The accessibility requirement of educational policies is a reinvention of schools beyond the education of students with disabilities. Accessibility or Reinventing Education studies the changes that have redefined the roles and missions of schools, by asking them to consider the obstacles to learning imposed on students – regardless of their particular characteristics – in order to make themselves accessible to the greatest number. This book examines the ways in which school stakeholders are addressing the need for accessibility to bring its principles to life on a daily basis. Particular attention is given to the strategies developed by teachers for creating accessible school environments, the conditions for mobilizing digital technologies, and the redefinition of relationships between teachers and their specialist counterparts. Finally, the new figures of "ineducablility", established because of the accessibility imperative, are considered, and a grammar of accessibility is proposed, setting the stage for accessibility in school environments and the implementation of inclusive policies.

A heated debate is raging over our nation’s public schools and how they should be reformed, with proposals ranging from imposing national standards to replacing public education altogether with a voucher system for private schools. Combining decades of experience in education, the authors propose an innovative approach to solving the problems of our school system and find a middle ground between these extremes. Reinventing Public Education shows how contracting would radically change the way we operate our schools, while keeping them public and accessible to all, and making them better able to meet standards of achievement and equity. Using public funds, local school boards would select private providers to operate individual schools under formal contracts specifying the type and quality of instruction. In a hands-on, concrete fashion, the authors provide a thorough explanation of the pros and cons of school contracting and how it would work in practice. They show how contracting would free local school boards from operating schools so they can focus on improving educational policy; how it would allow parents to choose the best school for their children; and, finally, how it would ensure that schools are held accountable and academic standards are met. While retaining a strong public role in education, contracting enables schools to be more imaginative, adaptable, and suited to the needs of children and families. In presenting an alternative vision for America’s schools, Reinventing Public Education is too important to be ignored.

The Second Edition of this handbook provides comprehensive coverage of the concept of accessibility and its application to the design and implementation of instruction and tests with all students. It updates and expands on its original contents and responds to the increasing demand for research-based evidence of accessible instruction and testing practices from the professional community. Chapters explore how outcomes are affected when essential features or components of instructional materials and tests are not accessible to any portion of the student population. The handbook addresses the new set of Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing that was published in 2014 as well as requirements for a high level of access for all interim and summative tests by national testing consortiums. In addition, the handbook describes how the Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST) has continued to advance Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles in mainstream education with teachers of all types of students, not just students with disabilities. Topics featured in this text include: A summary of U.S. policies that support inclusive assessment for students with disabilities. An overview of international policies that support inclusive assessments. Designing, developing, and implementing an accessible computer-based national assessment system. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles and the future of assessment. Recent advancements in the accessibility of digitally delivered educational assessments. The Handbook of Accessible Instruction and Testing Practices, Second Edition is an essential reference for researchers, practitioners, and graduate students in education and allied disciplines, including child and school psychology; assessment, testing and evaluation; social work; and education policy and politics.

It is widely agreed throughout the world that education and access to education are human rights. In order to accommodate the educational needs of people globally, technology will be required that supports inclusion and promotes equity for both learning processes and governance in educational institutions. In order to achieve this, technological resources must be designed to be accessible and usable for all individuals by implementing user-centered design (UCD) and user experience design (UXD) processes. UXD and UCD Approaches for Accessible Education is an academic research publication that explores thoughts and experiences on accessible and equitable education from perspectives on human-computer interaction, user research, and design thinking. It seeks to improve the understanding on how technology should be designed to truly contribute to and support accessibility and equity in education. Featuring a wide range of topics such as online courses, inclusive education, and virtual reality, this publication is essential for academicians, curriculum designers, researchers, instructional designers, educational software developers, IT consultants, policymakers, administrators, and students.

Most people working within the higher education sector understand the importance of making e-learning accessible to students with disabilities, yet it is not always clear exactly how this should be accomplished. E-Learning and Disability in Higher Education evaluates current accessibility practice and critiques the extent to which 'best' practices can be confidently identified and disseminated. This second edition has been fully updated and includes a focus on research that seeks to give 'voice' to disabled students in a way that provides an indispensible insight into their relationship with technologies and the institutions in which they study. Examining the social, educational, and political background behind making online learning accessible in higher and further education, E-Learning and Disability in Higher Education considers the roles and perspectives of the key stake-holders involved in e-learning: lecturers, professors, instructional designers, learning technologists, student support services, staff developers, and senior managers and administrators.

Education is the foundation to almost all successful lives, and it is important that a high level of schooling be available on a global scale. Studying the trends in accessibility in education will allow educators to improve their own teaching techniques, as well as expand their influence to more remote areas in the world. The Future of Accessibility in International Higher Education is a comprehensive reference source for the latest scholarly material on emerging methods and trends in disseminating knowledge in university settings. Featuring extensive coverage on relevant topics such as e-learning, economic perspectives, and educational technology, this publication is ideally designed for educators, academics, students, and researchers interested in expanding their knowledge of global education.

What is accessibility? Who needs it? Often, accessibility is defined narrowly, with emphasis on physical limitations. Accessibility needs, however, come in many forms, from vision and hearing impairment, to developmental disorders like Autism, to psychiatric conditions like anxiety, depression, ADHD, and PTSD. Unfortunately, accessibility does not come with a simple set of checkboxes. It is a philosophy and practice that embraces social, physical, and informational elements. Universal design does not come in the form of a quick and easy guide. It is a philosophy. To implement it completely requires more than just screen readers and video captions. Creating Accessible Online Instruction Using Universal Design Principles introduces the need for accessibility in online education and library services and the framework of universal design for learning. It takes a scoping, rather than a purely technical, approach. It will help you not only o create accessible content, but with how to communicate with students in an accessible manner. This LITA Guide covers: accessibility law, Universal Design for Learning and Web Content Accessibility guidelines, and communication and educational research and theory. The content is interspersed with practical examples and case studies.