PanSIG 2026 - Building Language Competencies through Community

Implementation Efforts of UDL for Course Material Accessibility

23 May 2026, 15:30

25m

0号building/8-808 (Chukyo University)

B. Practice-oriented Presentation (25 minutes) ALL: Accessibility in Language Learning 808

Speakers

Rachael Roberts (Kanda University of International Studies) Tiffani Blatchford (Kanda University of International Studies) Travis Gasaway (Kanda Univ of International Studies)

Description

This presentation will elaborate on the implementation of guidelines that were produced by a task group overseeing accessibility of course materials at a university in Japan. The presenters will showcase guidelines for the modification of existing materials and explanatory guides created to support teachers’ understanding of the ideologies, and provide recommendations for how to apply them to their own materials.

Keywords

Accessibility, Universal Design for Learning, Materials Development

Abstract

This presentation is a continuative report on the work performed by members of the materials design task group at our International University in Japan (Lyon et. al, forthcoming). In 2024, this task group was created with the goal of creating design guidelines that adhere to the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) for improved accessibility of digital classroom materials (Meyer et al., 2014). Members of the task group performed background research, selected appropriate task goals, and divided into focus groups to create design standards for various material types, primarily focusing on slideshows and documents. This multi-stage process is an on-going effort with the ultimate goal of producing design standards which are inclusive, accessible, and cognitively approachable.

This presentation specifically follows up on the implementation of guidelines through both the modification of existing materials available to instructors as well as explanatory guidebooks to support teachers’ understanding of the ideologies behind the guidelines and how to apply them to their own materials. Participants will be invited to consider not only how to make classroom materials more accessible for their students but also the practical application of UDL.

References

Lyon, P., Blatchford, T., Roberts, R & Gasaway, T. (forthcoming). Universal Design to Enhance EFL Course Material Accessibility. Korea TESOL Journal, 21, 2.

Meyer, A., Rose, D. H., & Gordon, D. (2014). Universal design for learning: Theory and practice. CAST.

Short summary

This presentation will elaborate on the implementation of guidelines that were produced by a task group overseeing accessibility of course materials at a university in Japan. The presenters will showcase the guidelines for the modification of existing materials and explanatory guides created to support teachers’ understanding of the ideologies behind the guidelines and recommendations for how to apply them to their own materials.