with them at regular intervals and take their feedback onboard.
In the case of CULPEER GOES DIGITAL, the digital cultural peer-learning activity offer-pack covers a wide variety of artistic spheres and means of expressions (visual arts, stories, theatre, music, traditions, etc.) together with a number of channels, through which these are delivered/implemented via synchronous or asynchronous activities, such as podcasts, videos, text files, online calls and exchanges, etc.