» [Fall Workshop 2022] Langara’s Assistive Technologist Project: An Un-siloed Approach to Improving Digital Literacy Across the Institution

Friday November 4, 9:40 – 10:25

Luke McKnight is an Assistive Technologist at Langara College
Briana Fraser is an Educational Technologist at Langara College

Session Description

Langara’s Assistive Technologist project was developed to support students using assistive technology and to develop resources for creating accessible content. Awareness of digital accessibility has greatly increased since the shift to online learning during COVID-19. Continued hybrid, hyflex, and online learning–and the new Accessible BC Act–mean that creating accessible digital content and ensuring equal access are key concerns for post-secondary institutions. This presents an opportunity to engage students and staff in learning about accessibility, while also increasing basic digital literacy.

As the project evolved, the siloed nature of available technical support revealed an obvious barrier to teaching accessibility best practices and increasing digital literacy. This presentation will focus on two products of the Assistive Technologist project: a Pressbook and a Brightspace course. These resources were built with no assumptions about users’ existing digital skills and intended for any audience. We believe this approach is key to creating a base level of digital literacy and understanding of digital accessibility and assistive technology.