The Tech Edvocate

Top Menu

  • Advertisement
  • Apps
  • Home Page
  • Home Page Five (No Sidebar)
  • Home Page Four
  • Home Page Three
  • Home Page Two
  • Home Tech2
  • Icons [No Sidebar]
  • Left Sidbear Page
  • My Account
  • My Speaking Page
  • Newsletter Sign Up Confirmation
  • Newsletter Unsubscription
  • Our Brands
  • Page Example
  • Protected Content
  • Register
  • Request a Product Review
  • Shop
  • Shortcodes Examples
  • Signup
  • Start Here
    • Governance
    • Careers
    • Contact Us
  • The Edvocate
  • Topics
  • Write For Us
  • Advertise

Main Menu

  • Start Here
    • Our Brands
    • Governance
      • Dr. Lynch’s Personal Website
      • Careers
    • Write For Us
    • Contact Us
    • Books
    • Edupedia
    • The Edvocate Podcast
  • Topics
    • Assistive Technology
    • Child Development Tech
    • Early Childhood & K-12 EdTech
    • EdTech Futures
    • EdTech News
    • EdTech Policy & Reform
    • EdTech Startups & Businesses
    • Higher Education EdTech
    • Online Learning & eLearning
    • Parent & Family Tech
    • Personalized Learning
    • Product Reviews
  • Advertise
    • Request a Product Review
  • Apps
  • Tech Edvocate Awards
  • The Edvocate
  • Pedagogue

logo

The Tech Edvocate

  • Start Here
    • Our Brands
    • Governance
      • Dr. Lynch’s Personal Website
        • My Speaking Page
      • Careers
    • Write For Us
    • Contact Us
    • Books
    • Edupedia
    • The Edvocate Podcast
  • Topics
    • Assistive Technology
    • Child Development Tech
    • Early Childhood & K-12 EdTech
    • EdTech Futures
    • EdTech News
    • EdTech Policy & Reform
    • EdTech Startups & Businesses
    • Higher Education EdTech
    • Online Learning & eLearning
    • Parent & Family Tech
    • Personalized Learning
    • Product Reviews
  • Advertise
    • Request a Product Review
  • Apps
  • Tech Edvocate Awards
  • The Edvocate
  • Pedagogue
  • The Brain Science Behind Immersive Learning

  • How To Create An Immersive Learning Environment

  • Prepare Your IT Department for an AI Skills Gap

  • Emerging Technologies for Tracking COVID-19 in Higher Ed

  • Screencasting Adds Engagement to K—12 Classrooms

  • 6 Resources for Teaching about Artificial Intelligence

  • How New Innovative Features in Classrooms Support EdTech

  • Distance Learning during the Pandemic: Improvise. Adapt. Overcome.

  • Universities Deploy Chatbots To Aid Students In The Admissions Process And Beyond

  • Generational Differences Affect Tech Initiatives In Higher Education

Digital Age TeachersLearning Environments
Home›Digital Age Teachers›Breaking Down Barriers: How Design & Technology Can Assist with Learning Accommodations

Breaking Down Barriers: How Design & Technology Can Assist with Learning Accommodations

By Matthew Lynch
November 13, 2018
Spread the love

Imagine not being able to hear at a crowded networking event, a loud social; or not being let in beyond the velvet rope to a party. For you, it may only be a burden in the moment, but for many who require accommodations or additional accessibility, this remains a part of their everyday life. For example, wheelchair users are unable to enter many shops, malls, restaurants; public places that don’t have wheelchair access or ramps.

A lack of accessibility can’t be excused at schools, campuses or student facilities. When it comes to education, a lack of accommodation can hinder students from engaging in class, and being present in the way necessary to succeed or be their best. Accessibility in education plays a vital role in providing accommodating learning environments. Below are five education design ideas to assist and enhance the capabilities of students who need learning accommodations.

1. Room to ask questions

IMAGE: https://www.globalfurnituregroup.com/us/education/resources/projects#project-102

Students with wheelchairs or crutches require room for places to study and work, no matter the classroom configuration. For example, in a typical classroom set-up at The York School, in Toronto, Ontario, classrooms are set up with workstations to reinforce collaboration, and in order to accomodate differently-abled students, student chairs are easily-foldable and able to be stacked away. Classrooms that allow a freedom of movement, and a layout that can be easily customized, is essential to ensure students feel accommodated and able to learn.

IMAGE: https://www.globalfurnituregroup.com/assets/generated_images/resources/projects/5900/5900-0.jpg

Being able to ask teachers and faculty questions is also important; which is why the open concept design of teachers’ desks is also a unique feature to The York School. Allowing students to see teachers means the question they were too anxious to ask in class doesn’t remain unanswered. Accessibility sometimes comes from who else we allow to be accessible, and in education, that can mean the presence of a teacher beyond class time.

IMAGE: https://www.globalfurnituregroup.com/assets/generated_images/resources/projects/5885/5885-0.jpg

2. Empowering with technology

Sometimes accomodation doesn’t require any physical requirements, but rather, ways to enhance learning when you don’t retain information the same way as everyone else. In a private school for children, The Roeper School in Birmingham, Michigan, the recently transformed upper campus includes new commons with new technologies, including TV casting devices, large iMacs and new PCs, as well as places for independent studies and whiteboards.

IMAGE: https://educationsnapshots.com/photos/3056/

In a digital age, updated tech can give students the advantage of the latest software, studying tools, or even just access to online encyclopedias, while whiteboards allow students to draft their thoughts in ways that sometimes can’t be elaborated on by typing in a word processor. Technology can also aid students who are either hard of hearing, visually impaired, or have a lot of anxiety, which is why places to study quietly can be such a necessity. Some furniture solutions, such as Global Furniture Group’s River benches and chairs, even have built-in power and USB outlets to ensure students can plug in tablets and devices and work away without interruption.

3. “Will these slides be online later?”

Speaking of technology, sometimes, writing notes on a chalkboard isn’t enough for a student to retain the lesson. Students with visual, hearing, learning or mobility impairments may need print-outs or presentation slides after class, sometimes available on a shared student portal. In fact, this level of resource is becoming increasingly common for high school and college students. At Ecole Kenwood French Immersion School in Columbus, Ohio, digital presentations start even earlier, with young students being provided large, colorful slides when being taught geography, as an example shown below. The access to a large, elevated space also means students can sit as close or as far as needed, without other students blocking the presentation screen.

IMAGE: https://educationsnapshots.com/projects/2834/ecole-kenwood-french-immersion-school/

4. Anxious-free classrooms

Vast lecture halls and intimidating classroom sizes are staples of many university experiences; but that is now changing. For the University of Southern California located in Los Angeles, California, their USC Jimmy Iovine and Andre Young Academy for Arts division keeps in mind that big classes aren’t always the best way to learn; especially with such a specialization in business, design, engineering and marketing specialization.

IMAGE: https://educationsnapshots.com/photos/3458/

At the academy, small classroom sizes, bean bag chairs and raised seating allows for a space that can reduce anxiety and make it easy to ask questions and retain lecture information. A visually cluttered space with many objects lying around can pose safety risks. Avoiding excessive furniture, materials and equipment also allows space for those in wheelchairs or in need of physical accomodation.

5. Different floor textures

Providing good contrast in furnishings, walls, and floors, can assist students with little or no functional vision. Using different floor textures (differentiating between tile and carpeted areas) can provide the student with extra tactual clues. At ITCE Learning Center in Sofia, Bulgaria, this institute for IT and Management training uses color in all the right ways for those who are visually impaired. For those with classroom anxiety, the avant-garde design of the institute also means postcards, framed art and music scores. A change of pace; especially for those in Info-Tech:

IMAGE: https://educationsnapshots.com/photos/3528/

An inclusive learning environment

Accommodations are a way for staff, students and faculty to be included in places and activities that are otherwise inaccessible to them. By redesigning the classroom space using furniture and new technology, we can eliminate some barriers in the classroom that have excluded students from fully participating for a very long time. These above changes—and keeping an eye out for ways an education space may be exclusive in all the wrong ways—can only make for better, more inclusive ways to learn.

 


Spread the love
Previous Article

5 Questions School Administrators Will Ask About ...

Next Article

An Insider’s View into the Edtech Market ...

Matthew Lynch

Related articles More from author

  • Adult EducationDigital Age TeachersHigher Education

    A Guide to Digital Credentialing

    September 17, 2019
    By Matthew Lynch
  • Digital Age TeachersOnline Learning & eLearning

    Pedagogue Makes It Easy to Create and Collaborate

    November 9, 2020
    By Matthew Lynch
  • Digital Age Teachers

    Gauging the Relevance of the Edtech in Your Classroom

    June 7, 2019
    By Matthew Lynch
  • Adaptive LearningDigital Age TeachersOnline Learning & eLearning

    6 Basic Ingredients To Online Learning Success

    September 7, 2020
    By Matthew Lynch
  • Digital Age TeachersDigital LiteracyEarly Childhood & K-12 EdTech

    Everything You Wanted to Know about Digital Curriculum (but Were Afraid to Ask)

    May 8, 2019
    By Matthew Lynch
  • Digital Age TeachersEarly Childhood & K-12 EdTechEdTech & InnovationOnline Learning & eLearningSchool Leadership

    How to Get Your Educators Excited About Using Edtech

    February 18, 2021
    By Matthew Lynch

2 comments

  1. Colleges Must Embrace Changes Brought on by Coronavirus – DV Journal 14 April, 2020 at 17:08 Reply

    […] learning can also break down barriers for many who want to go to college but cannot afford it, or live in remote locations. Online […]

  2. Colleges Must Embrace Changes Brought on by Coronavirus – InsideSources 15 April, 2020 at 06:54 Reply

    […] learning can also break down barriers for many who want to go to college but cannot afford it, or live in remote locations. Online […]

Leave a reply Cancel reply

  • Best of the Best ListsEarly Childhood & K-12 EdTech

    29 of the Best Flipped Classroom Apps for High School Teachers

  • Google Classroom Tips

    Google Classroom Tip #3: Add and Pass Activities

  • Parent & Family Tech

    Which Digital Parenting Style Describes Your Family’s Tech Habits?

Search

Login & Registration

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

Newsletter

Signup for The Tech Edvocate Newsletter and have the latest in EdTech news and opinion delivered to your email address!

  • Recent

  • Popular

  • Comments

  • The Brain Science Behind Immersive Learning

    By Matthew Lynch
    March 5, 2021
  • How To Create An Immersive Learning Environment

    By Matthew Lynch
    March 4, 2021
  • Prepare Your IT Department for an AI Skills Gap

    By Matthew Lynch
    March 3, 2021
  • Emerging Technologies for Tracking COVID-19 in Higher Ed

    By Matthew Lynch
    March 2, 2021
  • Screencasting Adds Engagement to K—12 Classrooms

    By Matthew Lynch
    March 1, 2021
  • 20 Top Virtual Reality Apps that are Changing Education

    By Matthew Lynch
    March 11, 2017
  • 7 Ways Technology Is Impacting Modern Education

    By Matthew Lynch
    March 4, 2017
  • Why Mobile Technology Enhances Instruction

    By Matthew Lynch
    December 14, 2016
  • What is the Future of Online Learning in Higher Education

    By Matthew Lynch
    April 2, 2018
  • 7 Roles for Artificial Intelligence in Education

    By Matthew Lynch
    May 5, 2018
  • How To Create An Immersive Learning Environment - The Tech Edvocate
    on
    March 4, 2021

    3 Reasons Why AI Could Be Your New Teaching Sidekick

    […] Artificial Intelligence (AI) ...
  • Item Analysis and Other Exam Design Principles - The Edvocate
    on
    March 3, 2021

    Designing with Open Educational Resources (OER)

    […] and areas for ...
  • Prepare Your IT Department for an AI Skills Gap - The Tech Edvocate
    on
    March 3, 2021

    The 4 Types of Artificial Intelligence: What Educators Should Know

    […] universities and colleges ...
  • 6 Resources for Teaching about Artificial Intelligence - The Tech Edvocate
    on
    February 26, 2021

    China Is Teaching Children about AI in Kindergarten. Should the US Be Worried?

    […] possibilities which is ...
  • How New Innovative Features in Classrooms Support EdTech - The Tech Edvocate
    on
    February 26, 2021

    The Significance of Technology in Your School

    […] Dictionary defines “Innovative” ...

EdTech Policy & Reform

  • EdTech Policy & Reform

    How Much Bias Is Okay in Your School?

    Spread the loveThe algorithm has proven itself to be a handy tool when it comes to solving education problems. It’s also not without bias.  You may be wondering how some ...
  • EdTech Policy & ReformFeaturedFresh

    Edtech Should Complement Good Pedagogy, Not Attempt to Replace It

    Spread the loveThe newest generation of edtech is downright amazing; it’s no wonder that various education stakeholders might be a little excited about its potential to transform education. However, edtech ...
  • EdTech Policy & ReformFeaturedFresh

    How to Teach Kids to Communicate in This Digital Age

    Spread the loveWhen even the youngest children are spending the equivalent of a full work day looking at screens, it is perhaps no surprise that parents are wondering how to ...
  • EdTech FuturesEdTech Policy & Reform

    3 Reasons Why India Will Be A Leader in the EdTech Industry in the 21st ...

    Spread the loveAccording to a joint report by KPMG and Google, the online education industry is expected to grow at a healthy rate of 8 times to become a $1.96B ...
  • Early Childhood & K-12 EdTechEdTech Policy & ReformFeaturedFresh

    How Does Technology Immersion Shape the Brain?

    Spread the loveDo you wonder what all of the screen time we have is really doing to our brains? As edtech continues to rise in prominence throughout the world, this ...

EdTech Startups & Businesses

  • EdTech Startups & BusinessesOnline Learning & eLearning

    Using Nudge Theory in Your Corporate Online Learning Classes

    Spread the loveAfter reading this headline, you may be asking yourself, what is nudge theory? Nudge theory centers on positive reinforcement and inferred suggestions to motivate a person to complete ...
  • EdTech Startups & Businesses

    Bringing Education into the Business World

    Spread the loveU.S. businesses spent nearly $20 billion on training in 2019. That number decreased by roughly half from the year before. Companies aren’t providing fewer professional development opportunities for ...
  • EdTech Startups & Businesses

    You Must Include These 3 Things in Your Edtech Business Plan

    Spread the loveDo you have a business plan? It’s the one question you’re going to be asked a lot as you begin your edtech business. The reasons to write a ...
  • EdTech Startups & Businesses

    Edtech Marketing Ideas to Implement Right Now

    Spread the loveEven if you do have the most exceptional edtech product or service in the world, you’ve still got to market it. Your sales and your success depend on ...
  • EdTech Startups & Businesses

    How Your Edtech Startup Can Make the Leap from Failure to Funded

    Spread the loveThe best ideas in edtech are often only ideas. They never become a reality because they lack the funding they need to get off the ground. Taking an ...

Digital Equity

  • Digital EquityDigital Leadership

    How Can You Assess the Tech Needs of Your Students Outside of School?

    Spread the loveToday, I received an email from the middle school principal in Los Angeles. She explained to me that the school that she ran was in one of the ...
  • Digital Equity

    It Is Time for the Edtech Industry to Stop Denying Its Equity and Race Problem

    Spread the loveThe EdTech industry is dominated by white employees, white leaders, and white entrepreneurs. If you doubt this statement, just attend an Edtech conference. Admittedly, educators and others don’t ...
  • Digital Equity

    How OER Can Help Overcome the Higher Education Equity Barrier

    Spread the loveThe cornerstone of the American dream is the ability to succeed in life regardless of one’s family of origin. And, for most people, that requires a college education. ...

EdTech Futures

  • EdTech FuturesOnline Learning & eLearning

    IT Trends To Watch As Higher Education Moves Into a New Decade

    Spread the loveEdtech couldn’t have hoped for a better launch into the new decade than the push the industry received from COVID-19. Even the most tech-resistant institutions and individuals have ...
  • EdTech Futures

    4 Emerging EdTech Trends in 2021

    Spread the loveCovid-19 has not only changed education as we know it, but it has forced education technology (EdTech) to up its game. EdTech has been crucial since the start of this ...
  • Adult EducationEdTech & InnovationEdTech FuturesEducation LeadershipEducational LeadershipHigher EducationHigher Education EdTechThe Future of Education

    Education Technology and the Future of Higher Ed Leadership

    Spread the loveEducation Technology (EdTech) has had a more significant impact on education than anyone expected. Now its effects are reaching into the field of higher education. In this article, ...
  • EdTech Futures

    Top Edtech Trends for 2021

    Spread the loveAre you ready to look ahead? Schools will soon be reflecting on what’s been working this year and what’s not. They’ll also begin thinking about their budgets for ...
  • Early Childhood & K-12 EdTechEdTech Futures

    In the Wake of Teacher Shortages, Schools are Turning to Virtual Teachers

    Spread the loveTeaching was once a greatly respected position, and today, morally it still seems to be of high value to many Americans. Institutionally, however, teaching no longer seems to ...

About Us

Since technology is not going anywhere and does more good than harm, adapting is the best course of action. That is where The Tech Edvocate comes in. We plan to cover the PreK-12 and Higher Education EdTech sectors and provide our readers with the latest news and opinion on the subject. From time to time, I will invite other voices to weigh in on important issues in EdTech. We hope to provide a well-rounded, multi-faceted look at the past, present, the future of EdTech in the US and internationally.

We started this journey back in June 2016, and we plan to continue it for many more years to come. I hope that you will join us in this discussion of the past, present and future of EdTech and lend your own insight to the issues that are discussed.

Newsletter

Signup for The Tech Edvocate Newsletter and have the latest in EdTech news and opinion delivered to your email address!

Contact Us

The Tech Edvocate
5322 Markel Road, Suite 104
Richmond, VA 23230
(601) 630-5238
[email protected]

Follow us

Copyright © 2021 Matthew Lynch. All rights reserved.