Designing for All: The Journey to Inclusive Learning | Expert Insights by Prashanth Kamavarapu

The journey to accessible learning starts with inclusive design. In this episode, Sampath sits down with accessibility expert Prashanth to uncover the biggest challenges in making EdTech content truly accessible. From tight production schedules to complex learning materials, they explore how a proactive approach—combining AI automation with human expertise—can streamline accessibility efforts. Learn why early investment in accessibility saves time, reduces costs, and fosters a better learning experience for all. 

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Transcript

0:02

Hello, everyone. Welcome to today's episode. We are going to talk about a very critical topic in educational technology, which is accessibility. As we know, deadlines like European Accessibility Act are fast approaching, and edtech providers face significant challenges in ensuring that the content remains accessible. Joining me today is Prashanth, an expert in EdTech accessibility. Hey Prashanth, it's very nice to have you here with us. Thanks. Simple. I'm excited to dive into this discussion. That's great. Now, as you know, deadlines in a edtech world can be very relentless. What makes you think accessibility is so challenging under all these time constraints Prashanth? Good question Sampath, but this is indeed a very interesting point to talk about. Remediation in a edtech industry is nothing but modifying and optimizing educational content to ensure it meets accessibility, compliance and quality standards. It is crucial for creating an inclusive learning environment that caters to diverse learners, including those with disabilities. Now, let me tell you why remediation is so resource intensive. First, let's talk about high content volumes. In general, edtech companies deal with vast amounts of content from textbooks and course materials to multimedia and interactive resources. So remediating such extensive content requires huge time and efforts. The next one is about content, complexity. Education content exists in multiple formats like PDFs, ebooks, videos, simulations, and interactive learning modules. Each format requires a unique remediation approach to ensure accessibility and usability. Last but not least, keeping content updated is a significant factor. Accessibility is not a one size fits all solution. It requires thoughtful design that accommodates different disabilities, learning styles and preferences. As new content is created and existing materials are updated. Accessibility Standards must be consistently applied. This includes providing alternative text for images, ensuring proper hearing structures, maintaining sufficient color contrast, LATek and CATek coding for map assets, incorporating transcripts, captions, scene descriptions, and ensuring screen reader compatibility. Now our listeners will also be aware of the challenges involved with accessibility. Now, given these challenges, What do you think is the best way for learning content providers to integrate accessibility effectively in their approach? A proactive, born accessible approach. Integrating accessibility from the start is the key solution, A born accessible approach means embedding accessibility considerations from the very beginning of content development. This proactive method ensures that all learners, including those with disabilities, can fully engage with educational materials without requiring extensive modifications later. If you ask me about the benefits of an accessible approach, designing content correctly from the beginning prevents accessibility issues, saving significant time and resources compared to post publication remediation. Ensures compliance with accessibility standards like WCAG, ADA and Section 508 guidelines avoiding legal risks. Enhances user experience for all learners. Features like captions, alternative text and structured navigation benefit not only learners with disabilities, but also those in different learning environments like mobile users and multilingual learners. Supports multiple learning modalities. Text, audio, video, interactive elements, and adaptive tools make content more engaging and effective for diverse learners. Now let's talk about other factors like automation. Automation can help speed up remediation, However. AI coupled with humor in low quality checks is required to ensure that content is scholastically effective and technically compliant. Skilled professionals must review, correct, and enhance the content. AI implementation with human in the loop approach has proven to be both accurate and effective. Second point is about training content creators. Empowering instructional designers with strong understanding of best practices is crucial for creating inclusive learning experiences. Third is about conducting regular audits. Accessibility is not a one and done task, but a continuous process that requires regular evaluation and updates. By integrating accessibility into routine content, audits Ed Tech companies can prevent compliance violations and Enhance user experience, and uphold their commitment to inclusivity. Now we are spoken about a born accessible approaches. Spoken about automation and you've spoken about artificial intelligence. Now, speaking about the solutions is one thing, and implementing them in real world scenarios is another thing. In all your experience, Prashanth, have you worked with any client in tackling these challenges? Definitely some, but I'm happy to share my experience with a strong commitment to accessibility and A Leading edtech company wanted to perform education platform system enchancements for accessibility compliance. Few challenges encountered by the customer are educational materials included intricate elements like complex tables, mathematical equations, and PDFs, which are inherently challenging to make them accessible. The extensive library of resources required systematic remediation to ensure all materials meet accessibility standards. Keeping pace with updates in guidelines necessitated continuous adaption and improvement. To address these challenges, we incorporated short and descriptive alternative text for more than 200,000 images to help visually impaired learners comprehend visual content through screen readers. Processed HTML coding tables. LATeK and CATek coding for rendering more than 100,000 mathematical equations to ensure mathematical notations are both visually clear and accessible to assistive technologies. Enchanced thousands of PDFs to include proper tagging, reading order, and navigational aids to facilitate compatibility with screen readers and improve overall usability. We also incorporated transcripts, scene descriptions, and closed captions for thousands of minutes of video content to ensure that learners who are deaf or hard of hearing can access auditory information. That's quite an impressive transformation, honestly. And even more impressive numbers that you have quoted. Now, for all the learning content providers looking for a quick and efficient document remediation platform, services like document a11y can help you streamline your processes. Ensure compliance is without slowing down your content production. This is also a great example of how accessibility efforts can make a real world impact Prashanth. Do you have any other final advice for learning content providers? Sure, Sampath. I urge all providers to make accessibility a priority from the beginning. Investing in accessibility only saves time, reduces costs and fosters an inclusive learning experience for all learners. Well said Prashanth, and for all our listeners, if you think accessibility is a challenge for you or your team, Reach out to experts who can help streamline this process for you. Thank you for joining us Prashanth. The pleasure is mine, Sampath. I appreciate the opportunity. Thanks Prashanth.