Educators can often feel overwhelmed trying to ensure that their course content
Educators can often feel overwhelmed trying to ensure that their course content and activities are AODA compliant. Institutions place a great deal of focus on the need for accessible learning environments, but may not offer the support required to equip educators to create those spaces. In addition, because AODA is provincial legislation, educators can feel that there will be punitive consequences if they are unable to execute applicable elements of AODA perfectly.
The role of UDL for AODA is not to replace the need for disability related accommodations or circumvent this important Act. Instead, UDL implementation can be used as a tool to help educators get closer to a more inclusive and accessible course.
Let’s have a look at some examples of how UDL can support common AODA and accommodation requests.
Note Taking
Note taking is a common disability related accommodation in post-secondary education. It is also a labour and time intensive accommodation that can include learner disclosure, educator involvement to find a note taker, implementation of new technologies, and/or arranging physical services that are not consistently available.
Alternatively, implementing UDL can proactively build note taking support into a course to support all learners, including those with disabilities. For example educators can:
- Post their notes to the course site in advance of class
- Offer lesson guides prior to each class and then provide completed notes after class
- Record their lectures and post them to the course site with the transcript
- Implement crowdsourcing of lecture notes where learners take their notes as they usually would and then upload their personal notes to the course site
Additional Time for Quizzes, Tests and/or Exams
At many post-secondary institutions in Ontario, the most common testing accommodation for learners with disabilities is additional time for quizzes, tests and/or exams. The accommodation is common, but the process for gaining the accommodation can be lengthy and can result in the learner writing in a different space or time than the rest of the class, making it challenging to ask questions of educators and gain prompt responses.
Proactively including additional time for learners to complete quizzes, tests, and/or exams allows the time students with accommodations require, while supporting all students to read the questions and their answers more carefully, reduce anxiety related to time, and create a more supportive evaluation process. While this UDL element may not be ideal in all testing situations, educators can determine which assessments would be best suited to having additional time proactively included.
To learn more about this UDL element and how to implement it, please visit Mohawk College’s Additional Time for Quizzes/Tests/Exams webpage.
Alternate Formats
All learners should be able to access their course content. However, when the accessibility of materials and resources is not already considered, the process for stud