TRANSCRIPT - Universal Design for Learning

Let's go ahead and get started about. Right now and I can catch up with this. And I'm gonna go ahead and share my screen. So we can do our. Both keeping. Good afternoon, everyone. Sorry about a little slow down there. But everybody's getting in. This is IT time. We have this, from, UELE, from, from cast. Did I say that right? That's right. Right, awesome. Alright, before we start, we're gonna review our housekeeping things here. The goal of T time is to build a community practice for technology. That allows us to support each other while we're teaching technology. So in the spirit of that goal. 2 times an interactive session where we, and we encourage you to engage with. The speakers ask questions. This session is being recorded for those of us could not join and will be posted to my website later. So by registering, you are giving us the permission to publish that. What made your image. Or audio view. Ask the in question. So again, feel free to speak up. Ask any questions. Please say your name before you speak. So that we know who we're talking to. And if you have those questions and don't want to speak, go ahead and put them in the chat and I'll be moderating the chat so that, we don't miss any questions. And so you can be done with listening to me. I'm gonna hand it both to. List and then we will wrap up at the end there is no beginning number remember only ending number so stay till the end. Alright, I'm handing it over. Alright, well just give me 1 s everyone while I. Yes, get set up here. Thank you so much for being with us this afternoon. Alright, in just a second. You should see my slides. Hopefully everything is coming through okay. If not, let me know in the chat. I can see you the chat. So. Let me know if you have any issues with being able to see the screen or, hearing me. I have a pretty decent microphone because I've been recording all day, so you should be able to hear me just fine. All right, so welcome to this very informal presentation. I'm usually very informal. You find that out soon enough that I'm I can be a really goofy presenter too. So I like to have fun with accessibility. So the title of the presentation is, let me go back here, slide. Essential for some helpful for all because that's really the ethos of universal design for learning, right? We design for some students, but it benefits everybody. And so that's really the big idea here, essential for some health for for all. And with universal design for learning, we always begin with a goal. We want to be clear on what the goal is. So the goal today is to develop a common understanding of what we mean when something is accessible. Because we hear that word thrown around a lot. You know, but we may mean different things when we say something accessible. So we want to be clear and have a common vocabulary. And then we're going to situate accessibility in the context of universal design for learning. Because universal design for learning, encompasses accessibility. But it goes beyond accessibility. Accessibility is just one of its foundational components. And then finally today, I hope to share with you some resources that will get you started on the journey. Towards creating more accessible media more accessible communications and learning more about universal design for learning if you're new. To what you the L is. So our mission at Cast where I work is to make sure that every learning has engaging opportunities for career exploration, for education, for personal development. And to be able to access education and training environments that are designed with our needs and preferences in mind. And we always emphasize preferences because a lot of times we only focus on the needs. But with UVL, we take an asset-based approach and it's not just about the needs that people have. It's also their preferences. And the way that they express themselves in their own unique ways. A disability in digital inclusion leader cast and also research scientist there a lot of my research focuses on accessibility in STEM learning environments, which is really interesting because I'm a political scientist by trade. So how did I end up researching the accessibility of STEM learning environments? Well, because that was a significant barrier for me going through school. I love science, but I'm not a scientist. I'm not practicing science because some of the barriers that are encountered. And so I'm very passionate about making sure that people are able to choose the career that is the best for them. And the one that they want and free of barriers. So that's really what inspires my work. You can always reach out to me after this session. My email address is@cast.org. So if we don't get to a question that you have today, please feel free to reach out. I'm really approachable when it comes to that. So I identify as a number of things. I'm a cisgender man. I use him, him and his pronouns. I'm a Dominican American immigrant, having come to the United States at the age of 11. And Spanish is my first language, but I consider myself more technical. I also speak French in Italian. So those romance languages are pretty similar to each other. I consider myself a disabled person. That's how I identify because I use identity first language. And I have what I call a progressive visual impairment. So I am losing my vision due to a condition called red knife pigmentosa. And I've been, I was diagnosed with very nice pigment till say my early thirties, so I've lived with it for almost 20 years now. I'm a father. I'm a dog owner. And interestingly, I'm a wildlife photographer and I specialize in bird photography. You know, that's an interesting hobby for somebody with a visual impairment who has no peripheral vision. But I really love it. It's what I'm looking forward to doing this weekend and every weekend that I can. I always have to get my dog in my presentation. So here's my dog Bruno. He's a fluffy little twelve-pound shih-tzu and Beachout Frise, a mix. And he's just the love of our lives here. He's our fur baby. And keeps things interesting. We do have something in common. We're both visually impaired. So that makes for a very interesting experience with the 2 of us trying to navigate around each other. But. We adjust it and we get along just fine. I can't think of life without Bruno. All right, so live organized this presentation in a very deliberate way. In 3 sections. Why? What and how? And we're probably only going to get to the Y and the W, but I'm gonna give you some resources so that you can continue on with the how. So let's begin with a why. And it all comes down to me to a quote. There's a person named Brian's T. F. And he shared a video at an Apple presentation that I was watching online and he is paralyzed from the neck down. And runs its own business and has a home that has been adapted for him using all kinds of smart home technologies. And he calls himself the quad father. That's actually the title of the video. And so in his video. You know, he share this quote and it's really stuck with me ever since I watched that video. He said we all writing it down. Well, all putting out the chapters. I refuse for this story to be a bad read. And for me, that's what I try to do in my work. Is to make sure that everybody has a chance to write their own story. And for that story to be a good read. To be a satisfying story, right? One when you're able to accomplish the goals that you've set for yourself. And it's one that's fun. Life should be fun, right? So that's my goal. That quote really inspires my work. And so, the way that I write my story is through Fotography. I take photos. I publish them online. And the only reason that I'm able to do my photography is because of technology. And because of advancements in technology. So here's an example of a short video where I'm using voiceover on my iPad. To take a photo so let's see if that works if the audio comes across just fine if not let me know in the chat One face small face face center take picture button And just like that, using the face recognition and voice over. I'm able to take a photo. Even if I can't see what's on the screen. Which is pretty neat. And it's I get gotten even better because now it doesn't just do people. One face It can also do pets. So again, Bruno likes to make lots of appearances in my presentation. So let's see how it does with Bruno. View Finder, focus unlocked, image. Double tap to focus, a dog laying on a bed with a red blanket. Not bad, right? And sometimes it does well, sometimes not so much. So here's an example. View Finder, Focus Unlocked Or a white rabbit standing on a wooden floor, a white dog standing on a wooden floor, a white However, as you can see, it corrected itself. So first it said a white rabbit. And then just right after that, it said a white dog standing on the wind floor. And so this technology is only going to continue improving and I can't wait to see what we're able to do with image recognition. This is built in and it can do landmarks. It can do plants. It's just getting better and better all the time. 4. So I just wanna share a few of my photos before we get on to the technology. Here's one of our beautiful vivid sunsets here over the Gulf of Mexico. With one of our peers in the foreground, with one of our peers in the foreground. With one of our peers in the foreground. So I loved take pictures of, sunsets because, it's something that I'm really, you know, I don't know how long I've, I'll be able to see the sunset. So I'd love to make sure I capture as many of them as possible. Here's a close up of a flower. And the funny thing about this, this purple and yellow and red, very vivid photo of flower. Is I didn't even know what it was and voiceover told me. And right now I forget what it was, but voiceover actually did better for me than me just looking at the flower. It actually identified it correctly. And then I love this playful image here of a little toy. You know those claw machines that you often see where it reaches in and grabs a toy this is a little alien toy surrounded by balloons and I title this they're among us. So a little alien toy, the aliens are among us. And so for a long time, I just did my photography with my iPhone and that was fine. That was great. And for me, photography was much more than about the photos. It was about being present. And having people see my camera, right, the camera, the phone is a camera. And see my cane to me that was really important. Because that makes a statement. So for me, photography, yes, it's an artistic endeavor, but it's also a political one. It's one that says, you know, I belong here. I belong in this environment. And if you make it accessible. I can be successful. And whatever it is that I wanna do. And so with my photography, I can get places when they're accessible, right? The parks that I visit, I visit them to take photos there because they have boardwalks. They have consistent surfaces. They have good signage. All of these things make my photography accessible. And so yes, the photography that the camera has played a big role with the iPhone, but I wasn't satisfied with that. And so during the pandemic, I decided, let me take my photography to the next level. And so I purchased my first quote-unquote real camera. Which is, you know, a little bit fancier than the iPhone. So I could take photos like this. So this is a yellow crown night. Kind of walking along the shoreline at the right as the sun was setting. And it has a little crab at the end of his bill there that is caught because that's what they eat. And I had to pay the price for this one. Because I was right by the water and I live in Florida and the mosquitoes were eating me alive, but I think it was worth it. Or this one. This is an owl, a part out to be exact. And i chase this family of for more than a year And I kept hearing it and each time I went to the sound who would disappear. So this photo was much more than just, you know, taking the photo. Was the culmination of a year. Of searching and researching. And so I almost cried when I encounter the hour. It was finally ever to take us for it. It was an emotional experience for me. And then one final one, and this is from a couple of weeks ago, it's a flamingo, an American flamingo to be exact. And what's unique about this photo is that we just got a flock of flamingos because of the hurricane that just went through Florida. They typically migrate from Mexico to Cuba. And they got turned around a little bit because of the herricane winds and so we ended up with a colony here. And this one unfortunately had to be rescued, which is why it has a transmitter in its legs now. In a band. So that researchers can track it and see where it goes next. So, and then one more. And then I got to stop because I love photography and I'll just keep talking about photography. So this is a laughing goal. And it's coming right at me at the beach and the reason why I'm really proud of this photo is because somebody with my disability should not be able to capture this photo. I fired about 20 shots to get this 1. 20 shots in a row. My camera, I can press the shutter and it takes a whole bunch of photos at once. And so I was able to freeze the action. And see this bird. It's part of my, what I call the spray and pray method of photography for me because I don't see a lot of the photos that I take until after till I get home. And look at them on a different screen. So really proud of that one. You know, it's a challenge for me, but it's something that I really enjoy. So again, that's why I do the work that I do is to empower people if it's photography that you want to do. That's the way that you tell your story. I'm gonna empower you to do that. If it's music or becoating a podcast. I want to give you the tools so that you can tell your story in that way. And that's very much in line with Universal Design for Learning. With UVL, we tried it. Give people options for how they communicate and how they tell their story. So now that we've talked about the why a little bit, let me ask you in the chat, what's your wine? Why did you get it to what you do? Right. I heard that there's a number of roles. Representative here, but what drives you? To do the work that you do. Cause I think it's really important that every once in a while we stop to connect to our why. I think it's Simon Sinek, I said, in one of his presentations, start with the Y, always start with the Y. So let's see. Beth, I share your goal of making things accessible for your blind and low vision students. I'm gonna give you an air horn. Hopefully that came through. I think I had the sound on. Representation and accessibility matters, right? So, Alejandra. Absolutely. And I'm a big believer in like we often think about accessibility just for our students. We have to make things accessible for our teachers. We have to make things accessible for our staff. Because that's how students see other people that look like them. And that serve as role model. So I'm gonna give you a big clap for that one. But bring in that up. And I see Jessica to make a difference, to have a positive impact. So I see a lot of great things coming through. So keep those coming. Again, if nothing else, in addition to having some T at T time. Hopefully you will leave today with a little bit of energy by connecting to your why. And, and something that will keep you going for the rest of the week. Alright, so let's turn to the what a little bit. And I want to know what you know about UVL already, right? This is another thing that we try to do with Universal Design for Learning is start with where people are. Build on the previous knowledge. So using the chat again and I know you know how to use the chat because I saw you share there. Lots of word phrase or sentence that would summarize you the L for you. Pretend you just got into the elevator. And you just have a few floors to go and somebody asks you. You know, summarize UDL for me in a word, a phrase or an entire sentence. What would you say? So let's see if you can. Share that it's not gonna be 2 min because we're running a little behind but just want to give you an opportunity to. Reflect on what you already know. Ellie says accessibility for, from initial design, not retrofitting. Best says everyone can access the materials in the way that is best for them. And Jessica says supporting access to all. Let's see. So you are all on the right path. I'm gonna give you all a yay. So it's always great to be with the community that, you know, has these values in common. So I think we're on the right path. Here. So let's go ahead and keep going here. And what I'm gonna do here to summarize. And I would like you to think as I do this. I'm gonna share you the O and 3 big ideas. And as I go through this, what resonates with you? So that's your goal for this next few slides. What resonates with you? And why do you have questions about? So here's the first big idea. Veryability is the rule, not the exception. And that's true for every learning environment. We know this from science. This has been proven by science. In every learning environment, every student has what we call a jagged learning profile. What we mean by that is if we were to look at the different dimensions of learning. Things like memory, reading ability, vocabulary. Their perceptive abilities, the ability to perceive information. Their interests, the motivations for learning. We looked at all of those dimensions and we were to plot them on a chart like this. They would be high on some dimensions and they would be lower on some others. And this is actually a dynamic chart. So it would change over time too. It would change based on context. So no one is average. All these dimensions. And we've known this since the 19 fiftys. A researcher in the Air Force, Gilbert Daniels. Set out to find the average pilot for the military because they wanted to build a cockpit with the average pilot. And in the chat. How many pilots? He measure more than 500 pilots. How many of them do you think were average on all the dimensions that he mentioned that he measured? Easy question. 0. So the average doesn't exist. That's the key assumption that we start from with the universal design for learning. There is no average learner. Actually, I'll make one exception. There is one place where you'll find an average learner. I'll tell you what it is. The only place you're gonna find an average learner. Your stats book. Because the idea of the average learner came about, it's a statistical construct, but it doesn't actually describe. Any learner that comes through the door in your learning environment. So that's a big, big assumption of UVL is whether or not people have a identified disability or diagnose disability. Every environment we're gonna find predictable variability. And systematic. It's gonna be part of the system. It's gonna be present at all times. So that's big idea number one and we want to design for that variability. By creating flexible learning environments. That's how we do that rather than fixed ones. And if you want to remember a different way, is a thought. The idea here is that our brains are as unique as our fingerprints. So that's big idea number one is that, Big idea number 2 is that the various in the environment, not in learners. And this is a big mindset shift. And I have a visual for that. So. And a metaphor. So if we have a flower, right, or a plant. In winter it may not grow because, you know, Doesn't have the light that it needs. And in this image, we have the plant. We have a snow. Snowman in the background to indicate that's winter. Nutrients are scarce so that makes it difficult for the plant to have flowers right But if we move over to the spring when there's more sunlight. And there's more rain and the soil has more nutrients. Then that plant all of a sudden has flowers and those flowers. So the quote that goes along with this is when a flower does in bloom, you fix the environment in which it grows. Not the flower. So with universal design for learning, we're always trying to see how can we make the environment more flexible. Rather than fixing kids. Kids don't need to be fixed. The environment. And it to be adjusted. So to me that's empowering, right? Because if we design barriers into the environment. We can design it in a different way so that doesn't have those barriers. And he has big idea number 3 and then I'll pause. Accessibility is foundational to UDL. So it goes beyond accessibility, but you cannot have UVL if you don't address accessibility. And so let me ask you this. Just like I did with UVL, let's see how you define accessible. So if I were to ask you provide a definition of accessibility, what would you say? You can use the chat, you can also unmute yourself. I love to hear voices too. So it's not just me speaking into the ether here. So quick sentence, a word. A phrase, whatever works for you. You can sing it if you want. I won't stop you if you want to do that. There he says providing access to learning in the students learning mode. It's an equalizer. I love that. That's awesome. You get a big yay. Well, keep those coming in the interest of time. We'll keep moving, but I think you're on the right path here. It's about leveling the playing field, which is I think what you meant, right? So here's the definition that we share, from CAS, but before I get to it. I, it's always a good place to play, place this reminder. You know, we have accessibility requirements. We have legal mandates. We have standards. But we need to remember that accessibility is first and foremost, it's about people. I love this quote from someone that we've worked with a cast David Berman. He says that for the first time in history, we have the power to include everyone. I love that. It's so aspirational, right? And he's right. We have the technology. It's easier than ever to make things accessible. Now it's just a matter of will. And so the good the best place to start is make sure that we're all on the same page, right, what we mean when we say something's accessible. So here's the definition that we often share a cast and. That really informs our work. Accessibility is when the person with a disability can do 3 things. They can acquire the same information. And, the same interactions, and then enjoy the same services as the person without a disability. And then there's some qualifiers and the qualifiers is you know, that's where like it's really important. You can't have this definition without those qualifiers. You have to be able to do those 3 things in an equally effective and equally integrated manner. And with substantially equivalent ease of use. So let's unpack that a little bit. What does that mean? So substantially equivalent ease of use means at the same time as people who do not have disabilities. I can have access, right? But if I get the access a week later. 2 weeks later, that's not substantially equivalent. All of a sudden I'm behind and I'm facing a burden that I shouldn't have. And how about equally integrated. Well, you can have a building, right, where you can put in ramps and you could put those ramps over on the side or maybe in the back. Where the trash comes out. Or you could have an accessible entrance where everybody can come in through the front of the building. Which one would you prefer? What kind of messaging does that communicate? Which one is more equally integrated? Right? So when we talk about like an equitable learning experience, we have to pay attention to those qualifiers. It's not just sufficient to provide access. It has to be equitable access, right? It has to be substantially equivalent. And it has to be equally integrated. And the only thing I would change to this definition, which I think is already really, really good. Is I would say everyone can do these 3 things. Including people with disabilities. Including people learning another language, including people returning to school after a long absence, including people who like me are up in age, right? And our eyes are not as good as they used to be. Or maybe you listen to way too many rock concerts and you're hearing it's not as good as it used to be. Guildiest charge. So for all of those reasons, right, it should be everyone. Not just people with disabilities. So few ideas about accessibility. It needs to be proactive, not reactive. Somebody already mentioned that in the chat. And the imagery that I use is we have a plain muffin with some blueberries on top. Well, we can't say that's a blueberry muffin. Right? We actually have to take the blueberries and bake them into the muffin and the batter. At the start. So that's the call from Cordelia Megita. She says you can't add the blueberry, blueberries at the end and coat a blueberry muffin. So that's the goal with. Creating an accessible environment is we gotta build it in from the start. It has to be part of the whole process. Can't just be something we'd add on at the end, like the ramps. In a building, right? Much better to create that elegant, accessible entrance from the beginning. And the last thing I'll say about it is this accessibility is a journey. And Maya Angelou actually, this is misquoted. It was actually. It was actually an anecdote that, Oprah Winfrey. Said, related to Melia Angelo and she said, do the best you can until you know better. And when you know better, you do better. So you don't have to be perfect. Because often that stops people from even trying to make things more accessible. What's important is that you're always striving to create a more accessible experience. You're always trying to do one more thing. That will make a difference. I will make the environment more accessible. All right, so let me pause there, see if there any other big UDL ideas you want to share in the chat or come over the mic. What resonated with you? What did you have wonders about? Feel free to share in whatever way makes sense. To you. Bonus points if you sing. Or dance, whatever you wanna do. So what resonates with you? What are you taking away from this part of the presentation before we move on? Yeah, I see, Alejanda says, accessibility is a journey. I always try to emphasize. That in my work and that's actually what keeps me in the field. It's that it's always changing. It's always growing because technology evolves. And also like it's nuanced. It's not black and white. You solve accessibility problems in context. And the context changes. So. It takes a lot of creativity to be an accessibility professional. And I need like the blueberry, description. And by the way, you can substitute other things that have to do with cooking. It's just the idea of baking it in from the beginning. So in fact there's a website out there that has food. Metaphors for accessibility but they all have that same idea. Of you bake it in from the beginning. It's like baking a cake, you know, don't throw the eggs on top. You gotta have that. And it's not safe. To to have the eggs on top of the cake, all the ingredients on top of it. So. Alright, well thank you everybody for sharing. I love the interaction. So let's think about accessibility in the context of UVL a little bit. The reason why we really focus on accessibility within UVL is because of something called curb cut effect. So I have an image here of, someone using a wheelchair. It was about to cross the street. And then we have an illustration that says when we design for disabilities, we make things better for everyone. And it shows not just people using a wheelchair in the illustration. It shows parents pushing a stroller. It shows somebody with a hand truck with a number of boxes on it. It shows travelers or pulling heavy luggage. Bye, bicyclists, and many other people. So the curb could affect that idea that when you design for the margins. You design for everybody in between. So what are some other examples? Of this curvecut effect in practice. Go ahead and use the chat or come over the mic. What are some other examples? That you can think of. Yeah. This is Donna. The different shapes of handles. For the changing of handles and door entrances. Absolutely. So right, you may be holding groceries. May not be able to use it hands at that moment. And so being able to push the handle in a different way or having an automatic door, right, where you can push a button. And have an open, open up for you can be great automatic doors. Hi, I see close captioning, yay, I'm gonna give you a big gate for that one. Because it takes that idea, right, from the physical environment into the digital one. If you don't know close captioning, the first program to have captions on it. Julia Charles, the French chef in the 1970. And. You know, captions were originally developed for people who are there for hard hearing. But we know that people with literacy challenges or people learning how to read or people learning another language can all benefit from it. The scripted video, yay. And so how, else of course we know descriptive video helps people who are blind or who have low vision, but who else can benefit? From the scriptive video. You probably, having considered this, application of it. English language learners, absolutely. Yep, yep. How about people multitasking? So if you're in the car, right, and you try to follow along with the webinar. And people don't describe things, right? That it's not going to be very helpful. So any situation where you're multitasking, descriptive video can help. And the other thing with captions is if you can't hear the audio for whatever reason, right? If you're at the airport, for instance, you still follow along with the news, right? If they have the captions on. So, again, design. For the margins and then you meet the needs of everybody in between. That's part of our philosophy at caste. Speech to text. Right predictive texting All of these things have an origin in the lives of people with disabilities. So when we include people, it promotes innovation. Cause if we solve for one and extend too many, we create a better society. That's the ethos of universal design. So here's how accessibility fits into the UDL guidelines. This is our framework kind of summarized in the grid. And I'm gonna drop the link to the website where you can find an even more accessible version of the UVL guidelines. It's really easy. It's you thel guidelines. See if I can type today. Dot org And so the guidelines really are they're a blueprint for the signing the curriculum, but they're not a checklist. Want to emphasize that. You don't go through the guidelines and you check off every box because it really all depends on the goal that you're trying to accomplish. So here's how they're organized that like give you a broad overview. And again, I encourage you to check them out at that website. Exceptibility is that first layer, right? We want to create an environment that's safe, that's welcoming, that's accessible. Then on top of that environment, right, we want learners who have opportunities to create meaning from accessible information. And to build learning skills. So accessibility is the foundation, but then you develop these learning skills that allow you to create meaning. And construct knowledge from that accessible information. And then finally, we want you to take ownership of the learning. We want you to internalize learning behaviors. And part of that is you develop self-awareness as a learner. You come to know what works best for you. And you get to build your environment to suit your needs and preferences. Based on everything that you've learned. So the goal with universal design for learning is for everyone to be an expert learner. And an expert learner is somebody who is highly motivated. Right? And loves learning. Is highly resourceful and knowledgeable so they don't just know a lot but they know how to learn more. And then they're strategic and goal directed. So they don't learn by chance. They've developed a repertoire of effective strategies for learning. So this is probably the biggest misconception is, you know, I've heard a lot of people say, you the Ellis for students with special needs or whatever term you want to use or students with disabilities. And that's not right. You the LS for everybody because we all deserve that opportunity to be an expert learner. So UVL is for everyone. It's not a special education thing. It's an education thing. It's a learning thing. So one way to summarize this and another quote, I'm big on quotes if you haven't noticed. But this is a quote from our founder, David Rose. And he said the purpose of education is not just to make information accessible. But to teach learners to transform accessible information into usable knowledge. So the goal is you can take information, you can do something with it, you can apply it. You can construct knowledge co-construct knowledge even because learning is a social. Act. It's also an emotional one. So my other favorite quote from David Rose is that we don't wanna provide access to boredom. So we want to make sure we're providing access to meaningful experiences, experiences that matter. So I'm gonna open it up to you all, but before I do that. I'm gonna kinda touch on the how a little bit, but I'm open to your suggestions and ideas here. So we do have a resource. I'm gonna drop it into the chat. It's called the Aim Center, the National Center on Accessible Educational Materials at CASS. Draft the URL. It's a. m.cast.org. And there's a creation tab when you get to that website. And what we've done is we've created an acronym to help you remember 5 best practices that you can get started with to make things more accessible. And they include the use of styles for your section headings. So instead of just selecting the text and making it bigger. You wanna make sure you assign a style, like heading one, heading 2, heading 3. Because users of assisted technology like myself, we rely on those tiles. It is not that day, unfortunately. But we want to make sure we avoid click here or learn more. We wanna actually describe what will happen when you follow a link. Thank you. For our images have alternative text, right, so that can be described when using assisted technology. Making sure we're using high contrast. So that we can consume the content in a variety of environments, regardless of the lighting. And then making sure that if nothing else, we do an evaluation with an accessibility checker. And those checkers are not perfect by any means. But it's like spell check. It helps you catch most of the things. And then you can focus even more of your attention. And those that need more focused attention. So again, I encourage you to visit that page. There's a handouts there that you can keep handy by your computer. There's how to videos that are close caption. We've done everything we can to get you started on this journey. And in fact, we may have a song. You can probably guess what the song is if you've attended a wedding or 2 or by M or some sort of family event. It's the electric slide. It's an actress. Okay, don't get too excited. But if you were dancing, I can't see you. So, you know, dance like nobody's watching. I encourage that. So basically if we follow these practices, right, what we'll be doing is we're gonna be building a foundation. And it's just like, when you're building a house, you want to start with a solid foundation. And then over time, you can do things like change the appearance, right? You can paint it. You can add texture through Stucco and so on. But the foundation has to be there. And so when we do things like using styles for our headings. Instead of just changing the appearance, we're creating that solid foundation so that if we take that accessible Microsoft Word document or that accessible Google Doc. And transfer it to a PDF. A lot of that structural transfer and a lot of our work in terms of accessibility will be done. So it's it's really building that's how the foundation is key. So I want to wrap up when we do that, right, we are able to leverage technology to. You know, it's optimal potential. So again, I love quotes. So this is another quote that drives my work is that pedagogy should be the driver. And technology the accelerator. You can implement a lot of UDL without technology. Right? You can have manipulatives. You can have clear goals, right? That doesn't take any technology to have clear goals and communicate them to learners in ways they understand. In plain language. But when you have technology, it makes a little bit easier to provide the flexibility that we need. So I'm gonna give you a visual. And another quote, this is from Steve Jobs. And he said that a computer is like a bicycle for the mind. And that's the same idea, right? That. We could walk somewhere. But what if we had a bicycle? Couldn't we get there a little bit faster when with less effort? That's often what technology does for us. It's a safest time. But you have to start with a sound pedagogy. And that's what we hope to do. Universal Design for Learning. If you don't start with a sound pedagogy. You'll just do bad pedagogy faster. So we wanna have that foundation in place, that accessible. Peggy, right, and inclusive pedagogy. Culturally responsive. Because otherwise if we just throw technology on top of it, we'll be doing all the wrong things just faster. So to me, technology is about amplifying human potential. And the way that I extend that quote from Steve Jobs is that when we design learning environments, we wanna provide an adjustable seat for learning. So you don't buy a bicycle for somebody who's really tall, you don't buy a bicycle for somebody who's not as tall. What you do is you buy a bicycle with an adjustable seat. So that's what I want to encourage you to do going forward. Is whenever you're designing anything, whether it's an activity. Piece of content. Think about where's the adjustable seat. Where's the flexibility that I can provide to learners? And. Good. It looks like the bad pedagogy faster is tickled. Okay, that might be a t-shirt. Let's make it. Don't do bad pedagogy faster. We need some merch going there, some t-shirts. And Yeah, and but AI comes into this conversation, right? So the US Department of Ed, they just put out a report on AI. And they should give me credit because I've been using this metaphor for quite some time. And, in their way of thinking about AI, they say that AI should be more like an electric bike. Than a robot vacuum. And the idea there is a robot vacuum just does its thing, right? It has no intervention from us. An electric bike is something we use and we used to accomplish a goal, but we're in control. So the idea is that with AI, yes, we can be more efficient, but the human should always be in the loop. So that that way we have that as a safeguard. So just another extension of that metaphor for the AIH, if you will. So here's an example of an adjustable seat for learning and we have a lot more on our aim center website at a. M. That cast. Org. We have an entire page on personalizing the reading experience. Because that's how I think about technology. It's all about personalizing your experience. So the example on the screen is the greeting view in the Microsoft Edge web browser. It's called Immersive Reader. And it has all these options, right? You can adjust the text size, you can adjust the spacing. Change the funds. Change the background colors. You can split words up into their syllables. You can have highlighting as you listen to it, Red out loud. That's an adjustable seat. What are some other options? Let me hear from you in the chat. What else? What are you using? Is your adjustable seat for learning or using with your learners? I'll tell you my favorite adjustable seed, not just for learning, but for my life. It's one that I think a lot of people in the audience would appreciate because it's a tool of independence. It's my white cane. It, it makes a lot possible for me and it's something that I don't take for granted. As much of a technology as I am. My white can is one of the most valuable things that I gained in my life. So. If you're an orientation and mobility person in the audience, you know, you play a huge role in the lives of people like myself. So thank you. Any other examples? I will I will give you a tip since iOS 17 released last week There is a reading view in your web browser on your iPhone and your iPad. And it does a lot of the same things. It allows you to switch the fonts out and change the colors. Well, last week and IOS 17 and now also reads the current page. Before you had to select text and you had to go through all these tabs, now you just tap the icon and choose listen to page and old Read that page to you aloud. So These reading views are being built in into a lot of the technology that we use. So. It's awesome. Yep. Hey, you're right. And if both the reading view also takes out a lot of the pop-up ads if If I'm not mistaken, so I because get rid of some of those ads because there's nothing more annoying than getting 2 paragraphs into the article you're reading and there's another pop-up ad. Yeah, it's great for people that have, ADHD or a prone to distraction, right? So now it also cleans up the page so it removes a lot of the navigation, it removes all of these things that could be competing. With you for attention so again on your system whatever you used to read whatever browser you use Take a look. I think Chrome even has some reading view now. It's not great. Could be better. But I can see why because Google depends on ads for their revenue. So, they have no interest in blocking some of those revenue. So, so Donna, they have no interest in blocking some of those pop ups and so on. So, but it's still, it's great to see it be there. It minimizes the time I scroll away to go shopping instead of reading the article that I'm supposed to be reading. Hmm. Right. Exactly. So it's a great way to focus your attention. And by the way, I have a tool that I use when I need to write. It's called Byword. And it's a very simple writing tool where it like blocks out everything else. All I see is my writing environment. And I could even set a session that I, you know, I want to write for a certain amount of time. And what was that? What was that name again? So lots of tools out there to help us create that accessible adjustable seat for reading, writing. It's go by, It has a focus mode. So it's great for you know, I'm distracted writing. So here's what I'll leave you with because we're coming up on time. So start with accessibility, right? If you go to the AIN center, you'll find lots of resources on accessibility. That's what we do. And the aim center at Cast. And we're federally funded. To provide technical assistance related to accessibility. But go beyond that. Give your learners lots of M and M. And by that I don't mean give them diabetes. What I mean by giving them lots of M and M is that you make learning meaningful. And you make it matter. Otherwise, we're just providing access to Boredom. We don't want to do that. So here are some ideas and I'll welcome your suggestions as well. So share your passion for the subject. And your career path. Right, we talked about representation earlier. Share with Lawrence how you got where you are. Share with them the challenges that you face along the way and the strategies that you employ to overcome those challenges. That's important modeling for them. Make connections to the real world, right? You can use K stories. You can start with Here's how this matters in the real world. You can invite speakers who are doing the job that you're learning about. Share your own learning about you DL, right? So be transparent that you the L is something we're doing together It's not something that I'm doing to you. It's something we're doing together. We're learning together. And you can share that in your syllabus for instance, have a UDL statement. And then be clear about what you're doing with technology, right? So in the syllabus, we recommend including a paragraph about the technologies that are available to learners in their devices. Because sometimes they're not aware of that. They know how to tick talk. They know how to Instagram, but they may not know how to use the technology for productive purposes. And so they may need a little bit of guidance there. And so that we, right, not just them, but in some cases so the we, so explore. And learn together. So the idea is to create a safe environment for learning. And part of that is we're going to make some mistakes. But that's part of learning as well, is learning from our mistakes. So here's my final reflection. And then I have a challenge. So what are 3 words that summarize your experience today? What are 2 new things you learned today and one question that you still have. And I have a question already. So Beth, I'll answer that question in just a second. So there's a couple of ways, that if you have a video that doesn't have audio description. The next best thing is the transcript. And there are tools that allow you take, especially with AI nowadays. It's really easy to create a transcript from a video. Now you do have to be mindful of copyright. So I would say if you can. Reach out to the person that created that video, right, and see if you can get permission to do that. But I've never heard of anybody being sued for making things more accessible. So, but it's just good to be safe. And reach out and get permission. But the transcript can work. The scriptive transcript, right? To one where it's not just a dialogue, but you're actually describing what's happening. And for some individuals, that's essential. So if you're deaf blind. Right, you need a transcript because that's how you're gonna convert the information into Braille using a refreshable Braille display. So the best world is where you have all 3, you have captions, audio description, and a transfer. How about 3, 3 words? Don't be shy. They can, I mean, you don't have to be excited about the presentation. You can be honest too. I'm a big boy. Yeah, so 3 words, 2 new things you learned today, one question that you still have. Thank you, Alihan. I appreciate that. You validated me today. I'm gonna make a t-shirt. I need to have refreshment relevant and real. You like the letter R, right? His presentation is been brought to you by the letter R. And the letter M. Yeah. Make it meaningful, make it matter. And make it relevant, right? That's part of UL. I really like that sensible there. Yeah, you know, common sense sometimes. Can win the day. That's right. Plain language. Thank you. So thank you so much for joining us today. I very much appreciate it. Okay. Okay. Well, I have one more thing. We always. I always like to leave you with a UDL pledge. So the UDL pledge is real simple. As a result of attending today, I will. Because it's not enough to learn about these things. You have to implement them. And so again, we have the aim center, we have our CASE website. Check out those resources and one little thing at a time right plus one start where you are and just grow over time and if we do that we can realize the potential of that quote from David Berman. We We have the power to include everyone. Thanks so much. Oh, thank you so much. And Alejandro, I love that question. How far will AI innovate accessibility? Oh, it's there's a lot of potential there. Okay. There is a lot of potential there, tons of potential there. Thank you for all your questions and thank you for leading the discussion today. We have our last end of session today. We have our last end of session. Clean up. Everybody just hold on one moment. I'm gonna share the chat all the links so that we can go quickly with this. All of our. All of our resources are going to be shared as you will on my website. The link is in the chat. It's also in the handout. And if you want to grab this key code, whichever works best for you. Our new bridge course for Braille Notch is officially out. And we have had, I think, almost a hundred registrants. In the last week and a half. We've gotten quite a few. So excited about. ATIA has courses available. Again, that link is in the chat. Coming up next, Miss Anita who I think is in attendance today. Is going to be leading our discussion on September 20 eighth on ATS assessment IEPs. Then Andrew Burnett is coming to talk about travel in October. Jim Allen is Kawaki Ready Printing and more. From the O and M perspective in October, October nineteenth, we will have no session. And then October 20 sixth we're wrapping up that O and M month with Audra Bishop and Kelly Nicholson on to include travel tack in your lessons.