Special Ed Tech Center
Inclusive Insights & Access Tips
Issue 36 | November 2026
Accessible By Design
When the Materials Become the Barrier
The worksheets had been scanned. The articles had been uploaded. Everything was digital. So why couldn’t this fourth grader access his schoolwork?
A few years ago, I was asked to help a student who relied on text-to-speech to read and understand grade-level materials. His teacher was experienced, dedicated, and had spent years collecting resources for her classroom. When the student needed digital access, the team had worked to scan and upload those materials into OneNote.
There was just one problem: the scanned pages were images, not readable text. And without clear organization or navigation, finding the right materials was another challenge. Despite everyone’s efforts, this eager learner was increasingly shut out of the materials he needed to participate.
We didn’t need to start over or rebuild years of materials. Instead, we explored small changes she could make as she prepared upcoming lessons, such as sharing text in accessible formats, using built-in organizational features, and thinking about how students would navigate the materials.
The instruction wasn’t the barrier. The materials were.
I’ve experienced this myself, too. I’ve created beautiful handouts in Canva, only to discover that their reading order and accessibility didn’t match their visual design. A resource can look wonderful and still be difficult—or impossible—for someone to use.
We put so much thought into what we teach. But how often do we consider whether the materials carrying that instruction are accessible to the learners who need them?
What if accessibility wasn’t something we added after a student struggled, but something we designed for from the start?
A Question Worth Reframing
Instead of asking: “How do I adapt this material for this student?”
Try asking: “Can learners access this material in the ways they need?”
When we design with accessibility in mind, we move from reacting to individual barriers toward anticipating learner variability. Features like meaningful headings, readable text, and flexible formats can support many learners—not just those using assistive technology.
The goal isn’t a separate version for every student. It’s more pathways into the same learning.
Accessibility Is More Than Availability
A resource can be digital without being accessible. And even when a material meets technical accessibility standards, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s easy for every learner to use.
That’s why accessible design asks us to look beyond whether a resource is simply available.
Can learners perceive the information? Can they navigate and interact with it? Can they use the tools and supports that work for them?
Accessible Educational Materials (AEM) help make this possible by providing educational content in formats that people with disabilities can use. But accessibility also depends on everyday design decisions: how we organize information, describe visuals, caption media, and create documents that work with assistive technology.
When we build accessibility into materials from the start, we create more opportunities for learners to access information independently and participate meaningfully, without unnecessarily changing the learning goal.
From Insight to Action
Accessible materials don’t have to be complicated. Small, intentional choices can remove barriers before learners encounter them.
1. Make information readable and navigable.
- TRY: Use built-in heading styles, clear layouts, sufficient color contrast, and selectable digital text instead of scanned images.
- WHY: Thoughtful organization helps learners find information, while accessible text allows them to enlarge, highlight, or listen using assistive technology.
- EXAMPLE: When creating a Word document, use “Heading 1” and “Heading 2” styles rather than simply enlarging or bolding text. Share the original digital document instead of a scanned copy.
2. Offer more than one way to access information.
- TRY: Add meaningful alternative text to important images, accurate captions to videos, and transcripts for audio content.
- WHY: Learners access information in different ways. Providing alternatives helps ensure that essential content isn’t available through only one sensory pathway.
- EXAMPLE: When sharing a science video, turn on captions and review them for accuracy. For a diagram, include a brief description explaining the information it communicates.
3. Check accessibility before sharing.
- TRY: Run a built-in accessibility checker and, when possible, test materials with the tools learners actually use.
- WHY: A resource may look accessible but still contain barriers that aren’t immediately visible. Automated checkers can identify some issues, but they don’t catch everything.
- EXAMPLE: Before sharing a worksheet, use Microsoft Word’s Accessibility Checker. Then try selecting the text, listening to it with text-to-speech, or navigating it using only a keyboard.
You don’t have to redesign everything at once. Start with one material, one feature, or one upcoming lesson. Learn more from the Web Accessibility Initiative.
See It In Action: Same Content, Different Access
Three versions of the same classroom activity. Same content, same learning goal—but very different opportunities for access.
The first is a traditional printed worksheet. The second moves that worksheet into a digital format, but many of the same barriers remain. The third takes a different approach: redesigning the material with readable text, clearer organization, alternative text, and flexible ways to respond.
The difference isn’t just where the material lives. It’s how intentionally it’s designed for access.
Pause & Reflect
Think about a learning material you’ve recently created or shared.
If a learner couldn’t access it in the way you intended, what other pathways would be available?
What is one small change you could make to offer more flexibility?
Explore More
Want to dig a little deeper? Choose the path that works for you.
Writing for Web Accessibility:
Practical tips for creating accessible digital content, including headings, meaningful links, and image descriptions.
National Center on Accessible Educational Materials at CAST
Short videos exploring what accessible educational materials are and why they matter.
Microsoft Accessibility Checker
Identify potential accessibility barriers in Word, PowerPoint, and other Microsoft 365 documents—and explore ways to address them.
Around SETC
Free Virtual Learning
(All times Pacific)
The Call-In: Real conversations, practical strategies, and small shifts
Inclusive by Design: Elementary Classrooms
Clicker Collaborative: Strategies for Writing Access
Assistive & Inclusive Tech Spotlight: Alternative Access
AT & AAC Office Hours: The 15-min Team Plan
3-Hour Classes
(All times Pacific)
Future of AAC: AI & AAC for Early Learners
Every Student Deserves a Voice: AAC Foundations for School Teams
Future of AAC – AI & AAC in Practice: Prompting, Modeling & Supporting Language
Rooted in Inclusion, Flourishing with AAC: Growing Communication-Rich Schools
(Individual registration: $60 per class)
NEW! District Learning Pass
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Bring your team together for shared learning—just $37.50 per person with a full group of 20.
Save up to $450 compared with individual registration!
One Last Thought
The next time you create or share a learning material, ask yourself:
Can learners access this in more than one way?
Maybe it’s adding a heading, checking captions, describing an image, or making text compatible with assistive technology.
Accessibility doesn’t require us to get everything perfect. It asks us to keep noticing barriers—and designing more ways around them.
Small design choices can open big opportunities for participation.
