Accessible Teaching & Learning

Main takeaways

  • Provide specific accommodations when you are aware of disabilities or specific needs
  • Use Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles to meet the various needs of most students, including having well-defined learning objectives, properly scoping the content covered for the amount of time, and providing multiple means of access and participation in the lesson.
  • Make sure all your documents, slides, technology, etc are ADA compliant

5 Tips for Accessible Instruction or Presentations

The disability demographics at NC State University indicate that the top five disabilities are mental health, ADD/ADHD, learning disabilities, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), or a combination of disabilities. And yet, it has been reported that only about one-third of students who did have a disability while attending college informed their school. So, in addition to providing legally required accommodations for students with documented disabilities, every teacher or instructor should prepare for students to have limited attention, emotional, physical, or mental distractions, and a desire to have a variety of ways to participate or demonstrate knowledge. 

The Teaching & Learning Targeted Accessibility Guide (TAG) focuses on principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) for the preparation and delivery of one-shot library instruction sessions and workshops. This guide links to but does not include detailed guidance for creating accessible instructional materials or providing academic accommodations for specific disabilities. 

1. Pre-class survey

Do a pre-class survey or ask the course instructor for information about the students including, year of study, previous library instruction or experience with the topic, unique needs or specific required accommodations, desired learning objectives or outcomes for the class.

2. Learning objectives

Based on the information you learn in your survey or other communication with the course instructor, create clear, measurable learning objectives for the lesson. Make sure your learning objectives are actually accomplishable within the time you have and with the experience and skills participants already have (Read the section and resources on chunking for more guidance on this). Be sure to share the learning objectives with participants at the start of your meeting so they know what to expect for your time together.

3. Chunking learning material

To make sure your learning objectives are accomplishable in the time you have, chunk material by identifying the key skills a person must perform and then define the supporting knowledge necessary to perform the critical skill (including how to use any technology or tools). 

Any lesson should include time for the instructor to: 

  1. Introduce and explain the concept or skill
  2. Model the concept or skill 
  3. Time for participants to practice the concept or skill
  4. Time to receive feedback or ask questions about the concept or skill

4. Multiple modes of engagement and presentation

Represent the material in multiple formats and provide a variety of opportunities to engage with the content.

In practice, this may look like pairing lecture with a slides presentation or other visual aid; providing a paper or digital handout with instructions, supplemental information, or the key takeaways from your presentation; planning for individual reflection, active practice with a skill, and feedback on performance in addition to lecture or sharing of information.

5. ADA Compliant documents & technology

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) protects people with disabilities from discrimination. The ADA guarantees that people with disabilities have the same opportunities as everyone else to enjoy employment opportunities, purchase goods and services, and participate in state and local government programs. UDL is not the same as having ADA compliant documents. The tools and resources below can help make sure your instructional materials meet ADA requirements. 

*An instructor may still be required to provide specific accommodations for students with documented and expressed needs, even when all materials are ADA compliant.

Other resources:

Checklist for instruction preparation and delivery as well as materials (Opens a Google Document), NC State University Libraries

Example slides with universal design for learning principles. (Downloads an annotated PDF slide presentation), NC State University Libraries

Resources (listed alphabetically by title):

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