- From: Chuck Hitchcock <chitchcock@cast.org>
- Date: Tue, 3 Aug 1999 07:47:38 -0400
- To: <w3c-wai-gl@w3.org>
Al Gilman wrote: >This last sentence illustrates another principle that I suspect >you would agree on, which I will term "even strain." I like the expression "even strain". It reminds me of our point about challenge and resistance described in the third paragraph below. I have included the other text from the web page for context. I should also note that we have begin work with the Council for Exceptional Children to express our principles of universal design for learning in ways that my be useful to teachers and curriculum developers. Ultimately, this will apply to web-based learning environments but educational issues like resistance seem like a bit much to include in the next iteration of content guidelines from WAI. The CAST web page text that I have copied from below is: http://www.cast.org/concepts/concepts_udaccess.htm Chuck Universal Design for Access and for Learning Universal Design for Access Applying universal design to learning materials and activities can increase access for learners with wide disparities in their abilities to see, hear, speak, move, read, write, understand English, attend, organize, focus, engage, and remember. For example, history texts provided in standard print formats are inaccessible to students who are blind and present barriers to students who are dyslexic, or to students for whom English is a second language. The same material in universally designed electronic form can offer options for different learners: it can be read aloud by a computer or screen reader, printed on a braille printer, offered in spoken or written translation, and/or presented with highlighted main points and organizational supports. Universal Design for Learning Access to materials is necessary but not sufficient to achieve universal design for learning. Non-educators often make the mistake of equating "access to information" with "access to learning." Depending upon the goal of a lesson or activity, increasing access can actually destroy the learning opportunity. For example, if the goal is to teach word decoding to a student with dyslexia, having the computer read all of the words aloud would probably be counter-productive. On the other hand, if the goal is to convey science concepts, having the computer read the text aloud could enhance the learning opportunity for a student with dyslexia. The athlete lifts weight to build muscle; the professional mover uses a dolly to carry heavy objects. The learner more resembles the athlete than the professional mover. Education requires challenge and resistance, and universal design for learning requires careful attention to the goals of any given learning experience. In fact, teachers practicing universal design for learning find themselves questioning the way in which they conceptualize and articulate assignments. Is the goal to write a story, or to create a narrative? Is the instruction to write your name on the paper or to identify your work? As in other applications of universal design, well executed universal design for learning engenders constructive re-evaluation and reformulation that ultimately benefits all learners.
Received on Tuesday, 3 August 1999 07:46:36 UTC