AOTA

Online education has proliferated over the past several decades and is continuing to grow (Decelle, 2016). Teaching online has taken educators outside of their comfort zones and has provided unique opportunities to promote student success in an online learning environment (Archibald, 2017). To encourage accessibility for all students, including people with visual impairments and other disabilities, online educators need to have an increased understanding of how universal design for learning serves as a framework to support inclusion (Campbell et al., 2016). The purpose of this article is to educate occupational therapy practitioners and educators who teach online about how to design online courses and presentations that are accessible for people with visual impairments.

Learning Objectives

1.  Describe the effect of common visual impairments on a person’s participation in online education

2.  Recognize the importance of creating an online classroom that is accessible for all students

3.  Identify simple universal design strategies that can be applied to promote accessibility in an online classroom

4.  Discuss the role of occupational therapy in modifying online classrooms for improved accessibility

Learning Level: Intermediate

CE Find Key Words: Accessibility, Visual Impairments

Target Audience: Occupational Therapists and Occupational Therapy Assistants

Content Focus: OT Process; intervention and education/training

Reference Information:

Capili, Tracy D., OTR/L

Watson, Julie L., PhD, OTR/L

O’Connor Duffy, Jennifer, PhD

(CEA August 2019) Increased Accessibility for People With Visual Impairments in an Online Learning Environment