Access for everyone
One of the concerns that learners have about e-learning is access. What if you have low-vision and limited mobility? Can Moodle work for you?
As you put together a course in Moodle, you may wish to follow design principles that assure access and are also compliant with laws designed to assure access for those with disabilities. In the United States, the Americans with Disability Act (ADA) is the law that defines the ways in which organizations need to provide access.
In order to assure compliance, the U.S. Department of Education and the Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST) collaborated in 2011 on a set of guidelines, which are known as the University Design for Learning.
There are three main categories:
- Provide Multiple Means of Representation
- Provide Multiple Means of Action and Expression
- Provide Multiple Means of Engagement
The key in UDL is to provide viable alternatives for individuals who may need accommodations. Giving options and multiple means of representation, action, expression, and engagement is possible using Moodle and this book will incorporate UDL guidelines.
For an excellent graphical representation from CAST, download the PDF file from http://www.udlcenter.org/sites/udlcenter.org/files/updateguidelines2_0.pdf .
