Technology Essentials in Education Episode 5:
What You Should Know about Creating Accessible Resources

Welcome to Technology Essentials in Education, practical ideas for educators. I'm your host Dr. Monica Burns. This week's episode is titled What You Should Know About Creating Accessible Resources with Dr. Katie Neves Linko. I'm excited to chat with Katie today. She's an educator based not too far from me in New Jersey and she's here to share helpful tips about an important topic, accessibility. She shares what it means for all educators. Let's dive into the conversation.

This episode is part of a special bonus series presented by Jotform. Jotform Enterprise provides an all-in-one solution to streamline administrative tasks, enhance community engagement, and foster innovation. Using their no-code drag and drop forms and workflows, your teams can securely collect and store data, automate routine tasks, and collaborate on team resources. Educational institutions are also eligible for a 30% discount on Jotform Enterprise. Head to their website to learn more at jotform.com/enterprise.

Welcome to the podcast. I'm so excited to chat with you again about creating accessible resources. But before we dive into all of that, Katie, can you share a bit about your role in education? What does your day-to-day look like?

Sure. Since the last time we talked, I actually switched roles. I am now the director of technology for a K-8 school district in New Jersey. We have three schools, so I deal with the infrastructure in addition to the educational technology piece, the subscriptions, the professional development. It's been different and exciting to get to take over that piece as well. My day-to-day is different every day and that's what makes it really enjoyable.

I bet, especially in that role with different buildings and different groups of educators that you're supporting. Just so many moving pieces, I would imagine.

As we talk together today, for someone who hasn't heard the term accessible or in this context at least, can you describe what an accessible resource is?

When I think about what makes a resource accessible, and if I'm trying to define accessibility to somebody, I always tend to stick with the definition that it's a resource that is fully designed and delivered in a way that the content can be accessed, navigated, and understood independently by any learner, including those with diverse learning needs. So it's really something that was created with the idea of access in mind, making sure it's not just a pretty and informative resource but that learners can actually absorb the information from it.

I love that. That's such a comprehensive overview of all the things someone would want to think about while they're making choices or developing resources and just making sure that everyone is able to interact and access that piece of content.

So this question that I wanted to ask you, kind of the why question now that we have the what, right? It comes down to the decisions that are being made in different areas. We might know what something is but struggle to really wrap our head around the why. So for someone who might not be sure why this has a place in their day-to-day work, why is accessibility such an important consideration when creating digital resources for a K-12 classroom?

I think as we've gotten more into the space where people are building their own resources and creating their own instructional materials, I know it's always been in the back of educators' minds that we want to make sure everything we're doing in a lesson or assessment is accessible to all the needs of our students. It is challenging to do, but sometimes the actual building of the materials gets forgotten about. In reality, it's so important because I come from a special education background. I was always thinking when a student was struggling with something, is it actually the content they're struggling with or is the material I'm giving them just not working for their needs? I've seen both, and I think that's something educators really need to understand. If a student doesn't understand, I need to pull them aside, or maybe the material isn't working for this student but when presented differently, they were able to access the information.

When I think about why accessibility, because I know it's an extra step for some people, that tends to be the reason why we want to make sure students are equipped with what they need to fully engage, participate, and understand.

And your point about so many more educators developing digital resources and creating different things, it's not just that they are grabbing something from a program that's already been created or one that might have gone through a nice checklist to make sure it was ready for a wider audience. It's not just something for someone designing a website to consider; it's for all of us who are creating resources that will go in front of a group of students.

What are some of the most common accessibility barriers students face when they're using digital tools and resources?

Thinking broadly, some common ones are lack of captions, especially accurate captions on videos. YouTube and similar platforms have autogenerated captions that are not always accurate, which can be frustrating for those who rely on captions. Large blocks of uninterrupted text tend to be a barrier, and color scheme is a big issue. Is there enough contrast between text and background? Is it too bright or distracting? I often think about the clunky, bright, animated HTML websites from the 90s and early 2000s that were very distracting. Another issue is PDFs; scanned PDFs can be extremely inaccessible. Also, alt text is important—not having captions for images can be a problem for users who use screen readers or need clarifying information for images.

Those are all things that someone who might not need those particular pieces might take for granted. It's nice to have captions when watching a TV show where everyone talks fast, but for some students, that might be the only way to interact with content. Captions are a great example. Many tools allow you to turn them on or off, hopefully. Autogeneration is nice but not always as great as we want for students. The contrast issue is also important. I recently worked with high school students on digital storytelling, and we talked about colors. Just because you like certain colors doesn't mean they work well for text and background. It could be very difficult to read without enough contrast. As we're talking, listeners might start noticing these issues more in their daily lives, like when you suddenly see a new car everywhere after hearing about it. Once you're on the lookout, it's hard to miss captions that aren't great or contrast issues.

Those barriers are good things for us to consider. Can you share some specific examples of how teachers can make their digital resources more accessible to their students?

I always jump into alt text first. It's not just for students who use screen readers. Some of my students without visual impairments use alt text to understand the context of images. It's a good habit to add alt text when adding pictures. It's also a good editor's tool; if you find yourself explaining an image that doesn't add value, maybe you don't need it. Navigation is another area I struggle with. I use a mouse and often forget that some people use the tab key, keyboard, or other devices to control their screen. I tell teachers to try navigating their creations using the tab key to find sticking points. PDFs are easy to check; if you can't highlight text, try to get a better copy or convert it to an editable PDF. Text that can't be highlighted can't be read by screen readers or navigated properly. Many tools in Microsoft, Google, and others check accessibility and flag missing headers or other issues, so you don't always have to remember everything.

That's so useful to have those reminders built in or maybe a sticky note next to your desk before publishing on an LMS to remind you to check accessibility. Understanding that students may interact with content differently than you create it is a good reminder. I've led workshops where we talk about how something will look in a classroom. We try it on personal devices but want to make sure it works on laptops, tablets, or whatever students use. For teachers who have built muscle for lesson design, adding this component means considering not just the device but how students might use or navigate that device.

A quick note from the presenter of today's episode: Jotform Enterprise lets you build forms in minutes, including student surveys, homework submissions, online quizzes, and more. You can start from scratch or get a head start with their free form templates designed for teachers, schools, and districts. Learn more about Jotform and how educational institutions can get a 30% discount on Jotform Enterprise at jotform.com.

Alt text is something I've become really familiar with as a blogger publishing on the web. Before I put up a picture, I add alt text. It's gotten easier now that I sometimes use a chatbot to help generate alt text. From a student-facing perspective, when creating digital resources, it's another great thing to consider to ensure students on any device can interact with content.

When making things for students and hearing from them about their interactions, what role does student feedback play in creating accessible resources? How can teachers gather that feedback effectively?

In my experience, it's really about directly asking students. Sometimes younger students don't have the words to describe why something is a problem. I taught middle school, and they are very honest, often saying things are terrible or confusing. Asking what works for them is important. I share my personal example of loving closed captions and always having them on, which helps students feel comfortable sharing their preferences. I also observe students working through self-paced units to see if issues are with navigation, access, or understanding. It's about authentic conversations and observations. Students will be honest about what's working and not working.

If you create a classroom culture where students feel comfortable talking about their learning and interactions with different things, and you ask them about it, all of that plays a role.

For someone wrapping their head around this topic for the first time or after a long time, are there any accessibility standards or guidelines educators should be aware of when designing digital materials?

There are the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) that are continuously updated to reflect best practices in accessibility and online design. There's a lot in there, but their recommendations are a great place to start. They focus primarily on individuals with disabilities but ensure everyone has access. They address issues like making sure content is seamless and equitable across devices, from phones to tablets to computers. There's also the POUR principle—Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, and Robust—which ensures content is accessible via audio and visual means, easy to navigate, uses clear and simple language, and is compatible with various devices. These are my go-to guidelines.

That's amazing. There are different ways to approach this. You might dive deep or look for acronyms to stay on track. There are lots of opportunities for educators exploring this topic and what it means for their everyday practice and goals for designing student-facing resources. You mentioned the AI connection with alt text. What do you think is the future of accessibility in EdTech, and how can educators prepare for shifts, trends, or new developments?

I think AI is going to become more prominent. Accessibility and assistive technology have always had a machine learning and AI background, but more is coming to the forefront as we develop and grow. I hope we'll get more precise with AI. For example, AI-generated transcripts have improved dramatically in the last year and a half. I hope in the future we'll use AI more for accessibility checks. I also hope the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) guidelines, which were recently updated, will intersect more with EdTech to ensure software tools consider accessibility beyond legal requirements. That's where I hope things are headed.

The UDL connection comes up a lot for educators thinking about different entry points and ways students might interact with learning experiences. The AI piece is relevant for coaching students working independently or educators designing resources, like getting differentiated texts. AI also helps ensure things are ready for everyone. I'm glad you brought that up and made that connection for those exploring their why with AI tools and resources.

The last thing I wanted to ask is about the next step for educators focusing on accessibility. There are lots of resources and things to consider, but if they're looking for one first step to tackle in the next week or two to improve their practice, what can they do to make an immediate impact?

If they haven't already, the first and easiest step is to simply ask and talk to their students about accessibility. Having those conversations shows reflection on practice and models good behavior. Getting feedback on something simple they can do right away that students want is helpful. There are nine big principles of digital accessibility, which can be overwhelming, so picking one to start bringing into day-to-day practice is a good approach. Once that becomes second nature, they can build more. It could be something simple like ensuring closed captioning is accurate, simplifying language in digital resources, or breaking up large blocks of text. Small steps like these help make progress toward being more accessible while working on other areas.

That's just so many things people can choose from for their next step. Thank you so much for providing this context, giving everyone a why for exploring this, and helping listeners understand why accessibility should be front of mind when designing different resources. Katie, thank you so much for your time today.

Thank you so much for having me. This was such a fun conversation.

I want to finish up with a few key points to make this EdTech easy. Accessibility ensures all learners can fully engage with educational resources. Common accessibility barriers include inaccurate captions, poor color contrast, and inaccessible PDFs. Adding alt text, checking navigation, and simplifying text are small impactful steps. Student feedback is critical for understanding how they interact with digital content. Remember, you can find the show notes and full list of resources from today's episode by heading to classtechtips.com/podcast. A big thank you to Jotform, the presenter of today's episode and this special series. To learn more about Jotform and how educational institutions can get a 30% discount on Jotform Enterprise, head to jotform.com/enterprise.