Evaluating a Multi-Component Classroom Intervention to Teach Accessibility in Higher Education: A Case Study With Persona Cards

Abstract

Accessibility and inclusion are fundamental human rights, enacted to ensure that everyone has equal access to digital content. However, in practice, a large number of interactive systems remain inaccessible, which prevents users from accessing essential content. One of the reasons why technology remains inaccessible is the limited training that technologists receive while following formal education. Therefore, to enhance accessibility teaching in higher education, we propose an empathy-driven intervention for college students. The contributions of this paper are multifold: first, we describe the multi-components of the accessibility intervention proposed, describing its materials, protocol for application, rubrics for scores and feedback. Then, we describe and discuss the results of its implementation in a classroom environment over the course of a semester as well as the impact of the intervention on the student’s personal and professional development regarding accessibility concepts.

Keywords

• Accessibility
• disabilities
• empathy
• training
• personas