Beyond Accommodation: How Course Accessibility Enhances the Learning Experience for All

The "curb-cut effect" refers to the phenomenon where a design intended to accommodate one group of people ends up benefiting a broader range of individuals. Initially designed to facilitate the movement of people with wheelchairs, curb cuts also make it easier for parents with strollers to navigate sidewalks. The smooth transition from sidewalk to street provided by curb cuts benefits parents pushing strollers, delivery workers using hand trucks, cyclists, and travelers pulling luggage. While course accessibility features primarily cater to individuals with disabilities, they also benefit individuals without disabilities in several ways:

• Flexibility and convenience: Transcripts and captions offer flexibility and convenience for all learners, allowing them to access course content in various environments and situations. Captions, for instance, are vital for deaf and hard-of-hearing viewers to understand the audio content of a video. But they are also helpful to non-native speakers who may be able to understand the language written better than spoken, or even to commuters who want to watch a video on the bus on a day they forgot their headphones.
• Usability: Descriptive links, correct levels of headings, and chunking content improve the overall usability of the course material for everyone. Straightforward navigation and organization make it easier for all learners to locate and access relevant information quickly, leading to a more efficient learning experience.
• Multimodal learning: Captions and transcripts provide additional modalities for accessing course content beyond just audio or video. This benefits individuals who may prefer reading over listening or who want to reinforce their understanding by seeing the text alongside the audio or video.
• Improved comprehension: Including captions in your course videos can enhance student understanding. A recent survey conducted by YouGov showed that adults between the ages of 18 to 29 prefer to watch videos with subtitles 63% of the time. The main reason cited is that subtitles make it easier for them to comprehend what is being said in the videos. Consistent page headings and chunking content also help improve comprehension for all learners by organizing information in a logical and structured manner. Clear headings make it easier to navigate the material and understand the relationships between different sections, while chunking content into manageable segments enhances retention and understanding.