It is proving difficult to ask a question in relation to universal design that was not addressed in this module. Much of this is new and intriguing information for me. As a result, I am unsure I know to reference beyond what has been provided in this course. Moreover, what has been provided has been so expansive and informative. Two areas I wish to gather more information on, as I feel they was not adequately addressed, is the consideration of specific cognitive needs and content malleability. In addition, I am having difficulty understanding the concept of inclusive EPUB 3, and the difference and connection between HTML and EPUB and would benefit from more clarification and study. 

To explore what I think is important, I believe it is important to note my own positionality in this context, which offers both insight and bias. My ability status is directly impacted by cognitive disabilities such as a traumatic brain injury (TBI) and attention deficit disorder. This positionality, supported by the material from this module, directly impacted the three concepts I believe to be most important:

  1. Accessibility: Taking into account individual learner(s), or specific group of learners, and the context and goals in which they will be learning is accessibility in this context. Moreover, how the system and environment will accommodate the learners.Thus, one Open Education Resource (OER) can be accessible to one learner (or group of) and inaccessible to another. 
  2. Inclusivity: According to the Flexible Learning for Open Education (FLOE) resource, “[i]nclusiveness, or the practice of inclusivity, is the belief that the design of a “thing” – whether it is a piece of technology, an everyday object, or even information itself – should be mindful of a broad range of users, their variable abilities, their variety of environments, situations, and contexts. defines Inclusive” (n.d.). Moreover, to be fully inclusive the design takes into account considerations the “full range of human diversity with respect to ability, language, culture, gender, age and other forms of human difference” (FLOE, n.d.).
  3. Privacy and Confidentiality: As discussed in FLOE, “many of us rely on technology and “smart” services to provide accessibility and convenience in our everyday lives” (FLOE, n.d.). Notably, those who are most vulnerable to the misuse of private information are simultaneously those who benefit the most from such smart services. Therefore, privacy is inherently connected to inclusive design, as “putting control of online personal privacy into the hands of the user is an important aspect of inclusive design” (FLOE, n.d.). Two of my biggest take aways, and things that I rarely see, are that we need to be transparent and clear and minimize the amount of personal data we collect. Upholding and designing services that utilize “clear, transparent and understandable terms of use and privacy policies can help to educate people about their digital privacy, foster a sense of entitlement to that privacy, and facilitate more informed choices” (FLOE, n.d.). In regard to collecting data and personal information, I have never felt so empowered to protect my own information before this course (EDCI 339). I appreciate the level of transparency and invitational

I offer this Ted Talk Video (below) presented by Lindsey Ott (2017). She speaks of utilizing equity, not equality, to solve the achievement gap in the education system (Ott, 2017). Significantly, I believe to be both accessible and inclusive we must uphold equity not equality. For equity takes into account each individual, similar to the way FLOE describes “the collective diversity of resources enabled through FlOE could meet the needs and preferences of all learners” (FLOE, n.d.).

Word Count: 585

References:

Ott, L. (2017). Solving the Achievement Gap Through Equity, Not Equality. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOQbu_3M0_Q&feature=emb_title

FLOE. (n.d.).Flexible Learning for Open Education. Retrieved from https://handbook.floeproject.org

Photo by Jacqueline Kelly on Unsplash