Challenge C: Substantive Post #2
As digital tools become a bigger part of everyday life, I have started to see accessibility less as a technical requirement and more as a way of designing for real people with different needs. For me, accessibility means thinking about these differences from the very beginning, instead of treating them as “special cases”. This idea connects strongly with the UDL framework, which focuses on offering flexible ways for learners to engage with content, understand information, and express what they know.
Two simple examples show how this works in practice. One is the option to enlarge text on a smartphone. It directly supports older adults or people with low vision, but it also helps anyone who prefers clearer text or is reading in bright light. Another example is the “senior mode” found in some apps, which removes visual clutter and keeps only essential features. This reduces cognitive load and makes the interface easier for many different users, not just seniors. Both examples reflect the inclusive design principle of “solve for one, extend to many”.
From a multimedia learning perspective, accessibility shapes how we think about clarity, choice, and learner control. When we design with a wide range of abilities in mind, we create learning environments that are more human-centred and more flexible for everyone, not just those at the margins, but the whole learning community.
Hello Simon, I liked reading about this blog post. I thought it was a cool addition to have supporting evidence when talking about what it means to have tools that allow further accessibility to better suit people’s needs. I think that you could’ve taken it a bit further when you discussed creating a learning environment towards the end. You introduced a great idea about accessibility and how it shapes clarity, choice, and control of the learner, but maybe expanding on how these principles influence learning environments would make your reflection even stronger. However, the examples you provided showed how these ideas connect to UDL designs and inclusivity. I think the examples you provided made the concepts practical and relatable. You did a great job overall though