Designing for Inclusion: Creating Accessible Educational Materials for All Learners

Photo shows a child wearing a pair of headphones and reading from an iPad

Thank you for attending Designing for Inclusion!

The Provincial Resource Centre for the Visually Impaired (PRCVI), the Accessible Resource Centre – British Columbia (ARC-BC), and the British Columbia Vision Teachers’ Association (BCVTA) were pleased to present:

Conference Overview

Photo shows a headshot of Dr. Perez holding an iPad.In today’s curricula, there is a growing emphasis on digital literacy for all learners. With the diversity of access needs among learners in the general education classroom, there is a need for educational materials (e.g., handouts, presentations, reading packages) that are “born accessible” – materials that are created with accessibility and inclusion in mind. Dr. Luis Pérez from the National Center on Accessible Educational Materials shared the fundamentals of designing and delivering accessible educational materials. Dr. Perez presented on not only the “how-to” of accessible educational materials but also on the “why” - supporting educators’ efforts to ensure that the principles of inclusive design are reflected in materials for all learners. Our conference ended with a panel discussion on the ways in which the provision of accessible educational materials supports digital literacy and digital citizenship as emphasized in the redesigned BC curriculum

Dr. Luis Pérez is a technical assistance specialist for the National Center on Accessible Educational Materials. In this role, he promotes the creation, delivery, and use of high quality accessible educational materials and technologies to support equitable learning opportunities for all students. He holds a doctorate in special education and a master’s degree in instructional technology from the University of South Florida. He was selected as an Apple Distinguished Educator (ADE) in 2009, and as a Google in Education Certified Educator in 2014. He is the current President of the Inclusive Learning Network of the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), which named him its 2016 Outstanding Inclusive Educator. Luis is the author of two recent books on inclusive technology and UDL: Learning on the Go (CAST, 2018) and Dive into UDL (ISTE, 2018).

Tweets from the Conference

For a complete listing of the tweets from both conference days, please search #Design4Inclusion2019 on Twitter. 

Conference Schedule 

Date Time Event
Friday, May 10 8:00 - 8:30 Welcome Reception and Breakfast
  8:30 - 8:45 Acknowledgements and Program Begins
  8:45 - 12:00 Program with Dr. Pérez (with morning break)
  12:00 - 1:00 Lunch 
  1:00 - 3:30 Program with Dr. Pérez (with afternoon break)
  3:30 - 4:30 ARC-BC District Contact meeting
  6:30 - 9:00 Gala Dinner and Silent Auction
Saturday, May 11 8:30 - 9:00 Welcome Reception and Breakfast
  9:00 - 9:15 Acknowledgements and Program Begins
  9:15 - 11:30 Program with Dr. Pérez (with morning break)
  11:30 - 12:30 Lunch 
  12:30 - 2:00 Panel on Digital Literacy/Citizenship and Inclusion & Conference Wrap Up/Next Steps

 

 

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