LDT 508: Looking back on Accessibility Practices Across Learning Design

    In my final semester of my graduate studies, I participated in a course, LDT 508, that focused on designing for accessibility when developing online courses, media, and curriculum. When I started this class, I would say I had a heightened idea of accessibility needs across an online learning environment due to ongoing learning design and digital audience strategies focused education. Afterall, converting or educating audience groups requires one to be cognizant of the diverse populations that are being engaged with. Although I had some formal accessibility knowledge and training, the inclusive design approaches and strategies taught across this class really refined my understanding of this practice. For example, while I considered contrasting colors and alternate text to be essential when designing an inclusive website, I did not previously utilize tools like accessibility checkers that can scan content on the page being visited. I found the W3C resources our instructor provided to be especially helpful (W3C, 2025). The part that challenged me the most was providing read aloud buttons on each page of my website and providing alternate text to each individual picture. Buttons that read the content aloud required some studying up on elementary coding methods and best practices to ensure the icon was functional for its purpose. The alternate text did not have the same learning curve; however, it did require attention and detail so that no image went missed. The process taught me new skills and reinforced the importance of accessibility needs across the board - some adjustments can be major and require upskilling, while others can be minor and detail-oriented. Nevertheless, both areas are crucial to evening the playing field across diverse audiences. 

    Universal Design of Learning (UDL) framework wove itself into every aspect of this course. UDL focuses on making an equitable learning environment with the expectation of diverse populations and has principles such as engagement, representation, and action/expression (CAST, 2024). It requires a learning designer to consider inclusivity, cultural awareness, and accessibility needs for the audience throughout the educational process. This framework allowed me to shift my design approach from one that may be teacher centric, to one that was more learner centered to best achieve optimal educational outcomes for the content I was developing. This course incorporated both empathy challenges and developing an inclusive/accessible website. The challenges involved simulating color blindness, hearing loss, and mobility impairments. These activities forced me to step into the shoes of a student who has an impairment.

    The websites that we completed across the class provided us students the opportunity to see our peers work in practice. I think peer reviews are a special part of the learning process as it allows you to see how other individuals are leveraging the accessibility strategies learned across the course within their site. It allows one to take an introspective approach to the educational experience. Running accessibility audit’s on my peer’s site allowed me to take what I learned and apply it to a real-world scenario. This helped me to see, from a different perspective, just how important inclusive online design is. Unfortunately, my peer did not provide feedback on my website as it stands right now; however, I look forward to receiving it so that I can make necessary improvements that I may have overlooked! It is always nice having a separate set of eyes on your work, as different individuals bring fresh perspectives on a piece of work you may have been too comfortable with. 

    I am very eager to apply the concepts taught across this class to both my current and future professional practice. Presently, I work in a space that has a lot of opportunities for digital media to teach processes or streamline workflow across teams as they connect with my department. The educational experiences with this course highlight the need for accessibility across online design not just through facts and figures, but also through simulation activities which encourages a new level of understanding when implementing inclusive practices. Should I shift to a role specific to instructional design and learning technologies, accessibility will need to be at the forefront of everything I do. LDT 508 has provided me with a tool kit of strategies and important topics to consider when building digital learning experiences. To anyone who is just starting their learning technology journey, I recommend leaning into inclusive design and UDL principles so that your digital creations can stem from a place of awareness and accessibility for all!

References:

CAST (2024). Universal Design for Learning Guidelines version 3.0. https://udlguidelines.cast.org

W3C (2025). Web Accessibility Initiatives. https://www.w3.org/WAI/