While completing this module I reviewed the laws that are important to provide inclusive education, and ways to provide and comply with them.
I found it interesting that Lectures must include closed capture or could be open to a lawsuit for not being accessible to all.
We have a legal responsibility to ensure we are providing the tools necessary for students with disabilities to learn.
It's important to take into consideration all the different possible impairments and disabilities within the classroom setting and ensure that there are various formats/ways to obtain the course information for all students.
It is manadated by federal law to allow for accomodations for students with disabilities. This isn't new for me, but my understanding has increased through this module. Accesibility is important for any and all students to be successful, no matter their disabilities.
It is important and necessary to provide what is needed to meet the lesson objectives and ensure materials are available and useful to all students to be successful in achieving their goals and to follow the laws set for us regarding education.
I learned that no change or alteration of the academic program is allowed to suit students with disabilities.
This caught my eye: "By law, instructors and post-secondary administrators cannot speak to parents about their children’s progress, intent, course loads, counseling services, mental health, grades, medical conditions, or disabilities as they did in the K-12 environment." This seems counterintuitive.
Providing for learning assess and the ability for students with learning disabilities equal access under the ADA.
I have a friend that is deaf and am very aware of the ADA. He always requests videos with closed captioning and it had made me think of the class in the same way. Also, all websites are suppoed to be ADA compliant as well.
Great reminders about learning and adhering to state and federal guidelines with regard to reasonable accommodations and promoting accessibility for all students.
I have often dealt with many students who are in need of ADA accommodations, however, most of the time, students do not apply for the accommodations as per ADA requirements, I am free it’s more of a hassle, more so due to the fact that students are uninformed as to what the process is to apply for accommodations. The intent behind the ADA was to remove learning barriers that may exist.
on the other hand, I have also had many students who properly file their ADA paperwork seamlessly, and the process works smoothly. Depending on the teaching platform you use, accommodations are usually pretty easy to apply toward individual students within your LMS.
Closed captioning with lectures.
A very necessary discussion of the legal ramifications involved with providing learning for students with disabilities.
There is a lot to consider regarding students overall but especially those with disabilities. It's important and essential that we identify students with disabilities and consider their needs when we are developing the course and the type of content that will be utilized.
I was made aware that it is the responsibility of the online instructor to know these laws.
Instructors have a duty to accommodate students with disabilities
Comment on Heidi STREETMAN's post: I agree. Sometimes students could have benefitted in the course if they had made arrangements about their accommodation.
It is important for online instructor to remember that their institution is by law responsible for making sure that all materials meet U.S. federal law standard.
I learned that there is a lot of legislation in place to help people with disabilities, but instructors need to be diligent to apply these things in the classroom to come alongside students with disabilities.
