Creating Accessible and Inclusive Online Learning: Moving Beyond Compliance and Broadening the Discussion

Patrick R. Lowenthal, Kirsta Greear, Michael Humphrey, Alison Lowenthal, Quincy Conley, Lisa A. Giacumo, Joanna C. Dunlap

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Accessibility is a hot topic in online education these days. Despite the increased focus on accessibility, most discussions of creating "accessible" online courses and elearning simply focus on adding alternative text to images and captions to video. In this article, we argue that online educators and workplace learning professionals (including instructors, instructional designers, managers, and administrators) should be thinking beyond compliance and instead thinking about how they can support all learners. We begin by providing the overview of some laws focused on accessibility, we then describe how people struggle learning online at all levels (i.e., compulsory, postsecondary, and workplaces), and then conclude with evidence-based practices on how online educators and workplace learning professionals can support all learners.

Original languageAmerican English
JournalQuarterly Review of Distance Education
StatePublished - 1 Jan 2020

EGS Disciplines

  • Accessibility
  • Instructional Media Design
  • Online and Distance Education

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Creating Accessible and Inclusive Online Learning: Moving Beyond Compliance and Broadening the Discussion'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this