There are three main categories that provide focused points of reference: accessible media for diverse learners, hearing impairment and deafness and low vision and blindness.
It is vital that teachers with students who are blind or have low vision in their classrooms can create an equitable educational environment through the use of accessibility practices.
One of the key aims of the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 is ‘to eliminate, as far as possible, discrimination against persons on the ground of disability.’ The Australian Human Rights Commission has published a guide to assist the general public.
The Classroom Access Project was first piloted in Term 1, 2010 at La Salle Catholic College, Bankstown, NSW. This project was an initiative of Media Access Australia, and implemented through partnership with the Catholic Education Office Sydney and La Salle Catholic College, Bankstown.
The Classroom Access Project (CAP) operated for 20 weeks in both trial schools, which provided necessary longevity to test the concept of access to captioned video and other media and improved sound in mainstream schools.
Access to captioned video and other media for students with hearing impairment can be challenging due to the increased use of online curriculum resources to support the curriculum, and also a need to upskill teachers in the use of captions.
Advances in technology have seen the concept of learning escape the confines of the classroom, however teachers need to ensure that BYOD and other devices or equipment in the classroom don’t pose a barrier for students with diverse learning needs. Accessibility features may need to be enabled on the devices.
To achieve best practice, modelling accessible use of media in your school communities can be facilitated by:
The issue of the provision of captioned educational content is an important one for students, as its lack has a long term negative effect on hearing impaired students learning outcomes. Other arrangements need to be made for a student when it is certain that a particular title is not available in a captioned format.
Reasonable adjustments need to be made to ensure inclusion of the student in the activity or assessment. Hearing impaired students are exempt from assessment that include comment on music or tone of voice, when an assessment task is based on listening.
