Stephen Downes

This is a set of speaking notes for a talk on designing for accessibility in learning materials. The notes stand up quite well on their own, offering a detailed and useful overview of the subject, looking at the four major dimensions of accessibility: perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust.  What I like also is the statement near the end that "Students may face all sort of barriers even if they don't have a diagnosed disability, and there is not really such thing as an 'average student.'" Quite right. "The reality is, there is no such thing as a normal or average student. Students vary greatly in their interests, family situation, culture, background, experience, strengths, and weaknesses. And all students benefit when educational materials are designed to be accessible and inclusive." There's a lot more in addition; this is a thoughtful and complete presentation that I can easily recommend.