Activity
Creating accessible materials and classroom strategies summary page
Summary page with links to posts on how to create accessible materials, classroom strategies and related information for specific subject matter courses.
Before the start of a new semester, TSVIs will work with classroom teachers and other educational staff. This typically includes sharing general information on how to work with a student who is blind or low vision, unique needs/expectations of the specific student and training educators on how to create accessible digital materials for this student. This post, Train gen ed teachers: Creating accessible documents activity provides information on who is responsible for creating accessible digital materials, along with a simple activity to demonstrate how to create an accessible document with alt text. The post also has free downloadable handouts for gen ed teachers, listing how to create how to create accessible Word documents and PowerPoints with alt text, headings and other accessibility features.
This summary page is a resource of linked posts designed to support TSVIs, students who are blind and low vision and general education teachers in creating or modifying digital materials so that students who are visually impaired can access these materials. Some posts are geared for educators, such as how to make an accessible PowerPoint. Other posts provide strategies and/or explanations about various devices and applications to increase the general education teacher’s understanding and knowledge of assistive technology and accessibility needs of blind and low vision students in his/her class. There are also posts for general education teachers of specific subject matter classes or specials. Students who are visually impaired have a range of educational needs that include inverting colors, high contrast, large print, magnification tools, read aloud, screen reader or a combination of accessibility features. TSVIs can pick and choose which posts might be most beneficial and share specific posts with general education teachers. Students should also be involved in the process of educating general education teachers about BLV students – this is a critical transition skill for students who plan on college and/or joining the workforce! Students can initiate self-advocacy skills by working with their teachers and by sharing specific posts with teachers.
This summary page focuses on information that educators need and not on student lessons. Looking for lessons/activities to teach assistive technology or for specific subject matter? Use the Search feature on Paths to Technology and/or look in the Lesson Library.
It is important for braille students to initially learn a concept or skill using hard copy (paper) braille, tactile graphics and manipulatives. Students who are blind and low vision should have also equivalent technology skills as their peers. The post, Tech standards: Why teach tech digital concepts early?, dives deeper into the reasons that blind and low vision students should also learn tech skills early.
Low vision students make up a large percent of a TSVIs caseload; however, assistive technology needs for low vision students may be overlooked. This summary page includes a large number of strategies to support low vision students. Written by a successful college student with low vision, the Why I prefer my schoolwork digitally clearly details why digital resources are so critical!
Beginning of Year Resources for Gen Ed Teachers and TSVIs
These posts address common questions and strategies that general education teachers often have about supporting a student with blindness or low vision. Many general education teachers have not had a visually impaired student in their classroom and since most low vision students tend to blend in with their peers, it is important for teachers to understand the unique needs of low vision students. The posts below include information that is critical for classroom success for both blind and low vision students.
- Back-to-school information for TVIs to share with general education teachers
- Common classroom accommodations for low vision
- Creating inclusive accessible video lectures for visually impaired audiences
- How I receive accessible quizzes
- How to create accessible classroom posters for students with visual impairment
- How to make things on the board easier to see
- Implementing shared folders for accessible materials
- Photosensitivity in the classroom
- Preferential seating and low vision
- Quick ways to improve accessibility for virtual materials
- Reduce glare in the classroom for low vision student
- Ten “odd” things I do with double vision
- Train gen ed teachers: Creating accessible documents activity (includes handouts!)
- Two of everything: Living with double vision
- Why I prefer my schoolwork digitally
- How I document accessibility preferences with low vision
Creating accessible materials
Digital materials, when created correctly, can be fully accessible for students who are blind or low vision. Students can use their preferred device to access the materials and complete assignments, and on their preferred device, students can set their desired accessibility features, such as the size of the font, color contrast, screen reader speed, etc.
Note: Many posts are specifically about Microsoft Word and PowerPoints, but the same accessibility principals can be applied to Apple and Google software.
Handouts and information
Train gen ed teachers: Creating accessible documents activity has numerous handouts with summarized instructions on how to make accessible materials including these handouts:
- Instructions on adding alt text handout
- Creating accessible Google Slides handout
- Creating accessible Word documents handout
- Creating headings for a Screen Reader: Lesson Plan (Explains what Headings are, how students use them, and how to create accessible headings)
- Creating an accessible table handout
- Navigating efficiently with a screen reader: headings post
- Creating accessible PowerPoint presentations handout (Includes general accessibility information for all slide presentations)
- Creating accessible Google Forms handout
- Quick ways to improve accessibility for virtual materials
Alt text and image descriptions
- Adding alt text to an image in Word for Office 365 (Includes adding image descriptions to Bookshare books)
- Creating image descriptions (alt text) (Includes the Diagram Center’s Image Description Guidelines)
- How to write alt text and image descriptions for the visually impaired
- How to add alt text on social media
- How to add alt text to Facebook page
- How to write alt text and image descriptions for Instagram
Slide decks
- Creating accessible Google Slides
- Creating accessible Word docs & PowerPoints: Teacher resource
- Reading order: PowerPoint presentations (Reading order is an important accessibility feature that is often overlooked!)
- How to create accessible PowerPoints (For blind, low vision and print disabilities)
- How to use Microsoft Sway with assistive technology
Documents
- Creating accessible Word docs & PowerPoints: Teacher resource
- Creating headings for a screen reader: Lesson plan
- Designing accessible documents with Microsoft Word
- Inaccessible vs. accessible PDFs: Making all PDFs accessible!
- Train gen ed teachers: Creating accessible documents activity
Spreadsheets
- How to create an accessible formula sheet (High and low tech options for a formula sheet (spreadsheet) for low vision students)
Videos
Described and Captioned Media Program is a free-loan educational media service to provide accessible (captioned and described) content for educators.
- Free accessible educational videos that are captioned and described!
- DCMP includes AI scene description tool for students with visual disabilities
- Audio Description Project (American Council of the Blind – includes a list of audio described programs and movies for TV/streaming)
- Accessing science videos with audio description (Audio Description Project)
How to created described videos or find teacher-created videos:
- YouDescribe: Audio descriptions for YouTube
- How to create audio description for YouTube with YouDescribe
- Creating audio descriptions for music videos with YouDescribe
- Audible Sight: A new method for creating audio descriptions
- Creating a descriptive video (using iMovie)
Misc.
- Recording video lectures for visually impaired students
- How to make classroom videos easier to see (low vision)
Maps and diagrams
- Creating digital images for tactile graphics machines, Part 1 (Series of posts on tactile graphics for PIAF/Swell machines)
- Tactile Graphics Library
- Picture In A Flash: A tactile image is worth a thousand words (PIAF and Swell tactile graphic machines)
- How to create an accessible map charts for low vision
- California map lesson (Includes how to modify and create a tactile map of California)
- California map lesson 2: Cartographic activity
- How to create accessible digital maps using SAS Graphics Accelerator and Google Maps
- Webinar: Creating accessible maps using SAS Graphics Accelerator and Google Maps
- SAS Graphics Accelerator Summary Page (Links to all the posts related to creating accessible charts, graphs and maps using the SAS Graphics Accelerator free add-on)
Common applications and how BLV students use them
Learning Management Systems
- How I use Blackboard with low vision
- How I use Canvas with low vision
- How I use Moodle with low vision
- Low vision assistive technology for discussion board posts
Misc. applications
- Creating a Google Form quiz on the iPad
- How I use Microsoft OneNote with low vision
- How I use Microsoft Whiteboard with low vision
- Why every student needs Microsoft Office Lens
Low vision
- Adapting math sketches: Math problems
- Low vision accessibility settings for Windows 10
- How to use high contrast in Windows 10 and Windows 11
- How to create accessible diagrams for low vision
- How to make an iPad accessible for low vision
- How to make classroom videos easier to see
- Low vision accommodations for print materials
- My favorite free fonts for print disabilities
- Paper colors and low vision
- Reduce glare in the classroom for low vision students
- Testing accommodations for low vision students
- How I use technology to improve handwriting
Note: There are too many posts about screen readers, notetakers and braille displays to include on this summary page. you can search for specific tutorials and activities on Paths to Technology for additional posts.
Strategies for specific classes
Math
There are numerous resources for digital math, Digital math summary page (Comprehensive list of posts related to digital math tools). The following three posts contain numerous resources on specific digital math topics:
- Math apps and activities summary post for students PK – 3rd grade (Comprehensive list of posts)
- Digital math: Introducing skill level checklists
- Digital math: Workflows from teacher to student and student to teacher (detailed list of math applications used to create and share accessible math assignments)
Here is a partial list of popular math applications and tools for creating accessible digital math using specific applications:
- Creating an accessible geometry worksheet: Desmos Geometry Tool (workflow)
- Desmos Geometry Tool: Angle BCD with a screen reader (Student accessing and manipulating an angle)
- Desmos Geometry Tool: Desmos Geometry Tool: Points and lines and Desmos Geometry Tool: Circles and Polygons
- Desmos graphing calculator: Using the Desmos calculator with Sara Larkin (recorded Project Inspire webinar)
- Equation Editor Microsoft Word: Accessible Math Editor: Word
- iPad Pages app (touchscreen bar chart): Creating an accessible bar chart in the Pages app: iOS 11
- JAWS Braille Math Editor: Braille Math Editor: Student video tutorial
- MathKicker.ai website: Creating accessible digital math with MathKicker.ai (Instantly convert inaccessible math expressions and formulas to accessible digital math worksheets)
- Tactile graphics machine: Picture In A Flash: A tactile image is worth a thousand words (PIAF and Swell machines that create hard copy tactile graphics)
Science
- Accessing science videos with audio description (Audio Description Project)
- Accessible Science website by Perkins
- Five apps I use in the science classroom as a low vision student
- How to describe science experiments for visually impaired students
- How to modify accessible anatomy graphics for low vision
Literacy: Creating books
- Book Creator App: Create your own accessible books on iOS, Android and Windows tablets
- Creating and/or using digital books (geared for emerging, young readers or students with complex needs)
- Creating access books using Pages
- Creating engaging adapted CVI-friendly books with nothing but free apps and an iPad
Literacy: Accessing digital books/materials
- How I use Microsoft Immersive Reader with low vision
- Simplified reading displays with low vision (reading digital content)
- Taking online English classes with low vision
Computer lab
Music/Band
- Blind and low vision students in marching band and music classes
- How I play in GMU Green Machine/pep band with low vision
- Marching band and low vision
- Considerations for writing marching band drills for low vision students
- Concert band and low vision
- Adapting band uniforms for photosensitivity and sensory overload
- Options for watching the conductor with low vision
- Power of music and persistence
- My large print music binder
- Tips for reading music on an iPad with low vision
- How to make music accessible with PowerPoint
- How to modify an instrument fingering chart for low vision
- Why I chose the clarinet as a musician with low vision
- Requesting extracurricular accommodations
Art
Gym
Historical documents
- How to make historical documents accessible for low vision
- Taking online history classes with low vision
Virtual classes
- How I’m using my eReader to support virtual learning
- My experience with virtual classes in high school
- My favorite tips for attending live video lectures
- Layla’s virtual tech instruction (Elementary student)
- Seven unexpected disability accommodations for virtual learning
- Teaching a virtual class: Zoom Etiquette
- Ten tech skills every college student needs for virtual classes
- Tips to stay organized in virtual classes
- Quick ways to improve accessibility for virtual learning materials
- Ways to practice self-advocacy in the virtual classroom
- Why take virtual classes in college
By Diane Brauner
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