Journal 10 - Five Steps to an Accessible Classroom Website.

Amundson, L. (2009). Five steps to an acessible classroom website. Learning and Leading with Technology, 37(3), Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=November_No_3_5&Template=/MembersOnly.cfm&NavMenuID=4436&ContentID=24615&DirectListComboInd=D

When I began to read the article I became shocked about the different ways in which people can use the computer and the different ways in which they can do things that everyone else can do. I felt slightly ashamed that I had not thought about this before, but more enlightened and intrigued by what they rest d the article had in it.

The first step which was taken was a simple one which would also help the other people in the class and not just those with disabilities. By using simple headings as suggested it will make it simpler for everyone to use and easier for everyone to gain better access to it. The way that they suggest to use the access key's instead of a roll down menu is also something which would enable other students to have access to information in a quicker way and again it would make it more accessible to other students.

The next step that they advise you to take is to make sure that you provide text to all the images and visual things on the web-page. This would not only help the people who have disabilities, but also the ones who learn in different ways such as those who are not visual learners. The final steps are ones to ensure that the different links are easily titled and that people would be able to make sure that this is the one that they want to go to, also the final step is to make sure that the web page is able to be used by any one with a disability. You can do this in anyway that you want, whether you test it or you get someone else to test it for you.

Could this also benefit parents and not just students?
YES! Not only would it make it easier for students to go through and locate things, but parents would also be able to use the website more easily and they would be able to take part the same as any other parent regardless of their disability and they would also feel as though they are being included in the child's life. They could also help the student with their work as well, so they could feel involved in their child's education.

Would all students benefit from these changes?
As I have stated above, I feel that all students would benefit from the changes which would be made to the websites as they would be able to use their different strengths to use the resources available to them. It could benefit all the students, especially if they don't have a specific disability and they just have problems using certain types of information and also if they have trouble with the interpretation of the information as well. Anything which makes things easier for the students to use means that they can gain more from it as they are not getting caught up in the different things which can distract the student from the information which they need to get to. Sometimes simpler is better for all people, not just those with disabilities.