This week we discussed accessibility in ed tech. This is an important discussion because accessible technology is often seen as an optional addition to schools and classrooms. In reality, assistive technology is essential to providing equal opportunity for all students.

We watched a few videos about accessibility in technology and digital accessibility. I already have some experience with this topic as I took some courses in disability studies but it was interesting to hear the different perspectives on accessibility in this video.

What felt more useful for me this week was learning how to actually make accessible content. This looks like making sure text has clear headings, fonts and print size are and/or easily adjustable by the user, images are accompanied by alt-text detailed descriptions, audio/video content has subtitles, colour contrast should be adjusted for optimal visibility. Thankfully, there are resources to help us check theses things.

When Checking this blog for accessibility I found that the original colours I had chosen did not pass the test. So I changed my colours to standard black and white. I also added alt-text descriptions to images I have previously posted.

We also learned how to make sure videos have subtitles. I practiced with this video I took regarding my Free Inquiry. However, I had some difficulty as it is only a 50 second video, youtube automatically changed the format to a ‘Short’ and the subtitles did not appear. I tried many times to get subtitles to work but couldn’t. I ended up using a new video from a concert I attended this summer. But again, for some reason subtitles would not work, in this case it may have been due to the audio quality. I ended up just typing the subtitles manually which can be time consuming. I would say that is a part of why digital accessibility practices aren’t more commonly used. Although it takes extra effort and time it is important that it is done regardless. Maybe if more people put in the time and complained about the tools available to make digital content accessible, online platforms might do a better job of making sure accessibility is automated and higher quality.

I believe that subtitles are an accessibility measure that often get missed among video content creators on platforms like Youtube and Tiktok because some people that don’t require subtitles can find them distracting or they just do not consider the online experience of those that use subtitles. Luckily Youtube has automated subtitles but they are not always correct. Creators should take more responsibility in ensuring that their content is enjoyable for everyone.