Resources to help educators enhance and enrich their teaching with accessible videos that include captions and/or audio description.

Top ADA Frequently Asked Questions
Below are the 13 questions that are asked most frequently. If you have other questions, please check out our ADA FAQ Knowledge Base.

The theory behind Universal Design for Learning inspires many educators. However, there are some common stumbling blocks teachers face when they start applying UDL to their instructional design. With years of experience implementing UDL in her own work at the University of Kentucky’s Center for the Enhancement of Learning and Teaching and as a CAST National Faculty member, Jennifer Pusateri offers six steps to jumpstart your practice. These easy-to-implement steps can help you meet the needs of the diverse learners in your classrooms.

The UDL Guidelines are a tool used in the implementation of Universal Design for Learning, a framework to improve and optimize teaching and learning for all people based on scientific insights into how humans learn. Learn more about the Universal Design for Learning framework from CAST. The UDL Guidelines can be used by educators, curriculum developers, researchers, parents, and anyone else who wants to implement the UDL framework in a learning environment. These guidelines offer a set of concrete suggestions that can be applied to any discipline or domain to ensure that all learners can access and participate in meaningful, challenging learning opportunities.

This past December, Congress passed the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which replaces No Child Left Behind. And for the first time, the nation’s general K-12 education law defines and endorses Universal Design for Learning.

Understanding the VPAT®
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You may come across the Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) as you research vendors of digital materials and technologies and consider their products for procurement. The VPAT is meant to help U.S. federal government agencies determine how well the products they purchase meet the Section 508 accessibility standards. Many organizations outside the federal government now require the submission of a VPAT in their procurement process, especially if they receive any kind of federal funding. This includes K-12 schools and institutions of higher education.

Start with general information about the VPAT, then review a sample Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR) similar to one a vendor would submit for your consideration. Each section of the sample ACR (which is just a filled out VPAT) includes comments to help you understand the information you would find in that section of an ACR.

The purpose of Unified Arabic Braille Portal is to present the Arabic Braille table in math and science signs/ symbols, as well as to develop the first eight-dots Arabic computer braille table to take benefit of its multiple features, such as writing or reading a single code in a single cell and supporting some computer signs.

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a framework for learning design. It is based on research in the learning sciences that each individual is unique in how they learn, and within that variability are patterns that are systematic and predictable based on three neural networks that govern the learning process in the brain (Meyer et al., 2014). Knowing the sources and ranges of this variability helps learning designers proactively design to address it. UDL reflects a paradigm shift from curriculum-centered classrooms to learner-centered classrooms that allow for flexibility in learning. The goal of UDL is for all students to have access to learning and for all students to have agency as learners.

After a decision-making team has selected the accessible format(s) needed and identified where to acquire them, the team considers what types of supports are needed for a learner to use the accessible materials for school, at home, at work, or in the community.

In order to be successful with using accessible formats, learners will need a number of supports.

This lesson will step you through creating a copy of the Special Education verification form and filling it out.  This will allow you to verify that you are meeting the minutes on student's IEP's.  This will help your Special Education program remain in compliance and provide administrators a shareable document that will allow them to easily see schedules.

A set of questions that can be used to evaluate the accessibility of materials considered for procurement.

This google doc has links to videos and other resources organized by Topic. Many are only a few minutes long, and tightly focused on helping educators solve common assistive technology issues.

The ADA National Network provides several ways to access informational materials about the ADA.

This page introduces the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) international standard, including WCAG 2.0, WCAG 2.1, and WCAG 2.2. WCAG documents explain how to make web content more accessible to people with disabilities.

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) develops international standards for the Web: HTML, CSS, and many more.

The W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) develops standards and support materials to help you understand and implement accessibility.

All comprehensive school counseling programs include Tier 1 supports - provided within the larger context of a schoolwide MTSS - to promote students' academic, social/emotional, and college/career development. Join us to explore what Tier 1 truly means for CSCPs and learn how to assess your site’s school counseling Tier 1 implementation.Learning Objectives:(1) Explore ways to thoughtfully consider how to deliver Tier 1 school counseling supports that ensure ALL students gain the attitudes, knowledge, and skills they need to be successful(2) Learn strategies to assess our current level of implementation and make plans for strengthening the Tier 1 school counseling program, in partnership with administrators.

Material access is a topic that both school library staff and assistive technologists are deeply connected with and passionate about. However, there are often times in which professionals in these fields are disconnected. In this session, Kasey Fernandez, MEd shares policy and practice changes the Tigard-Tualatin School District has made as a result of collaboration between the assistive technology and school library leads.

Sarah Statham, MEd Transition Network Facilitator (TNF) Multnomah, Washington, Columbia & Clatsop counties | Lon Thornberg, MEd Transition Network Facilitator (TNF) Eastern Oregon with InterMountain ESD |The Transition IEP contains post-secondary goals in education, training, employment, and independent living. This session will share universal tech tools for transition that support and accommodate transition age students on the journey to reaching their post-secondary goals. This session will also highlight collaborative and coordinated relationships between students, educators, specialist’s and outside agencies that can be enhanced by the understanding of student’s use and past history with AEM & AT. Use of tools and AEM strategies to access transition activities and resources will be shared.

Session #1 of 8 AEM Across the Lifespan with OTAP - An Accessible Educational Materials Virtual Mini-Conference (recorded 12.07.23)Presented by Debra FitzgibbonsSession Description: Inclusion of all learners in all Early Childhood environments begins by ensuring equal access to learning activities for all children. Timely provision of accessible options ensures learners with disabilities can access the same information, engage in meaningful participation, and enjoy the same services as non-disabled students, with equivalent ease of use. This session will review common vocabulary, reference relevant state and national legislation related to AEM in the early years and connect the dots by sharing examples of Assistive Technology and Accessible Educational Materials in Early Childhood Environments. It is never too early to help learners explore and discover what works for them.