Digital Accessibility

 Digital Accessibility

6/16/24

                                                            Accessibility with I-pads

I-Pads have been a growing trend. When deep diving into the accessibility features they have some easy tools for everyone to use.  As a teacher I have learned to navigate certain tools to help out my students. When being a patron at a library, I have noticed a lot of children using different kinds of I-Pads to navigate around. All of these tools can be beneficial. What am I missing? What is trend that makes these I-pads so popular? 

                                                            

Image Source: educatorstechnology.com

I-Pad accessibility features

I have had my personal I-Pad and my work's I-Pad, I did not know there was so many different kinds of features. These features are beneficial and give a great insight into what I did not know about. I enjoyed exploring the many different ones and as I heard from the Apple Tech, they are continuing to bring out more features. 

The way that Apple is able to design their Accessibility is through three categories of Vision, Physical and Motor and Hearing. They group the Physical and Motor together because the individual to customize on what their needs are. I broke this down by the best three being offered. 

Vision:

Voiceover- This Voiceover app is a screen reader app that helps the individual with what is happening with the device. The individual is able to record their voice to have the I-Pad recognize their own personal needs. An example would be an individual that has blindness walks into a library, the individual approaches the front desk and ask the circulation clerk for help on an audio book. The individual uses the Voiceover app for communication and then is guided by the app to where to go. 

Motor:

Keyboards- This Keyboard feature, which now works with the Typing Feedback. This newer feature is more advanced because then the individual can use the auto-speech, corrected punction and give character feedback. An example would be for an individual with a speech impenitent, they come into my school, stop at the front desk, ask for guided help to where to go using the Speech application on the typing feedback. 

Touch:

Assistive Touch: Assistive Touch  is an adaptive tool to help with moving applications around with a simple pinch with the individuals fingers. This way the individual has an opportunity to move around their I-Pad easily. A good example would be a senior needs guidance on their I-Pad. The individual walks into a library, goes to the reference desk for guidance and is helped right away. 

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Image Source: Liz Sarti, Author via Canva

Educational system and the community involvement

I have noticed these tools to have a big impact with individuals with disabilities. This article I-Pad guidance, has great tools and ways to guide students of all learners to accomplish their goals. The growing trend of I-Pads has helped out families and children with different learning styles. I-Pads are growing with a fast trend and the communities are getting on board. 

 There was a student last year that would carry around an I-Pad and this student would be next door to my classroom. I always wondered what was on this I-Pad, until at the end of the school year, I found out these cool features were guiding this student in their abilities to communicate, understand and to learn in a classroom. At the end of the school year, this student came up to me and gave me a big hug. 

A big impact that we have developed is the UDL, which is the Universal Design for Learning. This feature has been around a for awhile, but not everyone uses this tool. As a Pre-K teacher I have had children with IEP's and traditional students, this was not easy to make the UDL method come true because of the twenty students in the classroom. I was able to make this work because I have an amazing teacher assistant. This system is not recognized because I have teacher friends that are burnt out because of the lack of resources they do not have. 

Conclusion:

I have learned so much in this technology field and guiding individuals with disabilities has been a great impact. As an educator and a future librarian gives me a great sense of hope and accomplishment that these technologies and accessibilities will only enhance. To have individuals thrive, succeed and to navigate their own individuality.