Universal Design for Learning and Technology

Accessibility at Apple and How We All Benefit

A Presentation by Meg Wilson

Our Universal Design for Learning class was recently visited by Meg Wilson from Apple. She shared a lot of information and helpful resources with us about technology and accessibility that can help everyone, not just our students with special needs. I was shocked to see some of the statistics that she shared with us. For example, I learned that 1 in 7 people in the U.S. have documented disabilities. I know that many people live with invisible disabilities that you cannot see and often do not know about, but I was still surprised to learn that so many people are living with disabilities.

I also learned that 1 in 5 students in the U.S. have dyslexia; I was truly shocked by this information. As a special area teacher with 850 students, it is hard for me to read and remember everything on all of my students' IEPs. To hear that 1 in 5 of my students has dyslexia was surprising, but it also gave me valuable information that I can take forward as we practice reading music in class.

Meg also shared many accessibility features built into Apple devices can be useful to everyone, which aligns perfectly with the core values of Universal Design for Learning. For instance, Siri is a convenient feature for iPhone users; you can ask her a question or ask her to call someone without having to spend the time typing. Many people with and without disabilities use Siri, but Siri can be crucially necessary for an iPhone user who is blind. Asking Siri to look up an answer for you or call a friend removes the barrier of sight for these phone users and makes everyday technology accessible.

Below are the links to the resources that Meg shared with us. I hope that everyone can find something that they can use in their classrooms!

Reaching All Learners

The Accessible School

Infographic

Based on Meg Wilson's presentation to our Universal Design for Learning class and the resources from Apple that she shared, I created an infographic highlighting key features of apps that come pre-programmed into any iPad.  These apps are useful for any Apple user, but they can make the lives of people with disabilities much easier and make technology and learning much more accessible.  

As a music teacher, I have used GarageBand on numerous occasions.  I know that the app has many simple ways for any user to create music, but I wasn't aware of all of the other possibilities that GarageBand could provide to people with disabilities!  The  resources that Meg shared highlighted various uses for the app, including  how some people use it for speech therapy and even to show deaf people a sound wave so they can know how loud a file is!  These are uses that I would never think of because they are based on skills that I use daily and take for granted.  As Meg mentioned in our presentation, technology is most successful when it serves everyone, and these free apps from Apple can help so many people in so many ways.