Accessibility and Instructional Technology: Reframing the Discussion

Abstract

Contemporary interpretations of accessibility in education today are largely technology-centered, such as de- signing and developing alternative representations of text, images, video, and audio resources for people with physical disabilities. However, this interpretation fails to capture the broad value and role of accessibility in its application to de- sign methodologies. When considered across the disciplines of special education, disability studies, and instructional technology, accessibility is a paradigm within which to consider all design activities. Four levels of accessibility are iden- tified along with associated barriers particular to each: social, physical, intellectual, and motivational. This article also reviews the history of design theories of accessibility in education, such as Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and traces its origin to the universal design movement in architecture. Assumptions about what constitutes a disability are also discussed and questioned. Links and commonalities between UDL and instructional design are reviewed suggesting that bridging these design fields using accessibility as an organizing framework offers ways to improve design for all peo- ple in society.